European elections - live: Corbyn tells supporters 'get ready for a general election' as Theresa May teeters on brink after shelving Brexit vote
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May is thought to be on the brink of resignation as she faces a growing cabinet revolt over her Brexit plan and humiliation for the Conservative Party in today's European elections.
The prime minister is expected to announce a departure plan on Friday after failing to quell a ministerial mutiny over her revised EU withdrawal agreement. Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, the most prominent Brexiteer in the cabinet, quit late on Wednesday and other ministers were expected to follow her out of the door.
It comes as both the Tories and Labour face a drubbing in European parliament elections, with the Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party set to capitalise.
Jeremy Hunt becomes first cabinet member to urge Theresa May to abandon her Brexit bill saying it is “clear it wouldn’t pass”.
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Theresa May has been urged to change the law to stamp out the abuse of women in politics.
A petition is calling for politicians who promote rape or violence to be given lifetime bans.
MPs including Labour's Jess Phillips, Conservative Nicky Morgan and the Greens' deputy leader Amelia Womack have all signed up.
A letter, drafted by The Fawcett Society and published by HuffPost UK, is also signed by feminist campaigners including Caroline Criado-Perez.
Both the foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt and the home secretary Sajid Javid have now seen Theresa May to discuss their concerns about her latest withdrawal agreement bill and the component for a second referendum.
It is not clear if either of them has asked her to resign.
The former chancellor and Evening Standard editor tweets:
Here’s a quick roundup of where Theresa May’s premiership lies on Thursday evening two hours before polls close in a European election few would have thought could happen.
Ms May backed down on Thursday from plans to seek Parliament's support for a new Brexit bill already rejected by much of her Conservative Party. But she has not, as yet, caved in to demands she resign and let a new leader try to complete the UK's stalled exit from the European Union.
With her authority draining away by the hour, Ms May delayed plans to publish the EU withdrawal bill — her fourth and likely final attempt to secure Parliament's backing for her Brexit blueprint.
Conservative lawmakers increasingly see Ms May as an obstacle to Britain's EU exit, although her replacement will face the same dilemma: a Parliament deeply divided over whether to leave the EU, and how close a relationship to seek with the bloc after it does.
Conservative legislators scheduled a Friday meeting, where they want Ms May to announce her departure date.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the committee that oversees Conservative leadership races, said that if Ms May did not agree to leave, there would be "overwhelming pressure" for a no-confidence vote in her.
If Ms May does name an exit date, she will likely remain prime minister for several more weeks while Conservative lawmakers and members vote to choose a successor.
Ms May's spokesman, James Slack, said she would still be in office when US president Donald Trump comes to Britain for a 3 - 5 June state visit.
"She looks forward to welcoming the president," he said.
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