Theresa May resigns: Boris Johnson threatens no-deal Brexit as prominent Conservatives announce bids to replace PM
MPs pay tribute to ‘dignified’ prime minister as leadership race intensifies
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May announced her resignation in an emotional speech on Friday, in which she said she would stand down as Conservative party leader on 7 June.
Ms May said she had “done my best” in a speech from Downing Street, before the Tory party announced a new prime minister would be in No.10 by 31 July.
Watched by husband Philip, Ms May’s voice cracked as she said it had been “the honour of my life” to serve as PM and she felt “enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”.
In an apparent warning to the Conservative Party not to pursue a no-deal Brexit after she goes, Ms May said her successor will need to pursue compromise to find a way of delivering the result of the 2016 referendum and taking the UK out of the EU in a way that protects jobs, security and the Union.
But Tory leadership contenders are now ramping up their efforts to replace her, ahead of the official start of the contest.
Boris Johnson emerged as the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Ms May, as Jeremy Hunt and Sir Graham Brady announced they would stand.
Mr Johnson said the prime minister had been “patient and stoical” in her failed attempt to solve the Brexit crisis.
“The job of our next leader in the UK, he or she, is to get out of the EU properly and put Brexit to bed,” Mr Johnson said.
“We will leave the EU on 31 October, deal or no deal,” the former foreign secretary said, adding a second referendum on EU membership would be a “very bad idea”.
Conservative MPs also paid tribute to the dignified manner in which Theresa May announced her departure.
“Delivering Brexit was always going to be a huge task,” said Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
“But one she met every day with courage and resolve...a true public servant.”
Additional reporting by agencies
If you would like to see how the day’s news from Westminster unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below:
A new prime minister will be in No 10 by the end of July, the Tory party has announced. Could a fast-tracked process benefit the favourite Boris Johnson?
Here’s Rob Merrick with all the details.
Jeremy Corbyn said Theresa May had become “an impediment” to solving the Brexit and called for an immediate general election after her resignation.
Here’s our deputy political editor Rob Merrick with more.
The Republic of Ireland’s premier Leo Varadkar has described Theresa May as “principled, honourable and deeply passionate about doing her best for her country, and her party”
The Taoiseach said he and the outgoing PM had got to know each other very well in the last two years, and said other EU leader admired Ms May.
“Politicians throughout the EU have admired her tenacity, her courage and her determination during what has been a difficult and challenging time,” he said.
“Theresa May strove to chart a new future for the United Kingdom. I want to wish her the very best for the future. I look forward to working closely with her successor.”
The French government has demanded Britain issue a “rapid clarification” from Britain over Brexit following May’s resignation announcement. Will they get it?
Here’s our Europe correspondent Jon Stone on what EU leaders want now.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has paid tribute to Theresa May’s “determination, resilience and a sense of public duty” and said “people of faith” should pray for our political leaders.
“As Mrs May prepares to stand down from office over the coming months, this is a moment to pause and pray for her and her husband, Philip, whose support has been unwavering, and for all those around them working to ensure a smooth transition into new leadership,” he tweeted.
“Every day in churches across the country, we pray for our political leaders. We pray that they be guided and strengthened in wise leadership that strives for the common good.
“In these critical times in our shared national life, people of faith should commit to pray for all those who lead, all those who are led, and work together with all of goodwill, especially for those who are vulnerable and on the margins.”
A tense exchange between columnist Owen Jones and Tory MP Mark Francois on the BBC this lunchtime.
The ERG figurehead was asked to explain his recent throat-slitting gesture regarding Theresa May, saying he only mean “it’s all over”.
Jones admitted Francois’ “faction will now be in the ascendency”. The left-winger also said he had “a vision of the future with Mark Francois’ boot stamping in our face for all eternity”.
There is some speculation that Sir Graham Brady – the 1922 committee leader who helped organise the timetable for May’s exit – is preparing to run in the Tory leadership contest.
Mark Drakeford, first minister of Wales, has offered his thoughts on May’s department and a change of Tory party leadership.
“I’ve never doubted the Prime Minister’s sense of public service or her commitment to do her job & I wish her well for the future,” the Labour figure tweeted.
“It is however, her red lines that have brought her to the end of the road and left us in a mess of her making. A Conservative leadership contest is the last thing we need as we negotiate one of the biggest challenges and uncertainties our country has faced in decades.
“The prospect of achieving an orderly Brexit – one that protects our economy & jobs – by the 31st October seems less likely. A change of leader will change nothing, we need a change of approach to Brexit based on compromise & a will to heal the growing divisions in our country.”
As political pundits consider May’s legacy, new figures show the impact of the Conservative government has had on housing Britain’s most vulnerable.
Child homelessness has risen 80 per cent since the party came into government in 2010, with a new household now found to be homeless every five minutes, official data has revealed.
Here’s our social affairs correspondent May Bulman with the details.
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