UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced her resignation, finally bowing to intense political pressure over the failure to deliver her signature policy — Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
May said Friday she would quit as leader of the Conservative Party on June 7, but would stay on as Prime Minister until a successor is chosen.
May was forced into making the announcement after losing the support of her Cabinet, many of whom were fed up with the ongoing turmoil over Brexit.
The last straw for Cabinet ministers appears to have been the latest version of May’s Brexit plan, which she unveiled on Tuesday. In an attempt to win over opposition lawmakers, May offered the House of Commons the chance to vote on a second referendum — a concession that was bitterly opposed by some senior members of her government.
Her fate was sealed by the leadership of the 1922 Committee — which represents the interests of rank-and-file lawmakers in May’s Conservative Party — who threatened to change party rules to allow a vote of no-confidence. May survived an earlier confidence vote in December last year, and under current rules was immune to challenge for another year.