Theresa May agrees to quit once Brexit deal is delivered – Sources
Mrs May is said to have made the promise in an address to Conservative MPs in parliament.
Her move, announced at a gathering of the Tories’ 1922 committee, is a last-gasp attempt to persuade her own party to back her EU withdrawal agreement, which has already been twice heavily defeated in the House of Commons.
Mrs May has told MPs:”I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to secure a smooth and orderly Brexit”.
The prime minister had faced growing calls to reveal when she would resign, with some Brexiteers unwilling to see her lead the next phase of Brexit negotiations.
This will see the UK thrash out a future trade relationship with the EU.
Many Tory MPs were concerned Mrs May would seek close ties with the EU, which would hamper the UK’s ability to sign independent trade deals or diverge from the bloc on regulations.
The prime minister has now decided the price for her withdrawal agreement passing, meaning the UK can exit the EU with a divorce deal, is her premiership.
She had previously told Tory MPs she would not lead them into the 2022 general election, which helped secure her survival during a confidence vote last December.
At the weekend, Mrs May had gathered both ministers and senior Conservative MPs at her Chequers country retreat for crisis talks, amid speculation her cabinet was plotting to oust her.
This was followed by a reported one-on-one meeting between the prime minister and 1922 committee chair Sir Graham Brady.
He was said to have told Mrs May the majority of Tory MPs wanted her gone before the summer.
Mrs May’s announcement will now turbocharge the contest between cabinet ministers and prominent MPs to become her replacement.
Vote Leave figureheads Michael Gove and Boris Johnson are among the current bookies’ favourites to become the next prime minister.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab are also tipped for Number 10. (Sky News)