Thursday, 28 Mar 2024

Theresa May 'ready to name departure date' as pressure mounts on her to quit

Theresa May is said to be ready to announce a date for her resignation.

The prime minister is set to meet Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs tomorrow, when her fate could be sealed.

If she doesn’t agree a date to depart, he is expected to open an envelope containing the result of a vote on whether to change the constitution, allowing another leadership challenge within 12 months.

Senior cabinet ministers told the BBC that she would name the date tomorrow, with June 10 likely to mark the start of the leadership race.

The date of June 10 was also given by George Osborne. The former chancellor tweeted: ‘Am reliably told she’ll announce tomorrow she’s stepping down on 10 June, after US state visit.’


It comes after Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told her he didn’t believe her Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) will get through the Commons on its fourth attempt.

He said it was a ‘step too far’ to ask Tory MPs to vote for it.

Meanwhile, she had a ‘frank’ discussion with Home Secretary Sajid Javid who made clear he does not believe the Government should be ‘paving the way’ for a second referendum.

A 1922 Committee source said they expected Mrs May would stay until June 10, but warned there would be ‘much greater pressure’ for her to go immediately if she introduces the Brexit bill.

‘Hopefully what will happen is she will stand down as Tory leader I think on or before June 10, and she will hopefully remain as caretaker Prime Minister until such time as a new Tory leader is elected,’ they said.

‘My feeling is that she will stay until June 10.’

Mrs May had previously agreed to set out the timetable for the contest to replace her after a vote on her latest Brexit deal, which had been expected on June 7.

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