The Irish prime minister claimed the EU’s “patience has run out” for Britain minutes after Mrs May announced her resignation. Mr Coveney insisted history would have been kinder to Mrs May if she had adopted a softer approach to Brexit. He warned that a no-deal Brexit is the most likely outcome as Brussels will refuse to compromise on the deal its negotiators spent over two years working on.

He said: “I think anything is possible now.

“But I think Britain needs to be careful. From an EU perspective I think patience has run out in many ways.”

He added: “Regardless of who the British prime minister is, the EU position will remain that the withdrawal agreement, that took two-and-a-half years to negotiate, and it’s closed.”

Mr Coveney predicted that a further Brexit delay “may be likely” when Mrs May’s successor meets EU leaders for the first time.

Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, struck a softer tone when he praised Mrs May for her “principled” leadership of Britain.

He said: “I got to know Theresa May very well over the last two years. She is principled, honourable, and deeply passionate about doing her best for her country, and her party. Politicians throughout the EU have admired her tenacity, her courage, and her determination during what has been a difficult and challenging time.

“Theresa May strove to chart a new future for the United Kingdom. I want to wish her the very best for the future.

“And I look forward to working closely with her successor.”

Mrs May announced her resignation on the steps of Number 10 this morning, breaking down in tears during her speech.

The Prime Minister said she would step down as Conservative leader on June 7, after Donald Trump’s official state visit to the UK.

She will stay on in Downing Street until her successor is appointed by the Conservative party.

She said: “It is and will always remain a deep regret that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.”

She added it was in the “best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort”.

Dutch leader Mark Rutte was one of the first to react to the PM’s speech.

He tweeted that the deal for an orderly departure from the EU is “still on the table”.

And a spokeswoman for the EU said the bloc’s preference was for an “orderly withdrawal” based on the deal already negotiated.

Irish PM Leo Varadkar paid tribute to Mrs May following the resignation.

He said she was a “principled, honourable, and deeply passionate about doing her best for her country, and her party.

“Politicians throughout the EU have admired her tenacity, her courage and her determination.”

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