Theresa May says she’ll quit if her Brexit deal passes hoping to win over opponents
British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced she will resign if her withdrawal agreement with the European Union is approved by parliament.
Ms. May has struggled for months to get the agreement through the House of Commons, but it has been rejected twice by overwhelming margins. In a bid to try one more time this week, she told fellow Conservative party Members of Parliament on Wednesday that if the deal is approved she will step down as Prime Minister.
“I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party,” she told Tory MPs. “This has been a testing time for our country and our party….I ask everyone in this room to back the deal so we can complete our historic duty – to deliver on the decision of the British people and leave the European Union with a smooth and orderly exit.”Her announcement means the Conservatives could hold a leadership contest as early as late May.
The offer to step down might still not be enough to get her deal approved by MPs. Most of the opposition has come from a group of Tory MPs and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party whose ten MPs prop up Ms. May’s minority government. Several Tories still remain opposed to the deal and the DUP has also not changed its stance. But Ms. May is hoping her offer to quit will be enough to win over enough opponents. “I have heard very clearly the mood of the parliamentary party.
If Ms. May’s deal is not approved by parliament, the U.K. has until April 12 to seek an extension to the country’s departure from the EU. However, Britain would have to participate in elections to the European Parliament, which begin May 23. Ms. May would also presumably remain as Prime Minister, but it’s not clear for how long.
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