LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Prominent Brexit supporter Andrea Leadsom resigned from British Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet on Wednesday, saying she could no longer support the government's approach after May's latest gambit to pass her Brexit deal backfired.

"I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result," Leadsom, who served as Leader of the House of Commons, said in a resignation letter to May.

"It is therefore with great regret and with a heavy heart that I resign from the government." (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Catherine Evans) </s> Andrea Leadsom resigned from her role of Leader of the House on Wednesday, on the eve of voters heading to the polls for the European elections. It came after the Prime Minister set out her “new Brexit deal” on Tuesday, which angered many Tory MPs, as it opened the door a second referendum and, if voted for, would allow Parliamentarians a say on future customs policy. Speaking on talkRADIO, John Redwood, who has long called for the UK to leave the European Union on WTO terms, delivered a brutal response to the news of the resignation.

He said: “Andrea Leadsom has resigned. I am not surprised.” He added: “I think it would be very difficult to support the current position of the Prime Minister. “My surprise is more of them having chosen to resign as well.” Mr Redwood added: “I think it is a great pity the cabinet did not take a stronger line with the Prime Minister earlier this week and told her that there is no chance of the Withdrawal Bill going through and therefore it is an agony that should be spared.

“The idea we need a fourth vote on all this with some sort of compromise that Labour like and Conservatives don’t.” Prime Minister Mrs May outlined her “new Brexit deal” on Tuesday afternoon, which sparked fury among many Tory MPs. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn also responded by suggesting they would not support the deal. On Wednesday evening it was announced the Chairman of the Conservative Party’s influential 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, would meet with the Prime Minister on Friday after Chief Whip Julian Smith met with the 1922 Executive.

BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg wrote on Twitter: “At this stage, the PM seems to have bought another 36 hours, by refusing to quit and refusing to see ministers who want her to go asap”. Later on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister was dealt another fresh blow with the resignation of the Leader of the House of Commons. In her resignation letter, Ms Leadsom said her decision to quit as Leader of the House comes with "great regret”. She wrote: "I do not believe that we will be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed.

"I have always maintained that a second referendum would be dangerously divisive, and I do not support the Government willingly facilitating such a concession. "It would also risk undermining our Union, which is something I passionately want to see strengthened." A Downing Street spokesman said: "Andrea Leadsom has served with distinction and great ability as a member of the Government, and the Prime Minister is grateful for all of her work. "We are disappointed that she has chosen to resign, and the Prime Minister remains focused on delivering the Brexit people voted for." </s> ANDREA Leadsom has sensationally resigned from her position in Theresa May's cabinet.

The leader of the House of Commons has tweeted to say she has quit her post in defiance at Theresa May's refusal to stand down. She wrote: "It is with great regret and a heavy heart that I have decided to resign from the Government." According to sources, Leadsom had been preparing to mount a leadership bid to become Prime Minister as soon as the PM announced her departure. But May managed to cling on tonight, refusing to meet a furious cabinet and saying she will even be out campaigning tomorrow.

Leadsom herself ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party in the wake of the referendum to leave the European Union that saw David Cameron resign as Prime Minister. But a gaffe-prone campaign saw her lose the race, with Theresa May eventually becoming PM. However, in a stinging resignation letter, the top Tory said she urged May to "make the right decisions in the interests of the country [and] this Government", adding: “I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result”. She also said her decision to quit was over Brexit, stating that she no longer thinks the Government can deliver on the result of the referendum and blasting the PM's decision to offer a second vote.

It seems May's premiership is now all but over tonight as ministers line up to criticise her disastrous handling of Brexit. Explaining the timing of her resignation the night before the UK goes to the polls in the European elections, she said: "I considered carefully the timing of this decision, but I cannot fulfil my duty as Leader of the House tomorrow, to announce a Bill with new elements that I fundamentally oppose. "I fully respect the integrity, resolution and determination that you have shown during your time as Prime Minister." It now looks as though Theresa May could resign on Friday, with a meeting with the Conservatives' ruling 1922 Committee scheduled.

Sources inside Whitehall are now saying she has merely bought herself another 36 hours, but that her departure is still imminent. There is also speculation that she has delayed quitting until after the EU election so that she can take some of the blame if the Conservative Party does disastrously. It is believed she might do that to give the Tories some chance of bouncing back in the polls. </s> Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has resigned from the Government with a “heavy heart”, saying she no longer believes its Brexit approach will deliver on the referendum result.

Mrs Leadsom said she was “proud” to have served in Theresa May’s Government since 2016, and had stayed in the Cabinet to “shape and fight for Brexit” despite some “uncomfortable compromises along the way”.

But she said: “I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result.”

Mrs Leadsom said she did not believe that the UK will be “truly sovereign” through the deal proposed, and said a second referendum would be “dangerously divisive”.

She also said there had been “such a breakdown of government processes that recent Brexit-related legislative proposals have not been properly scrutinised or approved by Cabinet members”.

And Mrs Leadsom added: “The tolerance to those in Cabinet who have advocated policies contrary to the Government’s position has led to a complete breakdown of collective responsibility.”

A Downing Street spokesman said: “Andrea Leadsom has served with distinction and great ability as a member of the Government, and the Prime Minister is grateful for all of her work.

“We are disappointed that she has chosen to resign, and the Prime Minister remains focused on delivering the Brexit people voted for.”

Mrs Leadsom, a leading Brexiteer in the Cabinet, said she resigned ahead of Thursday’s Business Statement to the Commons because she felt she could not announce a Bill with “new elements that I fundamentally oppose”.

“I fully respect the integrity, resolution and determination that you have shown during your time as Prime Minister,” she wrote.

“No one has wanted you to succeed more than I have, but I do now urge you to make the right decisions in the interests of the country, this Government and our party.”

Mrs Leadsom was one of a number of Brexit-supporting colleagues in the so-called Pizza Club who were absent for the start of Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

Her resignation came as Mrs May faces growing pressure to quit amid a backlash over her last-ditch effort to get a Brexit deal through.

The Prime Minister will meet Sir Graham Brady, the representative of Tory backbench MPs, on Friday for a meeting which could seal her fate.

She has previously agreed to set out the timetable for the contest to replace her after a crunch vote on her Brexit deal, widely expected on June 7.

That deadline appears to have been brought forward with the announcement she will meet Sir Graham, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, the day after polling day for the European elections, which are expected to be disastrous for the Conservatives.

Sir Graham told reporters: “I will be meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday following her campaigning in the European elections tomorrow and following that meeting I will be consulting with the 1922 executive.”

He said the executive discussed “all sorts of things” in the meeting. The 1922 Committee’s executive had been expected to consider a rule change to allow another attempt to force Mrs May out.

Following the failed bid to oust her in 2018, under the existing rules Mrs May would be safe from another confidence motion until December.

One Tory MP described the outcome of the 1922 Committee meeting as “the can kicked down (the road) until Friday”.

In a sign of unrest at the highest levels of the Tory party, a series of Cabinet ministers asked for meetings with Mrs May to raise their concerns about the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) which would put the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan into law.

Downing Street sources said it was possible that the PM could meet Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Thursday, but there was no confirmation that an audience would be granted for other ministers with reservations about the plan.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has asked for a meeting to discuss his concerns about the prospect of a second referendum, after Mrs May revealed she would grant MPs a vote on whether the Brexit deal should be put to the public.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell also has particular concerns because he fears the prospect of another referendum could be “exploited” by the SNP to call for a fresh independence vote. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Andrea Leadsom: "I couldn't support the Brexit bill"

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has quit the cabinet, saying she no longer believes the government's approach will deliver Brexit.

Her resignation comes amid a backlash against Theresa May's Brexit plan from Conservative MPs.

Several cabinet ministers have told the BBC that the PM cannot stay, with one saying it is "the end of the line".

In a letter to Mrs Leadsom, the PM wrote she was "sorry to lose someone of [her] passion, drive and sincerity".

Mrs May also said she disagreed with "the assessment you now give about our approach" to Brexit.

Mrs Leadsom previously ran for Tory leader but withdrew, clearing the path for Mrs May to become prime minister.

As Commons leader, she was in charge of organising government business and had been due to announce when the prime minister's Withdrawal Agreement Bill would be introduced to Parliament.

Her resignation is the 36th by a minister under Theresa May - 21 of them over Brexit - and comes a day before the UK votes in the European elections.

The move came after a day of drama at Westminster in which anger grew at the prime minister's attempt to win backing for the bill - the legislation needed to implement the agreement between the UK and EU on the terms of Brexit.

As part of it, Mrs May has offered a number of changes, including a chance for MPs to hold a vote on another referendum if they back the bill.

In a letter to the prime minister, Mrs Leadsom - MP for South Northamptonshire - said she did not believe "the UK would be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed".

She also described holding another referendum as "dangerously divisive", and said she was opposed to the government "willingly facilitating such a concession".

Another referendum would "risk undermining our Union which is something I passionately want to see strengthened", she said.

She also attacked the "breakdown of government processes", saying that Brexit-related legislation proposals had not been "properly scrutinised".

She concluded her letter by paying tribute to "the integrity, resolution and determination" of the prime minister and urging her to "make the right decisions in the interests of the country, the government and our party".

But in her response, Mrs May said her bill would deliver Brexit for the UK, and sought to assure her departing colleague that she continued to be opposed to a second referendum - arguing it would be "divisive".

'A step too far'

BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake said that Mrs Leadsom had made many compromises over Brexit.

"She clearly feels the new improved bill - as Theresa May has styled it - was a step too far," he added.

"It is an extraordinary sequence of events for a key member of the Cabinet to resign on the eve of elections.

"It is unlikely that we will see others follow her immediately, but getting into Friday and the weekend, things could move swiftly."

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Home Secretary Sajid Javid "isn't going anywhere", but added that his backers said he wasn't happy about the second referendum part of Mrs May's offer.

Who is Andrea Leadsom?

Andrea Leadsom was the MP who stood against Theresa May for leadership of the Conservative Party in 2016, following David Cameron's resignation after the EU referendum.

She decided to withdraw from the race, leaving Theresa May as PM, following an interview in which she suggested that being a mother made her a better candidate for the job.

Mrs Leadsom campaigned for Leave during the Brexit campaign, appearing on the panel at the final TV debate of the campaign at Wembley Arena, alongside Boris Johnson and then Labour MP Gisela Stuart.

She served as environment secretary between July 2016 and June 2017, and more recently as Leader of the House, a role which means she organises and announces government business in Parliament.

Tim Loughton - the Conservative MP who ran Mrs Leadsom's campaign to be party leader - said she had "great integrity", and left because she couldn't support the prime minister's bill.

Pro-EU Conservative MP Dominic Grieve said he was sorry that Mrs Leadsom had resigned, but added that some of this colleagues are "living in world of fantasy".

"They refuse to accept they can't carry out Brexit in the way that they want," he said.

Labour MP Ian Lavery said the resignation showed "the prime minister's authority is shot and her time is up".

His colleague Jess Phillips praised Mrs Leadsom, saying: "I liked Leadsom. She had our back in the complaints process and she was vital in the proxy voting."

'Tough it out'

The minister's resignation capped a difficult day for the prime minister who continued to resist calls to quit herself.

Several cabinet ministers broke cover on Wednesday afternoon to signal their unhappiness with the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, among them Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also requested a private meeting with the PM to discuss the situation.

But BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the PM declined to meet the ministers - both of whom are seen as possible contenders to be the next Conservative leader - and instead seemed determined to "tough it out".

Image copyright PA Image caption Sir Graham Brady announcing that the PM had survived a no confidence vote in December 2018

The 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs had been expected to vote on Wednesday evening on whether to change the party's rules to allow an immediate vote of no confidence in the prime minister.

Current rules dictate that as the PM survived such a vote in December, she cannot face another one for 12 months.

Mrs May is now scheduled to meet the committee's chairman, Sir Graham Brady on Friday.

Laura Kuenssberg said the PM appeared to have bought herself 36 hours.

The PM had already pledged to set a timetable for a new leader to take over after MPs vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. That, in theory at least, is expected to happen on 7 June.

What is in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill?

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May says failure to back her deal risks "no Brexit at all"

Mrs May is bringing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - legislation required to bring her agreement into UK law - to Parliament in early June.

In an attempt to win over MPs across the House, she announced the following concessions:

A guarantee of a Commons vote on whether to hold another referendum on the government's Brexit deal

A vote on different customs options, including a government proposal for a temporary customs union for goods - what Mrs May called a "customs compromise"

A legal obligation for the UK to "seek to conclude alternative arrangements" to replace the Northern Ireland backstop by the end of 2020

If the backstop does come into force, the bill would guarantee Northern Ireland remains aligned with the rest of the UK and remains in same customs territory

Legislation to ensure workers rights are "every bit as good, if not better" after Brexit - and guarantees of no dilution in environmental standards

A legal duty to seek changes to the political declaration on future relations with the EU

What are the Tory leadership rules? </s> London: Prominent Brexit supporter Andrea Leadsom resigned from British Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet on Wednesday, saying she could no longer support the government’s approach after May’s latest effort to pass her Brexit deal backfired.

May resisted growing calls to resign on Wednesday, vowing to press on despite mounting opposition from lawmakers and even some of her own ministers to her latest Brexit gambit.

But Leadsom said she could not announce the new Withdrawal Agreement Bill in parliament on Thursday as she did not believe in it.

“I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result,” Leadsom, who served as Leader of the House of Commons, said in a resignation letter to May.

“It is therefore with great regret and with a heavy heart that I resign from the government.”

May’s new Brexit plan includes a vote on whether to hold a second Brexit referendum — once her legislation passes the first stage — as well as closer trading arrangements with the EU in future as incentives to lawmakers.

But that met a swift backlash, with several lawmakers who have supported her in previous Brexit votes saying they could not back her new plan.

“I have always maintained that a second referendum would be dangerously divisive, and I do not support the government willingly facilitating such a concession,” Leadsom said.

May is due to meet the chair of the powerful 1922 committee of Conservative lawmakers on Friday, after campaigning for European Parliament elections on Thursday.

“No one has wanted you to succeed more than I have,” Leadsom wrote to May. “But I do now urge you to make the right decisions in the interests of the country, this government and our party.” </s> British Prime Minister Theresa May may step down as soon as Friday amid a mutiny among her cabinet members and her inability to get Parliament to sign off on a deal to exit the European Union, according to a report.

House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom resigned on Wednesday over May’s Brexit policy and a number of other cabinet members have said that the prime minister has reached “the end of the line,” the BBC reported on Thursday.

And May’s bill for a new Brexit deal now isn’t expected to be published or voted on until next month.

The prime minister had planned to have the bill published on Friday.

But Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt shoved aside speculation about May’s resignation, saying she would still be the prime minister when President Trump arrives in Great Britain ​o​n June​ 3​.

“Theresa May will be prime minister to welcome him and rightly so​,” Hunt said. ​

Leadsom said she stepped down because May’s Brexit plan had “elements I cannot support, that aren’t Brexit.”

May said she was sad to lose someone of Leadsom’s “passion, drive and sincerity.”

May had promised to step down if lawmakers approve her Brexit deal but the calls for her to set a date have become louder and more persistent.

Britain voted 52 percent to 48 percent in June 2016 to leave the European Union, but Brexit legislation has been rejected three times.

​It now faces a Oct. 31 deadline to leave the European Union.​ </s> This article is more than 3 months old

This article is more than 3 months old

Theresa May has bowed to intense pressure from her own party and named 7 June as the day she will step aside as Conservative leader, drawing her turbulent three-year premiership to a close.

Speaking in Downing Street, May said it had been “the honour of my life” to serve as Britain’s second female prime minister. Her voice breaking, she said she would leave “with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”.

The prime minister listed a series of what she said were her government’s achievements, including tackling the deficit, reducing unemployment and boosting funding for mental health.

But she admitted: “It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.”

May’s announcement came after a meeting with Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench Tory 1922 Committee, which was prepared to trigger a second vote of no confidence in her leadership if she refused to resign.

Her fate was sealed after a 10-point “new Brexit deal”, announced in a speech on Tuesday, infuriated Tory backbenchers and many of her own cabinet – while falling flat with the Labour MPs it was meant to persuade.

The leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, resigned on Wednesday, rather than present the Brexit bill to parliament.

A string of other cabinet ministers had also expressed concerns, including Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Chris Grayling and David Mundell.

In particular, they rejected May’s promise to give MPs a vote on a second referendum as the Brexit bill passed through parliament, and implement the result – which they felt came too close to endorsing the idea.

Play Video 2:01 As Theresa May resigns, how will she be remembered? – video

The prime minister will remain in Downing Street, to shoulder the blame for what are expected to be dire results for her party from Thursday’s European elections – and to host Donald Trump when he visits.

The 1922 Committee will set out the terms of a leadership contest, to kick off on 10 June, which is expected to last perhaps six weeks.

Q&A How do the Tories elect a new leader? Show Hide A Conservative leadership contest takes two stages. First, MPs vote for their choice from the nominated candidates. In progressive rounds of voting, candidates are eliminated until there are only two challengers remaining. The second stage is a postal ballot of Conservative party members to chose one of the two candidates. Theresa May's formal resignation as leader on 7 June triggered the contest and the Conservative party set out the following timetable: Nominations closed on 10 June. The first round of voting was held on Thursday 13 June. Subsequent rounds have been pencilled in for the 18th, 19th and 20th. Conservative party HQ says the postal vote element, when the 140,000 or so party members will pick the country's new prime minister, will be completed in the week beginning Monday 22 July.



The former foreign secretary Boris Johnson is the frontrunner to be Britain’s next prime minister, but more than a dozen senior Tory figures are considering throwing their hats into the ring.

In the cabinet, Rory Stewart has already said he will stand, while Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Penny Mordaunt and Sajid Javid are all likely contenders.

May’s departure came after three years of wrangling with Brexiters on her own backbenches about what future relationship with the European Union they would be prepared to accept.

That became considerably more difficult when she lost her majority at the 2017 general election, after spearheading what was widely regarded as a disastrous campaign, promising “strong and stable leadership in the national interest”.

'Good riddance': readers react to Theresa May's resignation Read more

Brexit is likely to dominate the race to succeed May, with time increasingly tight for a new team to set out any new direction before the deadline of 31 October for Britain’s departure from the EU.

May’s longtime friend Damian Green, the former first secretary of state, defended her record on Friday.

He said: “All prime ministers, in the end, take responsibility for what happens on their watch, but I think that it’s undeniable that suddenly and unexpectedly becoming prime minister after the seismic shock of the Brexit referendum meant that she was dealt an extremely difficult hand to play. And the truth is that having an election a year later, which cut the Conservative party’s majority, then [made it] impossible.”

Green told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The fact that parliament has not been able to get a Brexit deal through has led to the impatience, bordering into contempt, for the political class and the amount of hostility and borderline violence is something we have not known for a very very long time.” </s> London [UK], Jun 7 (ANI): British Prime Minister Theresa May formally resigned as the head of the Conservative Party on Friday, setting off the campaign among eleven Members of Parliament to replace her, both as the party head and the country's PM.

However, May will remain the acting Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen, reports Sputnik.

In a tearful speech last month, 62-year-old May had announced that she would step down as the PM and party head, in consideration to the fact that she failed to pass her Brexit agreement in the Parliament despite repeated efforts and negotiations with the Labour Party.

At least eleven Conservative MPs are aiming to replace her, including the country's former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, and current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, among others. The candidates are required to announce formal nominations next week, starting June 10.

May assumed the Prime Minister's office in July 2016 after her predecessor and party colleague David Cameron stepped down from the post, following the Brexit referendum, which saw 52 per cent of the electorate voting in favour of the country leaving the EU.

For long, May had been making efforts to push her beleaguered agreement or an alternative withdrawal deal through the British Parliament in a bid to prevent the UK from participating in the European Parliament elections. After the deal was rejected thrice in the UK parliament, May accepted her defeat and announced her resignation.

Last month, the EU leaders agreed to delay the Brexit process to another six months, with October 31 as the new date for the UK's withdrawal from the European bloc. (ANI)
Andrea Leadsom resigns as the United Kingdom's Leader of the House of Commons with immediate effect in response to Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of Brexit. Several other cabinet ministers are reportedly threatening to resign.