British Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation in emotional speech
- UK leader will step down on June 7 amid turmoil in her party over Brexit negotiations
- May will become one of Britain’s shortest-serving post-WWII prime ministers
Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation in an emotional address on Friday, ending a dramatic three-year tenure of near-constant crisis over Brexit and increasing the likelihood of Britain crashing out of the EU later this year.
“It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit,” May, her voice breaking and close to tears, said outside her Downing Street office.
The 62-year-old leader said she would step down as head of the Conservative Party on June 7.
She will remain as prime minister in a caretaker role until a replacement is elected by the party before July 20.
The party’s leader automatically becomes prime minister.
May, who took charge in the aftermath of the 2016 EU referendum, was forced to make way following a Conservative mutiny over her ill-fated strategy to take Britain out of the European Union.
She will become one of the country’s shortest-serving post-WWII prime ministers, remembered for presiding over one of the most chaotic periods in its modern political history.