IT ALL ENDS IN TEARS
May’s final impassioned plea: We MUST compromise to deliver Brexit as a dozen rivals rush in to grab crown
Theresa May’s tearful exit last night triggered an extraordinary stampede to succeed her as prime minister.
Boris Johnson, Jeremy hunt and Graham Brady were among more than a dozen Tories taking up the challenge within hours of her resignation.
In an emotional speech in Downing Street, Mrs May directly appealed to those jostling for her job, pleading for a compromise to resolve the Brexit deadlock.
She said she had tried three times to convince MPs to back her plans and her successor would ‘ have to find consensus in Parliament where I have not’.
her words fell on deaf ears. A few hours later Mr Johnson, the runaway favourite to succeed her, toughened his stance on Brexit. Trying to drive home his advantage with Tory Eurosceptics, he announced that he was willing to take Britain out of the EU without a deal at the end of October.
Foreign Secretary Mr hunt and backbench shop steward Sir Graham also quickly declared their hands. Both played key roles in Mrs May’s departure,
health Secretary Matt hancock is expected to announce his intention to run today, while Michael Gove, Dominic raab and Sajid Javid are considered certain to do so. rory Stewart, Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom are already confirmed candidates.
Self- styled ‘ Brexit hardman’ Steve Baker said he was considering his own bid for power after being taken aback by ‘the level of support in the country’.
A string of other senior Tories are considering trying, including Liz Truss, Liam Fox, Priti Patel and James Cleverly.
As party chiefs indicated that leadership rivals could take part in televised debates to open up the contest to the public:
Downing Street prepared for a final policy blitz in Mrs May’s final weeks to deliver on her priorities such as mental health;
Mr Johnson and other leadership rivals were accused of hypocrisy after releasing gushing tributes to Mrs May;
A minister accused Sir Graham of ‘abuse of his position’ because of his leadership ambitions;
Jeremy Corbyn said Mrs May had ‘utterly failed’ and called on her successor to call an election;
Donald Trump said: ‘I feel badly for Theresa. I like her very much. She’s a good woman. She worked very hard. She’s very strong’;
David Cameron voiced sympathy for Mrs May over her ‘painful’ decision, but said it was the right call;
Senior Tory Sir Geoffrey CliftonBrown warned that Brexit should be sorted before another election.
Mrs May fired the starting gun on the contest shortly after 10am yesterday with a resignation address to the nation in which she spoke of her ‘deep regret’ over her failure to deliver Brexit.
She followed in the footsteps of Mr Cameron and John Major, whose premierships were also torpedoed by the issue of Europe. Mrs May will step down as Conservative
‘Plunged into six weeks of chaos’
leader on June 7, following the state visit of President Trump.
She will stay on as PM until a successor is found. The formal contest to succeed her will start on June 10. The Prime Minister, whose downfall followed a Tory backlash over
her latest Brexit plans, declared she had ‘done my best’ to deliver on the verdict of the 2016 referendum, but admitted: ‘Sadly, I have not been able to do so.’ Mrs May’s voice cracked with emotion as she spoke of her own place in history. Watched by her husband Philip, she fought back tears as she said: ‘I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold – the second female prime minister, but certainly not the last. I do so with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love.’
A few hours later Mr Johnson, speaking at a conference in Switzerland, declared he was ready for No Deal. ‘We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal,’ he said. ‘The way to get a good deal is to prepare for a no deal. To get things done you need to be prepared to walk away.’
Tory Remainers warned against pursuing No Deal last night. Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said such a course would lead to the collapse of the Government.
Fellow Tory moderate Tobias Ellwood said: ‘If the Brexit experience to date has taught us anything, it’s to avoid making promises and drawing red lines you may later regret or cannot honour.’
Mrs May’s downfall followed her failure to take Britain out of the EU on March 29. Her Brexit deal, which was never accepted by Tory hardliners, was rejected three times. But her decision to try to find a compromise with Labour split her party.
Former chancellor Kenneth Clarke warned the contest was likely to plunge the party into six weeks of chaos, with Right-wingers trying to install ‘the candidate who most closely resembles Nigel Farage’.