British Prime Minister Theresa May Resigns

The British Prime Minister, Theresa May, on Friday disclosed that she would step down from office on June 7.

May made the disclosure at Down Street in the United Kingdom, UK, in which she noted that the job of Prime Minister had been the “honour of her life to hold.”

A leadership contest to decide who will replace her as Prime Minister will start on June 10, and a new leader is expected to take over by the end of July.

Here is Theresa May’s resignation speech in full:
“Ever since I first stepped through the door behind me as Prime Minister, I have striven to make the United Kingdom a country that works not just for a privileged few, but for everyone.

“And to honour the result of the EU referendum. Back in 2016, we gave the British people a choice. Against all predictions, the British people voted to leave the European Union.

“I feel as certain today as I did three years ago that in a democracy if you give people a choice you have a duty to implement what they decide.I have done my best to do that.

“I negotiated the terms of our exit and a new relationship with our closest neighbours that protects jobs, our security and our Union. I have done everything I can to convince MPs to back that deal.

“Sadly, I have not been able to do so. I tried three times. I believe it was right to persevere, even when the odds against success seemed high. But it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new Prime Minister to lead that effort.

“So I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party on Friday 7 June so that a successor can be chosen. I have agreed with the Party Chairman and with the Chairman of the 1922 Committee that the process for electing a new leader should begin in the following week.

“I have kept Her Majesty the Queen fully informed of my intentions, and I will continue to serve as her Prime Minister until the process has concluded. It is, and will always remain, a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.

“It will be for my successor to seek a way forward that honours the result of the referendum. To succeed, he or she will have to find consensus in Parliament where I have not. Such a consensus can only be reached if those on all sides of the debate are willing to compromise.