British Prime Minister Theresa May resigns
The leading contenders to succeed May all want a tougher Brexit deal, although the EU has said it will not renegotiate the withdrawal treaty it sealed in November
London — British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will quit, triggering a contest that will bring a new leader to power who is likely to push for a more decisive Brexit divorce deal. Speaking on Friday morning, May set out a timetable for her departure: she will resign as Conservative Party leader on June 7 with a leadership contest the following week. "I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist party on June 7 so that a successor can be chosen," May said outside 10 Downing Street. May, once a reluctant supporter of EU membership, who won the top job in the turmoil that followed the 2016 Brexit vote, steps down with her central pledges — to lead the UK out of the bloc and heal its divisions — unfulfilled. She endured crises and humiliation in her effort to find a compromise Brexit deal that parliament could ratify, and bequeaths a deeply divided country and a political elite that is deadlocked over how, when or whether to leave the EU. May's departure will deepen t...
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