24 May 2019; DW: In an emotional address, Theresa May has announced she would resign as prime minister on June 7. The race to succeed her will likely start after a state visit by US President Donald Trump.
Theresa May said on Friday that she will step down as leader of the Conservative party, and therefore prime minister, on June 7.
May spoke of her "deep regret" at being unable to deliver Brexit despite her best efforts.
The announcement came after she met with Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs.
"The Brexit referendum was a call for profound change in our country," she stressed. "I did my best to implement the will of the people."
Fighting back tears, she said she was "the second female prime minister, but not the last," and that it had been "the honor of my life to serve the country I love."
She will remain in charge on a caretaker basis until a successor is found.
May has faced incresing pressure to resign in recent months following three unsuccessful attempts to push her Brexit deal through parliament.
A last-ditch ten-point-plan revealed this week was immediately met with derision from friends and foes alike. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn called it a "rehash of her old bad deal."
Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom left her position on Wednesday as she no longer believed in the government's approach to exiting the European Union.
May had initially planned to publish her Withdrawal Agreement on Friday, but said that would be postponed until June 3. She had described her plan as "one last chance" for Brexit to happen.
Johnson leads the race
The leadership contest will likely start on June 10, following a state visit by US President Donald Trump. "Theresa May will be prime minister to welcome him and rightly so," said Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Boris Johnson is the current favorite according to the latest polls.
The former foreign secretary and London mayor has already signaled his intent and can expect to face competition from former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, as well as a potential second run for power from Leadsom.
Leadsom lost out to May in the bid to succeed David Cameron in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit referendum in 2016.
Theresa May's time in office has been dominated by Britain's attempts to leave the EU. The current date of departure is October 31, providing Parliament passes the divorce deal.
The delay to Brexit meant the UK has taken part in European Parliament elections, which run across the bloc until Sunday.
