Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Andrea Leadsom: "I couldn't support the Brexit bill"

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has quit the cabinet, saying she no longer believes the government's approach will deliver Brexit.

Her resignation comes amid a backlash against Theresa May's Brexit plan from Conservative MPs.

Several cabinet ministers have told the BBC that the PM cannot stay, with one saying it is "the end of the line".

In a letter to Mrs Leadsom, the PM wrote she was "sorry to lose someone of [her] passion, drive and sincerity".

Mrs May also said she disagreed with "the assessment you now give about our approach" to Brexit.

Mrs Leadsom previously ran for Tory leader but withdrew, clearing the path for Mrs May to become prime minister.

As Commons leader, she was in charge of organising government business and had been due to announce when the prime minister's Withdrawal Agreement Bill would be introduced to Parliament.

Her resignation is the 36th by a minister under Theresa May - 21 of them over Brexit - and comes a day before the UK votes in the European elections.

The move came after a day of drama at Westminster in which anger grew at the prime minister's attempt to win backing for the bill - the legislation needed to implement the agreement between the UK and EU on the terms of Brexit.

As part of it, Mrs May has offered a number of changes, including a chance for MPs to hold a vote on another referendum if they back the bill.

In a letter to the prime minister, Mrs Leadsom - MP for South Northamptonshire - said she did not believe "the UK would be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed".

She also described holding another referendum as "dangerously divisive", and said she was opposed to the government "willingly facilitating such a concession".

Another referendum would "risk undermining our Union which is something I passionately want to see strengthened", she said.

She also attacked the "breakdown of government processes", saying that Brexit-related legislation proposals had not been "properly scrutinised".

She concluded her letter by paying tribute to "the integrity, resolution and determination" of the prime minister and urging her to "make the right decisions in the interests of the country, the government and our party".

But in her response, Mrs May said her bill would deliver Brexit for the UK, and sought to assure her departing colleague that she continued to be opposed to a second referendum - arguing it would be "divisive".

'A step too far'

BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake said that Mrs Leadsom had made many compromises over Brexit.

"She clearly feels the new improved bill - as Theresa May has styled it - was a step too far," he added.

"It is an extraordinary sequence of events for a key member of the Cabinet to resign on the eve of elections.

"It is unlikely that we will see others follow her immediately, but getting into Friday and the weekend, things could move swiftly."

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Home Secretary Sajid Javid "isn't going anywhere", but added that his backers said he wasn't happy about the second referendum part of Mrs May's offer.

Who is Andrea Leadsom?

Andrea Leadsom was the MP who stood against Theresa May for leadership of the Conservative Party in 2016, following David Cameron's resignation after the EU referendum.

She decided to withdraw from the race, leaving Theresa May as PM, following an interview in which she suggested that being a mother made her a better candidate for the job.

Mrs Leadsom campaigned for Leave during the Brexit campaign, appearing on the panel at the final TV debate of the campaign at Wembley Arena, alongside Boris Johnson and then Labour MP Gisela Stuart.

She served as environment secretary between July 2016 and June 2017, and more recently as Leader of the House, a role which means she organises and announces government business in Parliament.

Tim Loughton - the Conservative MP who ran Mrs Leadsom's campaign to be party leader - said she had "great integrity", and left because she couldn't support the prime minister's bill.

Pro-EU Conservative MP Dominic Grieve said he was sorry that Mrs Leadsom had resigned, but added that some of this colleagues are "living in world of fantasy".

"They refuse to accept they can't carry out Brexit in the way that they want," he said.

Labour MP Ian Lavery said the resignation showed "the prime minister's authority is shot and her time is up".

His colleague Jess Phillips praised Mrs Leadsom, saying: "I liked Leadsom. She had our back in the complaints process and she was vital in the proxy voting."

'Tough it out'

The minister's resignation capped a difficult day for the prime minister who continued to resist calls to quit herself.

Several cabinet ministers broke cover on Wednesday afternoon to signal their unhappiness with the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, among them Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also requested a private meeting with the PM to discuss the situation.

But BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the PM declined to meet the ministers - both of whom are seen as possible contenders to be the next Conservative leader - and instead seemed determined to "tough it out".

Image copyright PA Image caption Sir Graham Brady announcing that the PM had survived a no confidence vote in December 2018

The 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs had been expected to vote on Wednesday evening on whether to change the party's rules to allow an immediate vote of no confidence in the prime minister.

Current rules dictate that as the PM survived such a vote in December, she cannot face another one for 12 months.

Mrs May is now scheduled to meet the committee's chairman, Sir Graham Brady on Friday.

Laura Kuenssberg said the PM appeared to have bought herself 36 hours.

The PM had already pledged to set a timetable for a new leader to take over after MPs vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. That, in theory at least, is expected to happen on 7 June.

What is in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill?

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May says failure to back her deal risks "no Brexit at all"

Mrs May is bringing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - legislation required to bring her agreement into UK law - to Parliament in early June.

In an attempt to win over MPs across the House, she announced the following concessions:

A guarantee of a Commons vote on whether to hold another referendum on the government's Brexit deal

A vote on different customs options, including a government proposal for a temporary customs union for goods - what Mrs May called a "customs compromise"

A legal obligation for the UK to "seek to conclude alternative arrangements" to replace the Northern Ireland backstop by the end of 2020

If the backstop does come into force, the bill would guarantee Northern Ireland remains aligned with the rest of the UK and remains in same customs territory

Legislation to ensure workers rights are "every bit as good, if not better" after Brexit - and guarantees of no dilution in environmental standards

A legal duty to seek changes to the political declaration on future relations with the EU

What are the Tory leadership rules? </s> Theresa May is set to agree her resignation timetable in two weeks' time after a showdown meeting with Tory MPs.

Cabinet ministers and the PM's allies now accept there'll be a full-blown Tory leadership contest before the summer holiday after her two-hour summit with the 1922 Committee.

MPs on the powerful body gave her one last chance to get her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the Commons - stepping back from calls to quit now.

But after a "very frank" meeting, 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady revealed Mrs May will meet him again in around two weeks - "to agree a timetable for the election of a new leader."

And before the meeting had even finished, Boris Johnson officially announced he'll run for the leadership.

Sir Graham, the "shop steward" for Tory backbenchers, met Mrs May today with the 18-strong executive of the 1922 Committee.

Despite a split down the middle of the powerful group, they agreed not to demand an immediate resignation timetable.

Instead Theresa May will have until after the 'second reading' vote on her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill.

The Bill - the FOURTH vote on her Brexit deal - is due before MPs in the week of June 3, at the same time as Donald Trump's State Visit.

But privately, government sources appear to accept there will be a leadership contest before the summer holiday.

A No10 insider told the Mirror Mrs May was still 80 MPs short of winning the vote.

The insider admitted the prospect of victory was slim and added: "If the Bill falls, everyone knows what comes after that.

"It's the last act of this government."

The No10 insider also dismissed suggestions the PM could stay and enter further talks with the EU.

"She doesn't want to go to Brussels again - ever," they said.

Meanwhile a normally loyal Cabinet minister said they want MPs to choose their final two leadership candidates before the summer break.

That way Tory members could vote in August while EU officials are on holiday - and have a leader in place by early September.

"They can take over in early September, have a few weeks in Parliament to get used to PMQs and things like that," the minister said.

"You need to have a contest.

"If there had been a contest last time I think Theresa May would still have won but it would have exposed some problems and perhaps she would have had a different leadership style."

"The Prime Minister is determined to secure our departure from the European Union and is devoting her efforts to securing the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the week commencing June 3 2019 and the passage of that Bill and the consequent departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union by the summer.

"We have agreed that she and I will meet following the second reading of the Bill to agree a timetable for the election of a new leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party." </s> These are external links and will open in a new window

Theresa May has told MPs it remains her "priority" to deliver Brexit, defending the decision to delay the UK's exit from the EU by more than six months.

The new deadline of 31 October, set following late-night talks in Brussels, means the UK is likely to have to hold European Parliament elections in May.

The prime minister promised to pursue an "orderly" Brexit, adding that the "whole country" was "frustrated".

Brexit was originally set to happen on 29 March. But after MPs repeatedly rejected Mrs May's withdrawal agreement with the EU, the deadline was put back to 12 April.

The new 31 October deadline averts the prospect of the UK having to leave the EU without a deal this Friday.
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But, under EU rules, the UK will have to hold European Parliament elections in May, or face leaving on 1 June without a deal.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Mrs May said she "profoundly" regretted her deal not being agreed to by MPs.

She said: "The whole country is intensely frustrated that this process of leaving the European Union has not been completed."

On the latest delay, she said: "The choices we face are stark and the timetable is clear. I believe we must now press on at pace with our efforts to reach a consensus on a deal that is in the national interest."

Mrs May also told MPs that backing her deal would mean there was no need for European Parliament elections.

The government is continuing to hold talks with Labour aimed at achieving a consensus on how to break the deadlock in Parliament.

Mrs May said: "Reaching an agreement will not be easy, because to be successful it will require both sides to make compromises.

"But however challenging it may be politically, I profoundly believe that in this unique situation where the House is deadlocked, it is incumbent on both front benches to seek to work together to deliver what the British people voted for."

In response, Mr Corbyn said: "The second extension in the space of a fortnight represents not only a diplomatic failure but is another milestone in the government's mishandling of the entire Brexit process."
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He added: "The prime minister has stuck rigidly to a flawed plan and now the clock has run down, leaving Britain in limbo and adding to the deep uncertainty of business, workers and people all across this country."

Mr Corbyn said cross-party talks were "serious, detailed and ongoing", but warned that the government would "have to compromise".

If no agreement was possible, he said: "We believe all options should remain on the table, including the option of a public vote."

What happens next?

Shortly - Talks continue between the Conservatives and Labour on how to end the Brexit impasse

2 May - Local elections take place in England and Northern Ireland

23 May - European Parliament elections are scheduled to happen in the UK, if MPs do not back Theresa May's agreement with the EU in time to avert them

31 October - The UK leaves the EU, unless MPs back the withdrawal agreement in advance of this deadline

Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader, urged Mrs May to use the extra time to hold a second EU referendum.

"It's now a very real possibility that we can remain in the European Union," he said.

"As of today, there are 204 days until the new Brexit deadline on the 31 October, so will the prime minister now remove the ridiculous excuse that there isn't enough time to hold a second referendum with remain on the ballot paper?"

Brexiteer Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash accused the prime minister of "abject surrender" to the EU in allowing the delay and said she should resign.

Before the Brussels summit, Mrs May had told leaders she wanted to move the UK's exit date from this Friday to 30 June, with the option of leaving earlier if Parliament ratified her agreement.

What was agreed in Brussels?
• A Brexit extension "only as long as necessary" and "no longer than 31 October" to allow for the ratification of the withdrawal agreement
• The UK "must hold the elections to the European Parliament" and if it fails to do this, the UK will leave on 1 June
• The European Council reiterates there can be no reopening of the withdrawal agreement negotiations

European Council President Donald Tusk said future developments were "entirely in the UK's hands", adding: "They can still ratify the withdrawal agreement, in which case the extension can be terminated."

Mr Tusk said the UK could also rethink its strategy or choose to "cancel Brexit altogether", but urged: "Please do not waste this time."

The EU had been split over the length of delay to offer the UK, and by law its other 27 member states had to reach a unanimous decision. </s> United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Theresa May’s gamble of calling snap polls spectacularly backfired on Friday with the British electorate delivering a hung Parliament and forcing her to seek the support of a small Northern Irish party for staying in power, as the country braces for hard Brexit talks.

May, jolted by the electoral setback, however, remained defiant to calls for her resignation and vowed to form a minority government with the informal backing of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

“I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen, and I will now form a government – a government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country,” a grim-faced May said in a statement delivered outside 10 Downing Street.

May, 60, said the two parties have enjoyed a strong relationship over many years, and she believes that they will be able to work together in the interest of the country.

“This will allow us to come together as a country and channel our energies towards a successful Brexit deal that works for everyone in this country – securing a new partnership with the EU which guarantees our long-term prosperity. That’s what people voted for last June. That’s what we will deliver. Now let’s get to work,” she said.

Though May’s Conservative Party emerged as the single largest party on a sensational election night, the impressive show by the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn sent the British politics into turmoil, putting May in a complex situation ahead of the Brexit talks scheduled to start on June 19.

The results – a sort of turnaround in fortunes for both major parties – have thrown that timetable into doubt. With results declared for nearly all of the 650 seats, Conservatives won 318 while the opposition Labour secured 262, leaving neither party anywhere close to the 326 seats required for an overall majority. The Tories will now have to rely on the DUP’s 10 MPs to get things done. DUP leader Arlene Foster confirmed she will enter talks with May in an effort to pursue “stability” in Parliament, without giving further details on the conditions for the party’s support.

The shock defeat for Conservatives – despite the pre-poll projections of a comfortable majority – was seen by the British media as a “humiliation” for May to continue in her position.

Corbyn, 68, may not have dislodged May in the polls but the Labour Party’s strong showing prompted him to demand her resignation, saying she “lost votes, lost support and lost confidence” of the people.

May in April had chosen to call the election three years ahead of the schedule to try to strengthen her hand in talks with the European Union to pull Britain out of the single market. The result threw the UK in a political turmoil amid increasing terror-related incidents. </s> The U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May looks set to step down in June or July after a meeting with disgruntled lawmakers that left her "tearful," according to British media.

In the Thursday meeting with the 1922 Committee, an influential group of Conservative lawmakers from her own party, the prime minister agreed to step down if her Brexit deal is voted down when she brings it to the House of Commons in the week beginning June 3.

Senior political sources told the BBC she promised to resign if the vote fails and that it was "inconceivable" May would stay in power after the next vote.

The Daily Telegraph, a newspaper favoring Brexit, reported the meeting was "emotionally charged" and that Prime Minister May will step down by June 30 at the latest.

However, the BBC reported an exact date has not been set and that the prime minister had only agreed to a "timetable for departure."

The prime minister had previously said she would resign if her Brexit deal, which has been voted down three times this year, was accepted by British lawmakers.

That announcement was an attempt to get more lawmakers to side with the deal, but it now seems that whatever happens, a new prime minister will be in place by the deadline for the U.K. to leave the European Union on Oct. 31 of this year.

It is not only the prime minister's own future at stake. May had spent the last six weeks negotiating with Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to find a compromise agreement that would pass through the House of Commons.

Friday, the talks broke down, with Corbyn saying the negotiations "have gone as far as they can" in a letter to the prime minister.

This means that when Parliament votes again on Brexit next month, the deal will effectively be the same as the one defeated by a historic margin in January and again in March.

May's Brexit deal has come under criticism from lawmakers of all political persuasions. Some suggest the deal will leave the U.K. too closely aligned to the EU, while others believe the deal will damage the U.K.'s economy.

Conservative lawmakers within May's own party will spend the coming months jostling for positions. When she resigns, a leadership election will take place. Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London, has already put himself forward as a future candidate.

The current deadline for leaving the European Union is set at Oct. 31 of this year. The original date for departure was March 29, but the government were forced to ask the EU for an extension after they were unable to agree a deal, despite negotiating with the EU for the better part of three years.

If Parliament cannot agree a deal, the U.K. will leave a "no deal" Brexit, unless lawmakers decide to cancel Brexit entirely by revoking Article 50, the legal mechanism for leaving the EU.

The next vote on May's Brexit deal will be taking place the same early June week President Donald Trump, who has been critical of May's Brexit deal, embarks on a state visit to the U.K. </s> MPs have again rejected a series of alternatives to Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

A call for a customs union after Brexit was defeated by just three votes, a referendum on any deal was rejected by 12 votes, the Common Market 2.0 plan lost by 21 votes and cancelling Brexit to prevent a no-deal scenario was defeated by 101.

So what happens next?

– Tuesday April 2



 Theresa May has scheduled a five-hour Cabinet meeting instead of the usual 90 minutes. The first three hours will be a political Cabinet in the absence of civil servants – fuelling speculation the senior Tories will consider the prospect of a snap election, the timing of the Prime Minister’s departure or the potential for ministerial resignations if there is a change in Brexit strategy.

Backbench MPs will again take charge of the Commons timetable to consider Brexit plans under Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin’s scheme to break the Parliamentary deadlock.

After the latest round of indicative votes failed to produce a clear winner, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said: “If the House were to agree a deal this week it may still be possible to avoid holding European parliamentary elections.”

That could be an indication the Prime Minister might risk a fourth showdown on her Withdrawal Agreement in the hope that more Tory Eurosceptics will accept the choice is between her plan and a softer Brexit.

– Wednesday April 10



 An emergency summit of European Union leaders will consider any request by the UK for a longer delay to Brexit. To be granted a further postponement the Government will have to set out what purpose it would achieve and it will almost certainly involve taking part in the European elections.

The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on April 12 after MPs rejected the Prime Minister’s deal last week.

If Europe’s leaders have agreed an extension to the Article 50 process, the UK will elect MEPs to the European Parliament.

The breakaway Independent Group of MPs has announced it intends to set up a fully fledged political party – Change UK – to fight the elections on a pro-EU platform.

Nigel Farage will seek to continue as an MEP, this time for the newly formed Brexit Party.

Mrs May warned MPs before they rejected her deal that a long extension would “at least delay and could destroy Brexit”.

Three years after the referendum, it is possible the UK will still be in the European Union, have newly elected MEPs and will be contributing to the Brussels budget.

The current make-up of the House of Commons has so far proved unable to agree on any Brexit plan so the Prime Minister could be tempted to call a snap election to break the deadlock.

But having promised not to lead the Tories into the scheduled 2022 election and then said she would quit before the next phase of the Brexit process, would her MPs allow her to fight another contest as leader?

And would a new election produce a decisive result to give whoever occupies Number 10 a majority to steer such a divisive issue through Parliament?

The call for another referendum was defeated by just 12 votes and campaigners seized on the fact it had more MPs voting in favour than any other option.

The narrow defeat for a customs union will increase pressure on Mrs May to move in favour of the measure.

But that would tear the Tory party apart and would be likely to result in Cabinet resignations as critics of the customs union believe it robs the UK of one of the major Brexit prizes – the ability to strike trade deals with countries such as the US. </s> EDINBURGH, Scotland (CNN) — Scottish lawmakers voted 69-59 in favor of an independence referendum Tuesday, setting Edinburgh on a collision course with the UK government.

The vote by members of the Scottish Parliament gives the green light to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to ask the UK Parliament for a referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has indicated she will reject the Sturgeon’s timetable. Britain is expected to leave the European Union in 2019, and May has said that “now is not the time” for a vote that could break up the United Kingdom.

But Sturgeon has said there is an “unquestionable democratic mandate” for a referendum.

In a failed 2014 referendum on independence, Scotland voted 55% to 45% to remain in the UK. But the Scottish National Party, led by Sturgeon, said the landscape has changed since Britain decided to leave the EU.

Sturgeon said the Brexit vote is forcing Scotland out of the EU against its will as 62% of Scots voted in June to remain in the bloc.

Opening the referendum debate in the Edinburgh Parliament last week, Sturgeon said it would be “wrong, unfair and utterly unsustainable” for the UK government to block her request.

There has been fierce opposition to a fresh referendum from the Scottish Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats.

But the Scottish National Party, the largest party in the Parliament, will be backed by the Green Party, enabling Sturgeon to put May under increased pressure.

The two leaders met Monday in Glasgow ahead of the UK government’s plans to trigger Article 50 on Wednesday, the formal announcement of a separation from the EU.

In comments reported by the UK Press Association, Sturgeon said May had been clear that the terms of the UK’s divorce from the EU and the details of a new free trade deal would be known within two years.

“I think it makes it very difficult for the Prime Minister to maintain a rational opposition to a referendum in the time scale I have set out,” Sturgeon said. </s> This article is more than 3 months old

This article is more than 3 months old

Theresa May has bowed to intense pressure from her own party and named 7 June as the day she will step aside as Conservative leader, drawing her turbulent three-year premiership to a close.

Speaking in Downing Street, May said it had been “the honour of my life” to serve as Britain’s second female prime minister. Her voice breaking, she said she would leave “with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”.

The prime minister listed a series of what she said were her government’s achievements, including tackling the deficit, reducing unemployment and boosting funding for mental health.

But she admitted: “It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.”

May’s announcement came after a meeting with Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench Tory 1922 Committee, which was prepared to trigger a second vote of no confidence in her leadership if she refused to resign.

Her fate was sealed after a 10-point “new Brexit deal”, announced in a speech on Tuesday, infuriated Tory backbenchers and many of her own cabinet – while falling flat with the Labour MPs it was meant to persuade.

The leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, resigned on Wednesday, rather than present the Brexit bill to parliament.

A string of other cabinet ministers had also expressed concerns, including Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Chris Grayling and David Mundell.

In particular, they rejected May’s promise to give MPs a vote on a second referendum as the Brexit bill passed through parliament, and implement the result – which they felt came too close to endorsing the idea.

Play Video 2:01 As Theresa May resigns, how will she be remembered? – video

The prime minister will remain in Downing Street, to shoulder the blame for what are expected to be dire results for her party from Thursday’s European elections – and to host Donald Trump when he visits.

The 1922 Committee will set out the terms of a leadership contest, to kick off on 10 June, which is expected to last perhaps six weeks.

Q&A How do the Tories elect a new leader? Show Hide A Conservative leadership contest takes two stages. First, MPs vote for their choice from the nominated candidates. In progressive rounds of voting, candidates are eliminated until there are only two challengers remaining. The second stage is a postal ballot of Conservative party members to chose one of the two candidates. Theresa May's formal resignation as leader on 7 June triggered the contest and the Conservative party set out the following timetable: Nominations closed on 10 June. The first round of voting was held on Thursday 13 June. Subsequent rounds have been pencilled in for the 18th, 19th and 20th. Conservative party HQ says the postal vote element, when the 140,000 or so party members will pick the country's new prime minister, will be completed in the week beginning Monday 22 July.



The former foreign secretary Boris Johnson is the frontrunner to be Britain’s next prime minister, but more than a dozen senior Tory figures are considering throwing their hats into the ring.

In the cabinet, Rory Stewart has already said he will stand, while Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Penny Mordaunt and Sajid Javid are all likely contenders.

May’s departure came after three years of wrangling with Brexiters on her own backbenches about what future relationship with the European Union they would be prepared to accept.

That became considerably more difficult when she lost her majority at the 2017 general election, after spearheading what was widely regarded as a disastrous campaign, promising “strong and stable leadership in the national interest”.

'Good riddance': readers react to Theresa May's resignation Read more

Brexit is likely to dominate the race to succeed May, with time increasingly tight for a new team to set out any new direction before the deadline of 31 October for Britain’s departure from the EU.

May’s longtime friend Damian Green, the former first secretary of state, defended her record on Friday.

He said: “All prime ministers, in the end, take responsibility for what happens on their watch, but I think that it’s undeniable that suddenly and unexpectedly becoming prime minister after the seismic shock of the Brexit referendum meant that she was dealt an extremely difficult hand to play. And the truth is that having an election a year later, which cut the Conservative party’s majority, then [made it] impossible.”

Green told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The fact that parliament has not been able to get a Brexit deal through has led to the impatience, bordering into contempt, for the political class and the amount of hostility and borderline violence is something we have not known for a very very long time.” </s> LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May fended off pressure Thursday from Conservative Party lawmakers demanding she set a date for her resignation, buying herself a few more weeks to try to unblock Britain's Brexit impasse. But she agreed to give a timetable next month for her departure, raising the prospect that Britain will get a new prime minister before it leaves the European Union — currently scheduled for Oct. 31.

Leaders of a powerful committee that oversees Conservative leadership contests met May to express growing frustration party ranks at her refusal to name an exit date following her failure to take Britain out of the EU by the original Brexit date of March 29.

Members of the body, known as the 1922 Committee, have threatened May with a leadership challenge if she does not step down.

Committee chairman Graham Brady said after the "frank" meeting that May wanted to defer naming her departure date until Parliament votes on her Brexit bill in the week of June 3.

"Following that ... she and I will meet to agree a timetable for the election of a new leader of the Conservative Party," Brady said.

May's 10 Downing St. office said Brady spoke with the prime minister's agreement, and insisted May remained focused "on securing our departure from the EU" by getting backing for an exit agreement.

May's successor will be chosen by a party leadership contest in which any Conservative lawmaker can run. The winner will become party leader and prime minister without the need for a general election.

May survived a no-confidence vote among party colleagues in December, and under Conservative rules she can't face another challenge until a year has passed. Some lawmakers have been pressing for a change to those rules to allow a new vote on May's leadership as soon as June.

Pro-Brexit Conservatives are furious that Britain has not yet left the European Union, almost three years after voters backed Brexit in a referendum. Many blame May for the impasse and want her replaced with a more staunchly pro-Brexit leader such as the former foreign secretary, Boris Johnson.

Johnson told an audience at a business event Thursday that "of course I'm going to go for it" when the contest to replace May as Conservative leader is formally launched. Several members of May's Cabinet have also started unofficial leadership campaigns.

May points out that she struck a divorce deal with the EU, but it has been rejected by Parliament three times, even by many of the lawmakers who backed Brexit in the referendum.

May has said she will resign once a Brexit deal is approved and make way for a new leader to guide the U.K. through the next stage in the process, which will determine the country's future relationship with the EU.

The U.K.'s departure from the EU, long set for March 29, has been delayed until Oct. 31 while Britain's politicians try to break the deadlock.

May plans to make a fourth attempt to get lawmakers' backing for Brexit terms by putting a withdrawal agreement bill to a vote in early June. She says that if it passes, Britain could leave the EU in July, well before the October deadline set by the bloc.

But it's unclear how the government plans to persuade a majority of lawmakers to back May's EU divorce terms, since few legislators on either side of the Brexit divide seem prepared to change their positions.

Weeks of talks between the government and the opposition Labour Party have failed to produce a compromise agreement.

"I'd have thought it was patently clear that if the prime minister's deal is put for a fourth time, if it's allowed, it will fail just as it has failed three times already," Labour Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May says that she will detail the timetable for her resignation after the Brexit vote in June.