LONDON (Reuters) - A no-deal Brexit on April 12 is the most likely scenario right now for Britain, Conservative Party lawmaker Oliver Letwin said on Thursday.

“I think that at some point or other we either have to get a deal across the line or accept that we have to find an alternative if we want to avoid no deal on April 12, which I think at the moment is the most likely thing to happen,” Letwin, the architect of a series of votes on alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, told BBC radio.

If Britain wants to hold a referendum or an election it would need to delay Brexit by at least several months but it is unclear if parliament would vote for such a long extension, Letwin said.</s>Dublin - The head of the Northern Irish party that props up British Prime Minister Theresa May's government said on Thursday its 10 members of parliament would vote against her Brexit divorce deal and had never considered abstaining. In a serious blow for May, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) announced on Wednesday it would not support her deal. A leading Brexiteer in May’s Conservative Party, Jacob Rees-Mogg, had earlier suggested some critics of the divorce deal might back it if the DUP agreed to abstain.

"You cannot abstain on the union. You just could not do that," DUP leader Arlene Foster told Irish state broadcaster RTE in an interview, referring to the union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

"Abstention would be the worst of all worlds because you are not actually indicating where you stand on the most important issue of our times so that was never an option," she said.

Asked if the DUP might support a "softer" alternative Brexit deal that maintained closer ties between Britain and the European Union, Foster said the most important thing for the party was that Northern Ireland was not treated differently from the rest of the United Kingdom.

"We want to see Brexit delivered. But if it's a Brexit that keeps the whole of the United Kingdom together, that is the most important thing," she said.

In a last-ditch attempt to win the support of eurosceptic rebels in her party, May said on Wednesday she would quit as prime minister if her Brexit deal were finally approved by parliament at a third attempt.</s>PM says she will not stand in way of desire for new approach but DUP remains opposed to deal

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Theresa May has played her final desperate card to tame the Brexit rebels in her warring party, by promising to sacrifice her premiership if they back her twice-rejected Brexit deal.

The beleaguered prime minister, whose authority has been shattered by the double rejection of her deal and the humiliation of a delay to Brexit day, made the offer to Tory backbenchers at a packed meeting in parliament.

It came as MPs held backbench-led “indicative votes” on eight alternative Brexit options, including no deal, a referendum, a customs union and a Norway-style deal – none of which secured a majority.

May told her party’s backbench 1922 Committee: “I have heard very clearly the mood of the parliamentary party. I know there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership – in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations, and I won’t stand in the way of that.”

She added: “I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party.”

Her high-stakes pledge came on another dramatic day in Westminster, as:

• Boris Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith led a stream of Eurosceptics to support May’s deal.

• MPs failed to coalesce around an alternative to the deal in a series of “indicative votes”.

• Labour’s divisions on Brexit were exposed, as three members of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet defied the whip to resist backing a second referendum.

• The DUP threw May’s chances of getting her deal through parliament into doubt by saying its MPs would not support it.

The prime minister had hoped to remain in No 10 after exit day, and build a legacy that extended beyond the humiliations of the Brexit talks to domestic policy.

But if the withdrawal agreement is passed and Britain leaves the EU in eight weeks’ time, she could now be gone before the summer – after just three years in the top job.

Three ministers resigned on Monday to back an amendment tabled by a cross-bench group of MPs led by the Tory former minister Oliver Letwin to test the backing for alternatives to the prime minister’s deal.

On Wednesday night, Letwin said it was “a great matter of disappointment” that no majority had emerged for any of the eight options debated that day. He said another set of votes would be held on Monday – but he hoped that May’s deal would be accepted before then.

Play Video 2:36 MPs reject all eight Brexit options – video

The closest result was on a commitment for the government to negotiate a “permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union with the EU” in any Brexit deal. Put forward by the pro-EU Tory veteran Ken Clarke and others, it was voted down by 271 votes to 265.

The only other relatively close vote was on a plan drawn up by the Labour MPs Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson, and tabled by the former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett, to require a referendum to confirm any Brexit deal. This was lost by 268 votes to 295.

Backers of a referendum said the result showed they were gaining ground. Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson said: “When this parliament has finally made a decision on what Brexit means, I am hopeful that a majority will emerge for any final proposal to be put to a vote, not only by MPs, but also by the people.”

However, 27 Labour MPs defied a three-line whip to vote against a referendum, with one shadow minister, Melanie Onn, resigning in order to do so and three shadow cabinet members abstaining.

May was forced to give her MPs a free vote – and instructed her cabinet to abstain – rather than suffer a string of resignations from ministers keen to signal their support for alternatives.

The government had earlier tried and failed to stop the indicative vote process happening altogether, by whipping MPs to reject the business motion kicking off the debate.

The Brexit secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “The results of the process this House has gone through today strengthens our view that the deal the government has negotiated is the best option.”

Ministers now hope to make a third attempt to ram May’s deal through the House of Commons on Friday – though their prospects of success were thrown into doubt after the DUP said its 10 MPs would vote against it.

The prime minister had been under intense pressure to set out a timetable for her departure, as the leave-supporting wing of her party continued to resist supporting her deal, which was defeated by a majority of 149 earlier this month.

'I hear what you're saying' - How May told Tory MPs she will quit before next phase of Brexit: live news Read more

Outside the 1922 meeting, the Tory MP Simon Hart, who leads the Brexit Delivery Group, said: “She made it very clear: I want the next prime minister to be one of the colleagues in there tonight, not down the corridor at the PLP [parliamentary Labour party] meeting.”

The response from MPs was “respectful recognition for her hard work and service, not celebration”, he said.

Several of the most determined Brexit holdouts, including Rees-Mogg, Duncan Smith and Johnson, were invited to the prime minister’s country retreat of Chequers on Sunday.

They denied that any pact about her departure had been made, but just minutes after May’s emotional promise Johnson told colleagues at the European Research Group (ERG) that he would now support the deal, saying the next phase of talks would have to have a “change of tone and mandate”.

Rees-Mogg had already suggested he could vote for the deal, fearing it was now the only way of ensuring Britain leaves the EU. However, he later suggested he could not support it if the DUP remained opposed.

EU27 leaders granted Britain a delay to Brexit to 22 May in Brussels last week – but only if May’s deal wins the support of parliament this week. Downing Street suggested that a leadership contest could kick off soon afterwards, but only if her deal is passed.

If it is not supported this week, the prime minister must return to Brussels before 12 April to set out what she plans to do next – and potentially request a longer extension.

Ministers signalled that they would now hold an extra parliamentary session on Friday, in the hope of winning a third “meaningful vote” – if they can persuade enough Tory rebels to switch sides.

The Speaker, John Bercow, stressed on Wednesday that he would not allow the government to table the same deal for a third meaningful vote.

But ministers were considering plans to hold the first reading of the withdrawal agreement bill – giving MPs a vote on the flagship bill implementing the deal, rather than a similar motion.

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.



May had already been widely expected to face a fresh challenge once the year-long breathing space she secured by defeating a no-confidence vote last December expired.

Several cabinet ministers and a clutch of backbenchers have been making thinly disguised pitches for the premiership in recent months, with collective responsibility all but breaking down as rival contenders ensure that their views become known.

The frontrunners will be Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove, but the range of candidates is likely to be wider.

Who will be in the running to replace Theresa May? Read more

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, responded to the prime minister’s promised departure by calling for a general election. “A change of government can’t be a Tory stitch-up – the people must decide,” he said.

• This article was amended on 29 March 2019. After publication, the Speaker of the House corrected the count that had been initially declared for the vote on the customs union. It was defeated 265 to 271, not 264 to 272 as originally declared. This has been updated.</s>MPS VOTED AGAINST eight motions in the House of Commons yesterday evening in an attempt to indicate a majority for what type of Brexit they want and break the deadlock.

Among the suggestions rejected were leaving the EU without a deal, and revoking Article 50 to avoid a no deal.

Speaking after the vote, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay told the House of Commons that the failure to garner majority support from MPs for any motion strengthened the view that it was “necessary to back the Withdrawal Agreement” struck between the EU and Prime Minister Theresa May.

Meanwhile, May has pledged to step down as PM for the next round of Brexit negotiations. So, let’s see what spin the UK’s newspapers have put on the latest developments.

The Times has a sombre looking May leaving Parliament last night.

The Daily Mirror has opted for “The End of May”, referencing the PM’s likely departure date.

Meanwhile, the Metro also shows May leaving Parliament following last night’s vote and runs with the headline: “Vote Brexit and I’ll Exit”.

The Financial Times runs with: “May offers to resign in final plea for rebels’ backing on Brexit deal.

The Daily Express asks “What more does she have to do?”

On May’s offer to resign in a last-ditch attempt to get her Brexit deal approved, the Daily Mail asks: “Will her sacrifice be in vain?”

And finally, “Parliament finally has its say” the Guardian says, referencing last night’s rejection of all eight amendments.

“No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.”</s>LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - A no-deal Brexit on April 12 is the most likely scenario right now for Britain, Conservative Party lawmaker Oliver Letwin said on Thursday.

"I think that at some point or other we either have to get a deal across the line or accept that we have to find an alternative if we want to avoid no deal on April 12, which I think at the moment is the most likely thing to happen," Letwin, the architect of a series of votes on alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, told BBC radio.

If Britain wants to hold a referendum or an election it would need to delay Brexit by at least several months but it is unclear if parliament would vote for such a long extension, Letwin said. (Reporting by William Schomberg; writing by Guy Faulconbridge)</s>LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May made a final push Thursday to save her European Union withdrawal agreement after her promise to step down gained the deal some support but failed to win over lawmakers from Northern Ireland. The government announced there would be a previously unscheduled Brexit debate in Parliament on Friday — but did not confirm whether it would include a new vote on May’s twice-rejected EU divorce agreement.

The EU has said the prime minister must secure approval for her deal by 11 p.m. U.K. time (2300GMT, 7 p.m. EDT) on Friday if the U.K. is to be given an automatic delay of its departure date from the bloc until May 22. Otherwise, Britain has until April 12 to announce a new plan, or leave the bloc without a deal. Commons Speaker John Bercow has said the government can’t bring the rejected agreement back a third time unless it has been substantially changed. And it is still unclear whether the government can secure enough votes to pass it. May pledged Wednesday night that she would resign if her Brexit deal was approved, in hopes of blunting opposition from lawmakers in her Conservative Party who have criticized her leadership. May has been under mounting pressure to quit from pro-Brexit Conservatives, who accuse her of negotiating a bad divorce deal that leaves Britain too closely tied to the bloc after it leaves.

Some prominent opponents, including former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, quickly said they would back the Brexit agreement, but Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party said it remained opposed because of concern that the deal treats the region differently from other parts of the U.K. Almost three years after Britain voted to leave the EU, Brexit has brought the country’s political system to a standstill. The impasse has frustrated EU politicians trying to negotiate an exit agreement, and it has surprised observers around the world who had viewed Britain’s 1,000-year-old parliamentary system as a model of stability. It has not always deserved that reputation. The British system works best when one party has a parliamentary majority and can pass legislation. Minority governments struggle and seldom last long. The current situation is almost unprecedented: Britain has a minority government and a lame-duck prime minister, with both main parties split down the middle over how and whether to leave the EU. The gridlock has brought the country to the precipice of a chaotic departure from the EU. Pro-EU Conservative lawmaker Ken Clarke said Parliament was mired in “confusion and mayhem.”

“We’ve wasted the first three years. We’re back almost at square one,” he said. The prime minister’s resignation announcement came as U.K. lawmakers rejected eight alternatives to her Brexit deal in an attempt to find a plan that could break the stalemate.

The results of Wednesday’s “indicative votes” underscored the divisions in Parliament and the country over Brexit. The idea of remaining in a customs union with the EU came closest to winning a majority, with 264 lawmakers for it and 272 against. The most popular option was the idea of holding a second referendum on any Brexit deal approved by Parliament, which was backed by 268 lawmakers, but opposed by 295. “We counted eight no’s last night. Now we need a yes on the way forward,” European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said Thursday. The plan is for the most popular ideas to move to a second vote Monday to find an option that can command a majority. Parliament would then instruct the government to negotiate that plan with the EU. May has refused to say she will be bound by the results. The architect of the votes said the inconclusive outcome meant a damaging no-deal Brexit was becoming more likely. “At the moment, we are heading for a situation where, under the law, we leave without a deal on the 12th, which many of us think is not a good solution,” Conservative Party lawmaker Oliver Letwin told the BBC. “And the question is, is Parliament on Monday willing to come to any view in the majority about that way forward that doesn’t involve that result?” Business groups expressed alarm at the impasse, which has left companies uncertain whether they will face tariffs, customs checks and other barriers to trade with the EU in just a couple of weeks. “No one would run a business like this — and it is no way to run a country,” said Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce. He told politicians to stop “chasing rainbows” and “start making tough decisions, however personally or politically difficult they might be.” Labour Party legislator Margaret Beckett said lawmakers who had been “wedded to particular proposals” now needed to compromise in Britain’s national interest. “They are going to have to look over the abyss,” she said.</s>London (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May offered up her job in exchange for her Brexit deal Wednesday, telling colleagues she would quit within weeks if the agreement was passed and Britain left the European Union.

May’s dramatic concession that “there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership” was a last-ditch effort to bring enough reluctant colleagues on board to push her twice-rejected EU divorce deal over the line.

It looked like it might not be enough, as a key Northern Ireland party said it would not be supporting the deal.

May’s announcement came as lawmakers held an inconclusive series of votes on alternatives to her unpopular deal. It was the first step in an attempt by Parliament to break the Brexit deadlock and stop the country from tumbling out of the bloc within weeks with no exit plan in place.

May has been under mounting pressure from pro-Brexit members of her Conservative Party to quit. Many Brexiteers accuse her of negotiating a bad divorce deal that leaves Britain too closely tied to the bloc after it leaves.

Several have said they would support the withdrawal deal if another leader took charge of the next stage of negotiations, which will determine Britain’s future relations with the EU.

In a packed meeting of Conservative legislators described by participants as “somber,” May finally conceded she would have to go, although she did not set a departure date.

“I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party,” she said, according to a transcript released by her office.

Anti-EU lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has clashed with May throughout the Brexit process, said she had been “very clear” that if Britain leaves the EU as foreseen on May 22, she will quit soon after.

He said the prime minister had been “very dignified.”

“She put her case well, and reiterated that she had done her duty,” he said.

It was unclear whether May’s offer to resign would be enough to win backing for her deal, which was defeated by 230 votes in January and by 149 votes earlier this month.

High-profile Brexiteer Boris Johnson announced soon after May’s statement that he would support the agreement, which he has previously called a “humiliation.” Johnson is a likely contender to replace May as prime minister.

But other hard-liners said they would continue to reject the deal, and Northern Ireland’s small but influential Democratic Unionist Party refused to budge in its opposition to the deal.

The DUP’s support was seen as key to persuading other Brexiteers to back the deal. But the staunchly pro-British party fears a provision designed keep an open border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland after Brexit would weaken the bonds between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.

“We cannot sign up to something that would damage the Union,” DUP leader Arlene Foster told Sky News.

Asked if the party might abstain instead, DUP lawmaker Nigel Dodds tweeted: “The DUP do not abstain on the Union.”

Two years ago, Britain triggered a countdown to departure from the EU that ended Friday, March 29, 2019. With that date approaching and no Brexit deal approved by Britain, the EU last week granted a delay. It said that if Parliament approves the proposed divorce deal this week, the U.K. will leave the EU on May 22. If not, the government has until April 12 to tell the 27 remaining EU countries what it plans to do: leave without a deal, cancel Brexit or propose a radically new path.

With May clinging to her Plan A — getting her deal approved — lawmakers this week seized control of the parliamentary timetable for debate and votes Wednesday on a range of Brexit alternatives.

The results underscored the divisions in Parliament, and the country, over Brexit. None of the eight plans received a majority of votes. The most popular were a proposal to remain in a customs union with the bloc, which was defeated 272-264, and a call to hold a public referendum on any divorce deal, which fell by 295 votes to 268. Both ideas got more support than the 242 votes secured by May’s deal earlier this month.

A call to leave the EU without a deal was supported by 160 lawmakers and opposed by 400.

The plan is for the most popular ideas to move to a second vote Monday to find an option that can command a majority. Parliament would then instruct the government to negotiate it with the EU.

May has said she will consider the outcome of the votes, although she has refused to be bound by the result.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay urged lawmakers to back May’s deal, saying the ambiguous result “demonstrates that there are no easy options here.”

Barclay said he had introduced a motion to have Parliament meet Friday if needed for a vote on May’s agreement, but it remained unclear whether it would go ahead. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said he would not accept another vote on the twice-rejected deal unless substantial changes were made.

Wednesday’s votes produced inconclusive results, but could push Britain in the direction of a softer Brexit that keeps Britain closely tied economically to the EU.

That would probably require the U.K. to seek a longer delay, although that would mean participating in May 23-26 European Parliament elections.

Many EU officials are keen to avoid the messy participation of a departing member state.

But the chief of the European Council told European lawmakers that the EU should let Britain take part if the country indicated it planned to change course on Brexit. Donald Tusk said the bloc could not “betray” the millions of Britons who want to stay in the EU.

“They may feel they are not sufficiently represented by the U.K. Parliament but they must feel that they are represented by you in this chamber. Because they are Europeans,” Tusk said.</s>British Prime Minister Theresa May's government remained defiant after Parliament took partial control of the stalled process of leaving the European Union, arguing Tuesday that the maneuvering simply underscores the need for lawmakers to approve her twice-defeated deal.

The House of Commons voted late Monday to wrest the parliamentary timetable away from the government temporarily so that lawmakers can vote on alternatives to the withdrawal agreement May negotiated with the

The government, which usually controls the scheduling of votes in Parliament, said the lawmakers' move "upends the balance between our democratic institutions and sets a dangerous, unpredictable precedent for the future."

 

 But Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC that the government won't "pre-commit" to accepting the option backed by lawmakers because they may come up with a plan that is impractical.

"If the Commons voted for the sun to rise in the west, the government would not be able to implement that," he said.

"The best way through this impasse is the one deal that has been negotiated with the that can be delivered quickly now," Hancock said, referring to the prime minister's agreement.

May's authority is hanging by a thread after 30 members of her defied her instructions and voted for Parliament to take control of the process. Three government ministers resigned rather than vote with the government.

Almost three years after Britons voted to leave the EU, the date and terms of its departure are up in the air.

Last week the granted Britain a delay to the scheduled March 29 exit date, saying that if Parliament approved the proposed divorce deal, the UK would leave the EU on May 22.

If not, the government has until April 12 to tell the 27 remaining EU countries what it plans to do leave without a deal, cancel Brexit or chart a path to a new option.

May is continuing to push for approval of her deal with the EU even though the House of Commons overwhelmingly rejected it during votes in January and March.

She has warned pro-Brexit legislators that continuing to reject the deal could lead to a "slow Brexit" that postpones the country's departure indefinitely.

Richard Harrington, who resigned as a business minister to vote in favor of Monday's motion, accused the government of "playing roulette" with people and businesses lives by failing to resolve Britain's Brexit impasse.

Lawmakers who backed Monday's motion, which passed 329-302, hope to find an alternative that can command a majority in Parliament by holding a series of "indicative votes" on other options.

Those alternatives could include a "soft Brexit" that maintains close economic ties with the EU or scrapping Brexit entirely.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading pro-Brexit Conservative, acknowledged that "the choice seems to be Mrs. May's deal or no Brexit."



"I have always thought that 'no deal' is better than May's deal, but May's deal is better than not leaving at all," he said on the Conservative Home podcast.

Cabinet ministers gathering Tuesday for their regular meeting were expected to demand that lawmakers be allowed to follow their consciences, rather than vote the party line, during the debate Wednesday on alternatives to the prime minister's deal.

"Parliament should seek urgently to resolve the situation by considering alternatives freely, without the instruction of party whips, and government should adopt any feasible outcome as its own in order to progress matters," said Alistair Burt, who quit his role in the Foreign Office after defying May on Monday.

"I did not believe the government was prepared to do that, so had to vote to ensure this happens.</s>Homeland Security warns the southern border is at a breaking point. A judge again blocks states' work requirements for Medicaid. Theresa May agrees to quit if Brexit deal passes in U.K. parliament.</s>LONDON - With the date and terms of Britain’s departure from the European Union mired in uncertainty, Parliament has seized control of the political process so lawmakers can try to hammer out a way forward. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May still hopes to win approval for her twice-rejected divorce deal with the bloc. Here’s a look at what might happen next:

The options up for vote haven’t been decided, but are likely to include a “soft Brexit” option that calls for Britain to remain in the EU’s single market and customs union. Lawmakers could also vote on whether to hold a new referendum on Britain’s EU membership, or on cancelling Brexit altogether. The aim is to find out what, if anything, can command majority support in Parliament — and to send the government back to negotiate it with the EU. The government says Parliament’s move sets “a dangerous, unpredictable precedent,” but has promised to “engage constructively” with the result of the votes. But ministers say any plan agreed by Parliament must be “realistic” and negotiable with the EU.

May hasn’t given up hope that the deal she agreed with the bloc setting out the terms of Britain’s withdrawal will be passed by Parliament, even though it has been rejected twice by hefty margins. Under an extension granted by the EU last week, if U.K. lawmakers approve the divorce deal by Friday — Britain’s original departure date — Britain will leave the EU on May 22. If they don’t, Britain has until April 12 to tell the EU what it plans to do next: leave without a deal, risking economic chaos, or seek a long delay to Brexit and chart a course toward a softer exit or even remaining in the bloc.

May is still holding talks with lawmakers and could try to hold a third vote on the deal on Thursday. She hopes to persuade pro-Brexit legislators who have previously opposed the deal that if they don’t support it, Parliament will either impose a softer Brexit or delay Britain’s departure from the bloc indefinitely. British politicians are divided over Brexit, but they agree that the process is a mess — and many blame May, who has refused to consider alternatives to her deal and failed to win changes to the agreement from the EU. Her authority has been shredded by a series of parliamentary defeats, and many Conservatives are now calling for May to step down. Some pro-Brexit Tories say they would support May’s deal if she promised to hand over the next stage of negotiations — when Britain and the EU will hammer out their future relations — to a new leader. For now, May is standing firm. Under Conservative rules, she can’t face a formal leadership challenge from within her own party until December because she survived one three months ago. Opposition politicians think the only way forward is an early election that could rearrange Parliament and break the political deadlock. May has ruled that out, but could come to see it as her only option. And anti-Brexit campaigners haven’t abandoned the idea of a new Brexit referendum on remaining in the EU. There’s currently no majority for that in Parliament, but pro-referendum campaigners feel opinion is shifting in their favour. Hundreds of thousands of people marched through London on Saturday to demand a new Brexit vote. The “nuclear option” of simply cancelling Brexit is also gaining support. An online petition urging the government to revoke the decision to leave the EU has amassed more than 5 million signatures.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces that she will resign before the next phase of Brexit negotiations, if her deal were to be passed.