Theresa May's spell as Conservative leader comes to a low-key end away from the cameras
Her departure was confirmed in an exchange of letters with Tory chiefs
Theresa May announcing she will resign as leader of the Conservatives on 7 June. (Photo: Yui Mok/PA)
Nigel Morris 1 month Friday June 7th 2019
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Theresa May's turbulent reign as Conservative leader came to a low-key end on Friday away from the cameras.
The Prime Minister confirmed her departure in a letter to the joint acting chairmen of the backbench Conservative 1922 Committee, Charles Walker and Dame Cheryl Gillan.
She made no public appearance or statement during a day working in her Maidenhead constituency.
Mrs May had announced her plans to step down in an emotional statement outside Downing Street a fortnight ago.
But she delayed her departure until after Donald Trump's state visit to Britain and D-day commemorations had taken place.
Brown tenure exceeded
She will stay on as acting party leader and as Prime Minister until her successor is elected by Tory members next month.
The length of the contest will enable her to pass Neville Chamberlain to become the UK's 33rd longest serving Prime Minister, having last month outlasted Gordon Brown.
Mrs May will represent Britain at a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels on 20 June and a week later at a G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka.
She is also planning a series of policy announcements over the next month including a boost to spending on schools and colleges.
Contest launched
Confirmation of her resignation clears the way for the formal launch of the Conservative leadership contest.
In a joint statement, Mr Walker and Dame Cheryl said potential candidates had until 5pm on Monday to submit their names.
So far 11 contenders have come forward, and those without the support of at least eight other MPs will be blocked from entering the contest.
Sajid Javid, Matt Hancock, Andrea Leadsom and Jeremy Hunt are already in the running for the Tory leadership.
The Tory parliamentary party will also stage hustings ahead of the first round of voting next Thursday.
Subsequent rounds will be staged the following week as the number of candidates is whittled down to a two-person shortlist.
Shortlist of two
Party members – recently estimated to number 160,000 – will then be asked to choose between them following hustings around the country.
Mrs May's replacement is due to be announced in the final week of July. She will then travel to Buckingham Palace to inform the Queen that she is leaving Downing Street.
She has given no indication of her plans after she leaves office, although she is expected to remain as the MP for Maidenhead at least until the next election.
An attempt by Theresa May to burnish her legacy before leaving office with a series of spending pledges have provoked a row with Philip Hammond.
The Treasury is resisting the moves, which include a large spending boost for English schools and colleges.
She is also expected to announce initiatives on mental health and parental leave, as well as unveiling a legally-binding commitment to cut the UK's net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by the year 2050.
Mrs May is said to have decided to make an announcement a week until she leaves Downing Street at the end of July.
Mr Hammond has warned the proposals could cost £10bn, eating into the "warchest" he has accumulated to cushion the impact of a no-deal Brexit, the Financial Times reported.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the Prime Minister and Chancellor "meet regularly to discuss spending priorities".
During her final weeks in office, Mrs May "will be focused on delivering and building on the domestic agenda that she has put at the heart of her premiership since she became Prime Minister", the spokeswoman said.
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