Expectations mount that May will have to resign if MPs reject her deal
The Financial Times reported that Theresa May’s premiership is under increasing pressure after a week of shifting Brexit policies, in which she raised the prospect of a no-deal Brexit on March 29 only to accept an offer from EU leaders that leaves open the chance of an extended delay to the UK’s exit.
In its report the Financial Times states that some Conservative MPs and civil servants have indicated the UK prime minister will have to resign if she again fails to win parliamentary approval for her withdrawal deal next week.
May has faced repeated threats to her leadership since the Tories’ disappointing performance in the 2017 general election. However, she cannot be formally challenged until this December after party rebels failed to oust her before Christmas.
But divisions within the Conservative party have deepened since May made a televised address late on Wednesday in which she criticised MPs for playing “political games” and implied she was ready to take the UK out of the EU without a deal.
At Thursday’s European Council summit, EU leaders proposed delaying Brexit until at least April 12.
Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s prime minister, said the UK now faced “very obvious” choices between Mrs May’s agreement, no deal, or moves to gauge parliament’s support of options “for a much closer long-term relationship with the EU.”
