Sign up here to receive the daily news briefing in your inbox every morning with exclusive insight from the BrexitCentral team Theresa May announces her resignation in an emotional statement… Theresa May has said she will quit as Conservative leader on 7 June, paving the way for a contest to decide a new prime minister. In an emotional statement, she said she had done her best to deliver Brexit and it was a matter of “deep regret” that she had been unable to do so. Mrs May said she would continue to serve as PM while a Conservative leadership contest takes place. The party said it hoped a new leader could be in place by the end of July. It means Mrs May will still be prime minister when US President Donald Trump makes his state visit to the UK at the start of June. Asked about the prime minister’s announcement, Mr Trump said: “I feel badly for Theresa. I like her very much. She’s a good woman. She worked very hard. She’s very strong.” – BBC News …with the race to succeed her set to formally begin on 10th June… Her official car picked her up after breakfast, taking her to Downing Street for 8am so she could make the necessary phone calls to Mr Kellaway and others before an 8.30 meeting with aides including Gavin Barwell, her chief of staff, Robbie Gibb, her communications secretary, and JoJo Penn, her deputy chief of staff. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, and Brandon Lewis, the chairman of the Conservative Party, stole into the Downing Street complex through an entrance on Whitehall to avoid the waiting TV cameras before sitting down with Mrs May at 9.15am to discuss her future. Sir Graham had warned that if Mrs May did not set out a timetable for her departure she would face a probable confidence vote from her backbenchers, but Mrs May told him there was no need: she would announce within the hour that she would resign as Conservative Party leader on June 7, allowing a contest to begin on June 10 to choose her replacement. – Telegraph (£) Theresa May finally admits defeat and quits after Brexit shambles – but she’ll stay on as PM until July and insists ‘I did my best’ – The Sun Theresa May leaves Downing Street after months of pressure over Brexit – Sky News How Theresa May became ‘the worst Prime Minister ever’ as heartfelt sense of duty failed to stop her being her own worst enemy – The Sun More Lib Dems think May should have stayed than Tories – Guido Fawkes Race to replace Theresa May begins with Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab in pole position – The Sun The Theresa May story: The Tory leader brought down by Brexit – BBC News Theresa May, the unwanted PM, failed because she didn’t understand how to govern – Norman Tebbit for the Telegraph (£) Next PM needs to have a Brexit plan and know what they want out of the EU – James Forsyth for The Sun Our PM has many Victorian virtues, but shares Gladstone’s fatal weakness -Jacob Rees-Mogg for the Telegraph (£) Spare us your tears, Theresa – Tom Slater for Spiked > Read and watch on BrexitCentral: Theresa May’s resignation statement …so a new Prime Minister can be installed by the summer recess CCHQ has now confirmed that the leadership contest will formally kick off on 10th June. MPs will whittle down the candidates with successive votes initially touted for Tuesdays and Thursdays to end up with just two candidates by the end of June. Following that there will be a series of hustings all around the UK, some of which will involve non-members. The voting will take place in time for a result to be announced before the summer recess. – Guido Fawkes Next PM: Who’s Backing Who – Guido Fawkes The EU warns Tory leadership rivals that nothing has changed on Brexit… The European Union insisted it would not renegotiate the Brexit withdrawal agreement no matter who succeeds Theresa May after the prime minister announced she would resign this morning. Brussels said it was irrelevant whether the next prime minister was Boris Johnson, who called yesterday for a reopening of the Brexit deal, or his Tory leadership rivals. Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s prime minister, warned that Ireland and the EU would “hold its nerve”, if Mr Johnson stuck to his demand that the controversial Irish border backstop be ditched. Senior EU figures warned that even if Boris Johnson was to take over, he would face exactly the same problems and negotiating stance that Mrs May had. They demanded that MPs in the House of Commons ratify the withdrawal agreement or face a damaging no deal Brexit on October 31. – Telegraph (£) …although Europe’s leaders admit a genuine Brexit is ‘near impossible to stop’ The Spanish government said that after Theresa May’s departure a cliff-edge exit appeared inevitable unless stopped by parliament. “Under these circumstances, a hard Brexit appears to be a reality that is near impossible to stop,” a spokeswoman said. Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said that the problem of Brexit was “not Theresa May” but Britain’s strict red lines for any deal. France said that a new prime minister would have to explain quickly what he or she wanted. Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, said that even if a hard core Brexiteer was elected the EU would not alter the present negotiating mandate. “We may see the election of a Eurosceptic prime minister who wants to repudiate the withdrawal agreement and go for no deal,” he said. – The Times (£) Boris Johnson vows to take Britain out of the EU on 31st October ‘Brexit deal or no deal’… Boris Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 “deal or no deal” if he becomes Prime Minister as his leadership bid received heavyweight backing. Hours after a tearful Theresa May announced June 7 as the date she will step down as Tory leader, Mr Johnson insisted there would be no further extension of Article 50 if he wins the race to succeed her. His campaign received a major boost as both Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd indicated they could back him, suggesting he could receive top-level support from both Remain and Leave campaigners. – Telegraph (£) Amber Rudd rules herself out of Tory leadership race…but hints she’d work with Boris Johnson – The Sun > Owen Paterson MP today on BrexitCentral: The next Prime Minister must ensure we are out of the EU by 31st October, deal or no deal …while May allies fear Donald Trump could use UK state visit to endorse Johnson… Theresa May will quit two days after Mr Trump completes his tour of the UK. Buckingham Palace today announced the full timetable for the President’s state visit including several meetings with Mrs May. He will attend the state banquet hosted by the Queen on June 3, then hold talks with the PM on June 4. They will hold a joint press conference at 10 Downing Street – but allies of Mrs May are worried the President may embarrass her by expressing support for her rivals. One Cabinet minister told The Sun he feared Mr Trump could endorse either Boris Johnson or Nigel Farage when he’s in town. The minister said: “You can imagine him saying, ‘I could do a deal with these guys.'” The President is a close pal of Brexit Party boss Mr Farage and has previously expressed support for Boris to become PM. On June 5, Mrs May will again join Mr Trump for a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. – The Sun …as Trump says he feels ‘badly’ for Theresa May following her resignation President Donald Trump said he feels “badly” for departing British Prime Minister Theresa May, who announced her resignation Friday. “I feel badly for Theresa, I like her very much,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Japan. “She’s a good woman. She worked very hard, she’s very strong. She decided to do something that some people were surprised at, some people weren’t. It’s for the good of her country. But I like her very much. In fact I’ll be seeing her in two weeks.” – Politico Donald Trump ‘feels bad’ for Theresa May and says ‘I like her very much’ after PM quits – The Sun Brexit backbench organiser Steve Baker considers running for leader The door of Number 10 had barely closed after Theresa May’s resignation statement this morning when Tory MPs began debating who would be the best person to replace her.Brexiteer and ERG deputy chairman Steve Baker certainly wasted no time today, but revealed that the candidate he was really thinking about was… Steve Baker. Asked by Sky News’ Adam Boulton if he would back Boris Johnson in the upcoming race, Baker replied that he couldn’t support him just yet as ‘I can’t back a candidate yet because I’ve had both members of parliament and members of the public, in considerable numbers, which has taken me by surprise, suggesting that I stand. And until I’ve fully considered what’s being said to me, out of respect for those giving the advice, I won’t be able to back a candidate.’ As a popular man among Tory grassroots, Mr S wonders if Baker could be a dark horse in the race.- The Spectator Investment bank Goldman increases no-deal odds after May resignation Goldman Sachs raised its probability of a no-deal Brexit to 15% from 10% on Friday as Prime Minister Theresa May’s resignation potentially opened the way for a more hardline politician to lead the UK to exiting the European Union. Goldman Sachs economist Adrian Paul said ratification of a Brexit deal would no longer be possible in the second quarter. “We pencil in an orderly EU withdrawal in late 2019 or early 2020, but our conviction is low,” he wrote. The new Prime Minister will face the same constraints May grappled with in negotiating a deal, Paul added, saying they will eventually return to parliament with a close variant of the current withdrawal agreement. – Reuters ‘Exit on WTO terms is still a very real possibility’ – City A.M. S&P sees harder Brexit stance from successor to May – Reuters May’s resignation increases risk of no-deal Brexit – Moody’s – Reuters No Deal is in Sight – Graham Gudgin for Briefings for Brexit EU ‘failed’ over UK’s Brexit vote, says Jean-Claude Juncker In an interview before Mrs May’s resignation, Mr Juncker asked: “How could anybody else achieve what she couldn’t?” The UK’s previous prime minister, David Cameron, clashed with Mr Juncker over the EU budget and other issues before arguing – unsuccessfully – to stay in the EU in the 2016 referendum. Reflecting on that vote, Mr Juncker told the German public broadcaster ARD: “If you tell people for 40 or 45 years ‘we’re in it, but not really in it’, we’re part-time Europeans and we don’t like these full-time Europeans, then you should not be surprised if people follow simple slogans once they’re asked to vote in a referendum.” He also accepted that the EU had “failed” by not adopting “the position that was necessary”. “Abstention is not a position,” he said. – BBC News Juncker says ‘stupid nationalists’ love their own country – Guido Fawkes France says it is ready to work with next UK prime minister French President Emmanuel Macron stands ready to work with a new British prime minister on all European and bilateral issues after the resignation of Theresa May, but wants clarity on Britain’s approach to Brexit, an Elysee official said on Friday. “Our relations with the United Kingdom are critical in all areas. It is too early to speculate on the consequences of (May’s) decision,” the official said, adding it was essential that the European Union’s smooth functioning was not affected. “We need rapid clarification” from Britain on what it wants with Brexit, the official added. – Reuters Immigration levels are still double Theresa May’s target of under 100,000 Immigration levels are still double Theresa May’s long-standing target, in another blow to the departing Prime Minister. Fresh figures revealed just minutes before her resignation statement showed that new arrivals added another quarter of a million to the UK population in 2018. It was a slight fall from the previous year’s figure but still well above the target of under 100,000 which Mrs May has been trying to achieve since 2010 both as Home Secretary and Prime Minister. Sunder Katwala, director of think-tank British Future, said: “These will be Theresa May’s final immigration statistics as a Prime Minister and Home Secretary who placed the net migration target at the centre of the Government’s immigration policy. “But the net migration target was a promise to voters that could never be kept.” Detailed figures from the Office for National Statistics – published a day late so as not to clash with the European Parliament elections – showed that 602,000 people moved to the UK last year while 343,000 left, giving a net migration total of 258,000. – The Sun Charles Moore: The next Tory leader must learn from Mrs May’s mistakes – beginning with an honest conversation about Brexit Her reaction to repeated defeats was not to try to understand the critics but to treat them as if they were slow learners and force them to vote on the same thing again and again. Towards the end, she did attempt compromise, but only with Labour Remainers – trying to slip in provision for a second referendum which her own Cabinet had just rejected. That was the last straw… The story of Theresa May is not the tragedy of an honourable woman who fell among thieves – though she is certainly someone who believes in honour – but of a person unsuited to the task. – Charles Moore for the Telegraph (£) Katy Balls: May becomes the latest Conservative prime minister to be brought down by Europe Theresa May has become the latest Conservative prime minister to be brought down by party divisions on Europe. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister gave a statement in which she confirmed that she will step down on June 7 to pave the way for a leadership contest to find her successor the following week. She admitted that her Brexit strategy had failed – having tried to pass her deal three times – and said this was something she deeply regretted. However, she suggested that she did not regret her approach – stating that ‘compromise is not a dirty word’.- Katy Balls for The Spectator The Europe issue claims another British scalp – Politico Harry Phibbs: How Dinah Glover brought down Theresa May I remember Dinah from some years ago when we were both active in the Greater London Young Conservatives. At the time she was rather “pro European”. I even have a vague recollection of Dinah (then Dinah Evans) and her friend Jane Ellison (of the Tory Reform Group and future MP for Battersea) organising Europe Day food festivals. Andrew Rosindell was around at the time and didn’t think much of it. Of course, the EU, or the EEC as it was then named, was rather different then. The irony is that while the Conservative Party membership supposedly has little power, it would have been hard to see May continue after the humiliation of a no confidence motion from the voluntary party going through – as there was every sign it would have done. The date was fixed. It was getting nearer. While the backbenchers and cabinet ministers were being feeble, the Party membership showed resolve. – Harry Phibbs for Conservative Home Andrew Lilico: The blunt truth is, Theresa May was a terrible Prime Minister, and we’re better off without her When a Prime Minister resigns, it is customary to say something like “As with almost all politicians, her career has ended in failure, but with the perspective of time, future historians will view her period in office more kindly, with her accomplishments enduring and her failures passing away.” But in the case of Theresa May this would be simply wrong. History will not view her kindly. It will be much less kind about her than her contemporaries have been. By any objective measure, she will go down in history as the worst Prime Minister of all time. What is her legacy? She holds a number of records. She had the largest Commons defeat ever on a government motion (230 votes). She induced the largest swing against her party ever during a General Election campaign (more than 10 per cent). She led the first government ever to be held in contempt by Parliament. She has led her party to what will surely be its lowest ever vote share in the 2019 European Elections. – Andrew Lilico for the Telegraph (£) Iain Duncan Smith: I’m sorry Mrs May, but compromise is a dirty word when it involves the betrayal of Brexit As we go forward and elect a new leader and Prime Minister, the lesson must be clear. No, compromise in search of the lowest common denominator is not the way forward. It becomes a dirty word, especially when the group you are constantly asking to compromise are your core supporters, as we will be brutally reminded on Sunday evening. There will be no way back for the Conservatives if we don’t regain the mantle of the real Brexit party. We have to deliver our departure from the EU at the latest by 31 October 2019. To do this we cannot continue with this lowest common denominator policy. The leader must lead, not seek to follow. – Iain Duncan Smith for the Telegraph (£) Rachel Johnson: The Brexit Party is wiping the floor with the lot of us A man came to the polling station on a bike and I chatted to him, then offered to look after it for him while he voted. When he came out, he asked, “Are lots of people voting for you guys?” “Probably not, to be honest,” I said. “The Lib Dems had a bounce as neither Brexit nor Change UK contested the local elections, so people probably think that they might as well vote for them again or the Greens, as it worked last time.” “So you’re telling me I’ve just wasted my vote?” The chap with the bike said. “Not at all,” I reassured him. “There are two metrics at play here. Not just the number of Remain MEPs elected, but also the total number of votes cast for Remain parties. Your vote is a good vote.” – Rachel Johnson for Sky News Comment in Brief Boris will have to win a General Election if he wants to deliver Brexit – Steve Moore for Reaction Theresa May orchestrated her own downfall, but the Brexit impasse she left behind isn’t going to go away – Alastair Campbell for the Telegraph (£) Farewell, Theresa May – a compromise Prime Minister in a post-compromise world – Tom Harris for the Telegraph (£) Mrs May has been Britain’s worst Prime Minister and her legacy is one of failure . – Nigel Farage MEP for the Telegraph (£) Why a referendum and not an election could offer the new leader a Brexit answer – Nick Hargrave for Conservative Home Farewell, Theresa May – a compromise Prime Minister in a post-compromise world – Tom Harris for the Telegraph (£) Dominic Raab is the serious Brexiteer who can save the Tories – Mark Brolin for the Telegraph (£) May failed to lead Britain out of the EU – but her successor can yet succeed – Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP for Conservative Home Robin Harris: In the annals of history, Theresa May will rank as a uniquely bad PM – Robin Harris for the Telegraph (£) We’ve made mistakes at Change UK – and need to work closely with other Remain parties – Chuka Umunna for i News News in Brief Green Party storms Dublin exit polls in warning to Varadkar party – Express Tories open selections for candidates to replace TIG defectors – Guido Fawkes Remainer Matt Hancock launches bid to be next PM and joins Tory leadership race – The Sun Graham Brady resigns as 1922 Chairman and may be standing – Guido Fawkes Timmermans says Dutch win will carry Socialists to EU victory – Politico