Theresa May’s tears were ones of anger, according to a body language expert (Picture: EPA)

Theresa May ‘showed defiance’ as she stood on the steps of Downing Street, according to a body language expert.

The outgoing Prime Minister’s tears were also ‘ones of anger rather than self-pity’ as she announced her departure from office.

Experts said the way she presented herself suggested she felt ‘wrested from office’ as the Conservative party turned on her latest Brexit deal.

Body language expert Judi James said while Mrs May appeared to wish her successor good luck, there were signs she thinks they will be unable to do a better job in getting the UK out of the EU.




Ms James said: ‘Even as she was breaking down, she was still defiant and angry.

‘People will be quick to equate her tears with being broken but the last part of her speech was the strongest and the most dramatic.

‘They look like angry tears because clearly her emotions overtook her body language.

‘The left side of her mouth started to slew and her eyebrows puckered.

‘She looked up and there were clearly tears but they were angry tears.

‘At that point, she was talking about “serving the country I love” and she put individual emphasis on those words and nodded her head to every word.

‘She almost shouted those last few words out.

‘Rather than seeing a woman cry out of self-pity, we saw a woman crying out of anger because she was wrested from office.

‘She believed she still had a good job to do there.’

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Mrs May’s seven-minute speech came after a mass mutiny by her Conservative Party made her position untenable.

She has informed the Queen she will stay until her replacement is found, which will begin after she formally steps aside on June 7th.

Her Brexit withdrawal deal has failed to get through the House of Commons three times and attempts at a compromise with the Labour opposition also failed.

Both major parties are split on the way forward and the EU has already made it clear it will not renegotiate.

Ms James added Ms May’s body language suggested she does not hold out much hope for her successor.

The expert continued: ‘In her mind, we will now watch a lot of people make a complete and utter mess of it.

‘There was gesticulation when she spoke, there was a shrug of the shoulders and hand movements.

‘It was as if to say “good luck with it.”’

Judi James pointed out that all of the last three Prime Ministers have cried as they left office (Picture: YouTube)

Ms James added that as the second-only female Prime Minister, commentators would be quick to seize on the tears.

However, she noted that both Gordon Brown and David Cameron cried when leaving office.

She concluded: ‘Self-pity is not in Mrs May’s repertoire.’