Theresa May has announced she is standing down as Prime Minister on 7 June following months of mounting pressure over her failure to deliver Brexit.

Her voice cracking, the Prime Minister said it had been ‘the honour of my life’ to serve ‘the country that I love’.

In an emotional speech, Mrs May said she had ‘done her best’ to deliver the result of the EU referendum.

“It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit,” she said.

“It will be for my successor to seek a way forward that honours the result of the referendum.

“To succeed, he or she will have to find consensus in Parliament where I have not.”

View photos Theresa May shed a tear as she concluded her resignation speech. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) More

Mrs May will remain in post until a successor is chosen, which will be in mid-July, the Tory Party confirmed today.

Her constituency association chairman said she will also step down as an MP when she leaves Number 10.

Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the resignation and demanded Theresa May’s successor call an immediate General Election to ‘let the people decide our country’s future’.

Conservative MPs praised their leader for a ‘dignified’ speech.

Boris Johnson, the favourite to take over as PM, said: “A very dignified statement from Theresa May. Thank you for your stoical service to our country and the Conservative Party. It is now time to follow her urgings: to come together and deliver Brexit.”

Andrea Leadsom, who quit the cabinet this week, said: “A very dignified speech by Theresa May. An illustration of her total commitment to country and duty.”

Leadership hopeful Liz Truss said: “Very dignified statement from the Prime Minister. She has put her all into the job and has shown huge resilience at this difficult time. Thank you.”

Michael Gove, who remained loyal to Mrs May throughout her time in office, said: “A moving speech from a Prime Minister who deserves our respect and gratitude.”

Just hours after Theresa May resigned, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and senior MP Sir Graham Brady both announced they are entering the race to take over as leader and Prime Minister.

The final straw of her doomed premiership came when a last-gasp effort to win support for her Withdrawal Agreement Bill backfired spectacularly and it became obvious her Brexit deal was dead in the water.

Brexiteers within her own party were enraged by the concession of the offer of a potential second referendum and customs union arrangement announced on Tuesday.





She also lost the support of many senior Cabinet members who made it clear her time was up.

Labour and the DUP also said they would not support the deal.

Andrea Leadsom dealt another blow when she quit as Commons leader on Wednesday evening saying she had lost confidence Mrs May would "deliver on the referendum result".

Mrs May delivered her speech this morning shortly after meeting the chairman of Tory backbenchers at 9am.

Her announcement means she will still be in power for Donald Trump’s state visit on 3-5 June.

View photos Theresa May's final attempt to deliver Brexit was a spectacular failure. (Photo by Dinendra Haria / SOPA Images/Sipa USA) More

‘Brexit means Brexit’

Theresa May’s failure to lead Britain out of the EU ultimately led to her demise as Prime Minister.

After campaigning for Remain during the Brexit campaign, she faced an uphill struggle to persuade anybody to believe in her born-again Brexiteer credentials.

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