Theresa May Resigns: PM Will Stand Down On 7th June

24 May 2019, 15:05 | Updated: 24 May 2019, 15:06

Theresa May has announced she will resign as Prime Minister on 7th June.

The embattled Conservative leader announced she will leave Downing Street after the state visit of Donald Trump in the first week of June.

She revealed she will stay on as Prime Minister until the Conservative leadership contest is completed.

Mrs May said: "It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit. I have tried three times.

"I have striven to make the UK a country that works not just for a privileged few but for everyone and to honour the result of the EU referendum.

"So I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party on Friday 7th June so that a successor can be chosen."

"It will be up to my successor to find a consensus in Parliament."

Her speech ended in an emotional moment as she couldn't stop the tears from coming as she talked about how proud she was to have been the second female Prime Minister of the UK.

She made the announcement following a meeting with the chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers Sir Graham Brady.

That will fire the starting gun on a Conservative leadership election, which party members hope to have concluded by the end of July.

Boris Johnson is the clear favourite to be the next Prime Minister - see the candidates to be next Conservative Party leader here.