Pressure Grows on Theresa May to Resign
British prime minister Theresa May is facing calls to resign amid a backlash against her Brexit plan from Conservative MPs, the BBC reports.
Several cabinet ministers have told the BBC that she cannot stay, with one saying it is “the end of the line.”
Boris Johnson Will Stand for Prime Minister
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson told the BBC that he plans to stand to replace British prime minister Theresa May once she fulfills her pledge to step down after a deal on Brexit is reached.
Said Johnson: “Of course I’m going to go for it.”
Axios: “Of course, May hasn’t stepped down — and her pledge to do so was contingent on her Brexit deal getting through Parliament. Some members of the Conservative Party are worried she may have gotten cold feet.”
Theresa May to Face Grassroots No Confidence Vote
British Prime Minister Theresa May “is to face an unprecedented no-confidence challenge – from Conservative grassroots campaigners,” the BBC reports.
“More than 70 local association chiefs – angry at her handling of Brexit – have called for an extraordinary general meeting to discuss her leadership.”
Theresa May Survives ‘No Confidence’ Vote
British Prime Minister Theresa May narrowly won a confidence vote, 325 to 306, after yesterday’s humiliating defeat of her Brexit plan.
New York Times: “Ordinarily, a prime minister would be expected to resign after suffering a big defeat on a signature bill, but Brexit has rewritten the rules of British politics. And once again, Mrs. May, who has defied many predictions of her political demise, lived to fight another day.”
Washington Post: “Brexit is tearing British society and its political classes apart, as the sides devolve into warring tribes of Leavers and Remainers, neither with enough power to best the other.”
Tory MPs Considering Coup Against Theresa May
“Conservative MPs are considering another attempt at ousting Theresa May if the local elections go badly, as disillusionment with her leadership bubbles up among backbenchers once again,” the Guardian reports.
The frustration from her “lackluster performance, botched reshuffle and shifting Brexit strategy has caused talk of deposing her to resurface.”
The Sun reports that just eight more Conservative dissenters were needed to trigger a vote of no confidence against May.
May Defends London Mayor After Trump’s Attacks
British Prime Minister Theresa May said she thought President Trump was “wrong” to attack London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the wake of Saturday’s terror attack in London, Bloomberg reports.
“After avoiding several attempts by reporters to get her to condemn the U.S. president for openly criticizing Khan in a series of tweets hours after the attack at London Bridge that killed seven people and left dozens injured, May was asked what it would take for her to criticize Trump. She reiterated her disappointment over his decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, before being eventually forced to defend the capital’s mayor.”
Washington Post: “A traditional president would have reacted carefully to the London Bridge terrorist attack by instilling calm, being judicious about facts and appealing to the country’s better angels. But Donald Trump is no traditional president. He reacted impulsively to Saturday night’s carnage by stoking panic and fear, being indiscreet with details of the event and capitalizing on it to advocate for one of his more polarizing policies and to advance a personal feud.”
Messina Now Working for Theresa May
“U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May has hired President Obama’s former deputy chief of staff Jim Messina for her election campaign, reuniting the winning team behind David Cameron’s unexpected victory two years ago,” Bloomberg reports.
“Messina and his colleagues arrived in London on Monday to begin work on May’s bid to secure a bigger majority for her Conservative Party and a fresh mandate for her vision of Brexit, a person working on the campaign said.”
Theresa May Forms a New U.K. Government
“After a transfer of power of startling speed, Theresa May took office as Britain’s prime minister on Wednesday afternoon, promising to honor last month’s referendum to leave the European Union, but also to heal some of the divisions that the vote exposed, and to create an economy that works for everyone, not just the “privileged few,'” the New York Times reports.
“Ms. May had supported Britain’s remaining in the European Union, but tepidly, and she promised to respect the outcome of the June 23 vote.”
The Telegraph reports that May has chosen Boris Johnson, who led the effort to leave the European Union, as Foreign Secretary.
