Theresa May promises to step down, but gives no date

One MP said the UK prime minister had agreed to leave Downing Street ‘earlier than she intended.’

LONDON — Theresa May promised a packed meeting of her MPs she would relinquish the leadership of the Conservative Party once Britain’s divorce from the European Union is seen through.

But May gave no date when she would step aside. At a private meeting of Tory MPs in parliament, the U.K. prime minister said she would not stay in place for the second phase of the Brexit negotiations, when Britain’s future relationship with the EU will be negotiated.

“I have heard very clearly the mood of the parliamentary party. I know there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership – in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations – and I won’t stand in the way of that,” she told her MPs, according to remarks briefed to journalists following the private meeting.

“I know some people are worried that if you vote for the Withdrawal Agreement, I will take that as a mandate to rush on into phase two without the debate we need to have. I won’t. I hear what you are saying. But we need to get the deal through and deliver Brexit.”

May pleaded with her colleagues to back the deal she negotiated with the EU in November that has been rejected twice by the House of Commons so they could complete what she called their “historic duty” to deliver on Brexit.

“I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party,” she said.

The move — which Downing Street hopes will encourage more Brexiteers in her party to hold their noses and vote for a Brexit deal they dislike intensely — is an advance on her previous promise to quit last year. Ahead of a confidence vote in her leadership in December, May promised that she would not fight the next general election, which is scheduled for 2022.

Backbench Brexiteer leader Jacob Rees-Mogg — who called for the prime minister to go last year — said the prime minister’s announcement was “wonderfully dutiful.” Asked if he was happy with the prime minister’s pledge. He said, “there’s never any joy or happiness in somebody’s political career coming to an end.”

Several MPs said the prime minister’s decision would help in her bid to force the withdrawal agreement through parliament.

Simon Hart, the founder of the “Brexit Delivery Group” said May had been “passionate” in her determination to see Brexit through, despite losing control of the parliamentary process to backbench MPs. “Passionate about getting this deal through, passionate about keeping this party together,” he said.

Tory MP Gillian Keegan said: “Everyone took the speech positively.” She added: “The last two years has been hard work.”

The MP said it would still be hard to get the deal through a hung parliament. “It’s something no other country has done. It’s the biggest thing we’ve done in 45 years.”