June is the end of May

It must be a big political drama if I’m writing a brand new blog post!

So, she has finally caved in. That’s right, PM Theresa May has resigned. We all saw it coming so it’s no surprise. Well, it is a surprise that she lasted this long, let’s be honest.

This week, the final nail(s) in the coffin was the resignation of Andrea Leadsom, now former Leader of the House of Commons and her cabinet refusing to support her bringing back a vote on the Withdrawal Agreement for the *counts fingers* umpteenth time. Going through the usual administration process of the business for the week commencing, the Leadsom’s replacement, Mark Spencer, announced:

“We will update the house on the publication and introduction of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on our return from the Whitsun recess,” he eventually said. Theresa May over. 

It seems this would foreshadow her resignation this morning.

In her teary resignation speech, she spoke of the regret she felt in not having been able to deliver Brexit. Almost makes you feel sorry for her. Almost.

Theresa May resigns as Prime Minister in a teary speech delivered outside No. 10 Downing St

Now what? Well, May formally resigns on June 7 which kickstarts the Tory leadership campaign (of which there are may contenders – we’ll get to that in a sec). The campaign should last until July in which the next leader of the Conservatives (and thus PM) will be announced. Whoever is elected leader will still have to deliver Brexit and in true British political fashion, call a general election. I mean let’s face it, it’ll be the only way for them to democratically legitimise their premiership. May also need a referendum on Brexit because we Brits sure love a good election! Anyone else got electoral fatigue? I sure don’t!

Who could be our next PM? The likely contenders*….

• Boris Johnson – former Mayor of London and Foreign Secretary, it’s no secret that Boris has yearned for the PM position for many years. Having been the face of the Leave campaign, could he be the one to deliver Brexit and take on Farage? After all, it was Farage and the rise of UKIP that fuelled this Brexit mess in the first place.
  
• Esther McVey – Former Work and Pensions Secretary, she quit the position last year due to her disagreement with the withdrawal agreement with the EU. In a radio interview, McVey said she would take part in a leadership contest if she commanded enough support.
  
• Sir Graham Brady – Up until this morning, Brady was Chairman of the 1922 Backbench Committee, however he has been pondering whether to take part in the leadership bid. Staying on as chairman and participating in the contest would be a conflict of interest. Obvs.
  
• Jeremy Hunt – Hunt took over the role of Foreign Secretary after Boris had resigned, leaving his post as Health Secretary. He’s been regarded as a ‘reborn Brexiteer’ after campaigning for Remain in the 2016 referendum but later criticising the EU, referring to it as the soviet union.
  
• Michael Gove – Ah Gove, the man responsible for destroying the UK’s education system with his GCSE reforms. Currently Environment Secretary, Gove (alongside Boris) had been one of the key faces of the Vote Leave campaign. Despite being a Brexiteer, he remained loyal to Theresa May by not resigning his post as his other colleagues did.

*Full list of potential leadership contenders can be found on this very useful article by the BBC here.

Whoever succeeds Theresa May will have to face the curse that is Brexit, and will be praying that Brexit doesn’t take another tenure. Is Brexit really an impossible task or is it just the right person to deliver such a task is yet to be found? We await as the drama unfolds. Never a dull moment in British politics, eh!