British Prime Minister Theresa May has steped down as the leader of her Conservative Party on Friday, triggering a race for a successor who will try where she failed to deliver, Brexit.
May is to remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen, which is likely in late July, but has relinquished control over the direction of Britain’s horrible departure from the European Union.
Brexit is still scheduled for October 31 but while her rivals fight it out, the project remains stuck, with the only divorce plan agreed with Brussels stuck in parliament.
May took office after the 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU and has spent the past three years working on the plan, delaying Brexit twice to try to get it through.
But she finally acknowledged defeat in a tearful resignation speech last month, the culmination of months of political turmoil that has slowly sapped all her authority.
Eleven Conservative MPs are currently working to replace her, including former foreign minister Boris Johnson, but some are expected to drop out before Monday’s deadline for nominations