Even by Brexit standards, the blowback to the fourth iteration of Theresa May’s Brexit deal was pretty extreme. Tories hated it, and demanded that May remove a stipulation that Parliament vote on holding a second referendum if an initial vote on the withdrawal deal bill passes.
The fallout has been extreme. It has been a while since a senior member of May’s cabinet resigned, but British press reports suggest that Andrea Leadsom and Sajid Javid, the Tory leader in the Commons and the Home Secretary, respectively, could abandon May’s cabinet on Wednesday as they plan leadership runs.
The defections might finally be enough to push May out of Downing Street, as Sky News reports that May is preparing to resign Wednesday night. The reports are unconfirmed, but some in the British press are taking them seriously.
Very senior MP tells me the word from the Cabinet corridor in the HoC is that the PM will resign tonight, Andrea Leadsom is poised to resign to launch a leadership bid, others may also resign & David Lidington will take over as acting PM. Unconfirmed!
— Jon Craig (@joncraig) May 22, 2019
The politics editor at the Daily Mail noted that Downing Street is refusing to deny the report, telling him only that May will make a statement later.
The pound moved higher on the rumors, presumably because May’s departure could lead to further Brexit delay as it would increase the odds of a general election being held later this year.
via ZeroHedge News http://bit.ly/2QeI3gU Tyler Durden