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UK Prime Minister Theresa May Will Resign, Pass the Brexit
Theresa May has announced that she will resign as UK's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party:
Mrs. May announced on Friday that she would be stepping down as leader of her Conservative Party and then as Britain's prime minister, after repeatedly failing to win Parliament's approval for a deal to withdraw the country from the European Union.
A successor to Theresa May will be chosen before Parliament's summer break, the Conservative Party chairman said. She will continue as prime minister until the leadership contest is finished.
[...] Standing in front of 10 Downing Street, Mrs. May said it was in the "best interests of the country for a new prime minister" to lead Britain through the Brexit process. She announced plans to step down as the leader of the Conservative Party on June 7, with the process to replace her beginning the following week.
Previously: Theresa May: UK's Next Prime Minister?
UK PM Theresa May announces resignation amid fury over Brexit handling
foxnews.com/world/uk-pm-theresa-may-announces-resignation-amid-fury-over-brexit-handling
May spoke outside 10 Downing Street after a meeting with Graham Brady, the head of the 1922 Committee of Conservative Party backbenchers. She said she will step down on June 7. Her resignation will trigger a party leadership contest, and whoever wins that contest will take over as prime minister.
[...] Her announcement could complicate the upcoming June 3 state visit by President Trump to London to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, where he will also meet with Queen Elizabeth II.
May will still be in office during that visit, meaning it will nix the chance for a new prime minister to forge ties with the American president at a time where such relations are vital. A U.S.-U.K. trade deal is a top priority for the U.K. as it looks to depart from the European Union and begin making its own trade agreements -- and Trump has said "the potential is unlimited" for such a deal.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 24 2019, @03:44PM (15 children)
Maybe they can elect Khan? He's doing great for London. You know, part and parcel?
(Score: 3, Informative) by isostatic on Friday May 24 2019, @03:49PM (14 children)
No
1) He's not an MP
2) He's not a tory
3) He's not a quitter (and the tories love quitters)
(Score: 3, Informative) by PiMuNu on Friday May 24 2019, @03:59PM (13 children)
> 1) He's not an MP
Last time I checked, you didn't need to be an MP to be PM. They may have changed the rules, they keep mucking with the UK constitution.
(Score: 3, Informative) by NewNic on Friday May 24 2019, @05:16PM (4 children)
You don't need to be an MP to be PM, but if you are not an MP, then you need to have a seat in the House of Lords.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday May 24 2019, @05:43PM (2 children)
The last Prime Minister to sit in the lords was the Marquess of Salisbury, who left the post in 1902. The nearest we've come since then is Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who renounced his peerage when he became Prime Minister in 1963.
It's unusual for a Secretary of State to be in the Lords too, as it makes it difficult for the elected MPs to question them and hold them to account. The last example I can recall off-hand was Lord Andrew Adonis, who served as Transport Secretary circa 2009.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Friday May 24 2019, @06:28PM (1 child)
Probably the best transport sec we've had in the last 20 years
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday May 24 2019, @07:39PM
I agree wholeheartedly.
The fact that he went off on a one-week tour of the British railway network when appointed indicated that he was interested in his brief and making it work.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Friday May 24 2019, @05:51PM
The last PM to come from the house of lords was Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, in 1902, who wasn't even referred to as prime minister.
(Score: 2) by dry on Saturday May 25 2019, @06:50AM (7 children)
You need to be a MP to run Parliament, though once PM, there's always someone in a safe seat that can be bribed to step down and allow the PM to run in the resulting bye-election. The odd time here, a PM or Premier has lost their seat while their party won the election, they always arrange a bye-election and get back in.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Saturday May 25 2019, @08:42AM (3 children)
Not in UK. Balfour has already resigned.
In AUS YES, Howard in 2007 most recently, it that accomanpied a massive defeat for ther party so they wouldn’t be PM anyway.
Mackenzie King in Canada is the only one who comes to mind - won election but not seat.
(Score: 2) by dry on Saturday May 25 2019, @04:34PM (2 children)
The most recent I'm familiar with was Christy Clarke in the 2013 Provincial (BC) election. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_British_Columbia_general_election [wikipedia.org]
As for the UK, I assume the same thing is still possible, though with some of the changes that has happened, perhaps I'm wrong
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Saturday May 25 2019, @04:47PM (1 child)
Theoretically it's possible, but it hasn't occured for a century, leaders seats tend to be very safe.
Smaller parties can lose leaders, although even with the Lib Dem wipeout in 2015 Clegg was one of 8 LD MPs to survive (there were 50-odd before the election).
(Score: 3, Informative) by dry on Saturday May 25 2019, @05:32PM
Likewise, it is possible for someone to become leader of the majority party without a seat and then arrange a bye-election to get a seat.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Tuesday May 28 2019, @09:18AM (2 children)
No.
1. A peer can certainly run parliament. The modern era has seen this job more commonly done by MPs, but that is really a legacy of Walpole, and even since his time many many peers have been "prime minister"; Newcastle, North, Bute, and so on.
2. In principle the prime minister is a royal appointment. The queen can appoint whomever she sees fit.
They keep messing with the UK constitution so I may be a few years out of date.
(Score: 2) by dry on Tuesday May 28 2019, @03:04PM (1 child)
A peer has a hard time appearing in the House of Commons for question period and such, so while theoritically they can run Parliament, in practice they need to show up in the House of Commons. Consider Alec Douglas-Home.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Douglas-Home [wikipedia.org] who was the last peer who became PM. He renounced his peerage and won a bye-election to move to the House of Commons.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Tuesday May 28 2019, @04:34PM
I realise that practical issues exist. I don't believe there has been a successful Prime Minister who was not an MP since maybe Newcastle (1740s), and one might argue Pelham was really the power as he held First Lord of the Treasury.
My point is just that such a thing is legally possible.