Brexit chaos continues as UK’s Theresa May warns against a leadership change
Beleaguered British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is facing a potential no-confidence vote from opponents in her Conservative Party, said Sunday that a leadership change won’t make the faltering Brexit talks any easier.
She told Sky News in an interview that “a change of leadership at this point isn’t going to make the negotiations any easier and it isn’t going to change the parliamentary arithmetic.”
Although May told the British news outlet that she has not considered resigning, angry rebels within her own party are trying to gather the necessary numbers to trigger a no-confidence vote.
“Politics is a tough business and I’ve been in it for a long time,” she said.
The draft withdrawal agreement has prompted widespread criticism and fear that the United Kingdom’s economy will sustain serious damage if a better deal for its exit from the European Union cannot be reached.
Several cabinet ministers, including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, have resigned since the 585-page withdrawal document was released.
When asked about the abuses hurled at her, May said: “It doesn’t distract me. Politics is a tough business and I’ve been in it for a long time.”
The required threshold of 48 letters to trigger a no-confidence vote had not been reached, according to the BBC.
Raab told the Sunday Times that the U.K. shouldn’t allow itself to be “bullied,” adding that the country must be prepared to walk away from negotiations.
May will be traveling to Brussels to meet with EU leaders before an emergency European Council summit on Nov. 25.
A key group of Tory MPs published its rebuttal of the draft plan, claiming it will make the U.K. a “rule-taker.”