© 2026 ABC News

Reactions were mixed but broadly respectful.

The Prime Minister has shown great courage.

She is a public servant who did all she could to bring Brexit to a resolution.

Her sense of duty is something everyone should admire and aspire to.

— Amber Rudd MP (@AmberRuddHR) May 24, 2019

1. I wish Theresa May well. She and I had profound disagreements - not least on her handling of Brexit and her disregard for Scotland’s interests. However, leadership is tough - especially in these times - and she deserves thanks for her service.

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 24, 2019

What a hypocrite https://t.co/qY5opxXLlc

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 24, 2019

Theresa May is right to resign. She's now accepted what the country's known for months: she can't govern, and nor can her divided and disintegrating party.

Whoever becomes the new Tory leader must let the people decide our country’s future, through an immediate General Election.

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) May 24, 2019

An election within the Conservative Party now will commence to determine who takes over as party leader, with a chance to vote before the end of July, according to the BBC.

That person also will become prime minister, as the Conservatives are still the largest party in the House of Commons despite months of infighting.

A leadership campaign will now take place, and Conservative Party members will have the chance to vote on who the next leader will be before the end of July, according to the BBC.

May's authority has looked increasingly shaky in recent months. Her Brexit deal, which she spent the better part of three years negotiating and re-negotiating, has been rejected by lawmakers three times this year.

She previously said she'd would resign if her Brexit deal was passed, but now she's bowing to pressure from lawmakers within her own party to resign before a deal is again put up for a vote.

\"PHOTO:Theresa
Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
PHOTO:Theresa May, U.K. prime minister, reacts as she delivers a speech announcing her resignation outside number 10 Downing Street in London, U.K., May 24, 2019.
>

A speech on Wednesday in which May unveiled a new plan to get her Brexit deal through Parliament included a vote for lawmakers on \"on whether the deal should be subject to a referendum.\"

This proved to be deeply unpopular with Brexit-supporting members of her own party, including MP Boris Johnson, who said on Tuesday that while he'd previously backed May's deal with \"great reluctance,\" he couldn't support her new plan.

With great reluctance I backed MV3. Now we are being asked to vote for a customs union and a second referendum. The Bill is directly against our manifesto - and I will not vote for it. We can and must do better - and deliver what the people voted for.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) 21 May 2019

Johnson announced his intention to run for prime minister once May steps down. Others expected to run include Dominic Raab, Esther McVey and Matt Hancock.

Whoever assumes control still must resolve key issues around Brexit.

The U.K. is set to leave the EU on Oct. 31, but the country's political future has never looked more uncertain.

Nigel Farage, leader of the newly formed Brexit Party who advocated for a \"no deal\" exit from the EU and who recently has been threatened with milkshakes, said the Conservative Party must change its position to a harder Brexit \"or it dies.\"

It is difficult not to feel for Mrs May, but politically she misjudged the mood of the country and her party. Two Tory leaders have now gone whose instincts were pro-EU. Either the party learns that lesson or it dies.

— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) May 24, 2019

\"It is difficult not to feel for Mrs May,\" Farage posted to Twitter, \"but politically she misjudged the mood of the country and her party.\"

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/International/uk-prime-minister-theresa-resigns-wake-mismanaged-brexit/story?id=63248079","legacySlug":"/news/story/uk-prime-minister-theresa-resigns-wake-mismanaged-brexit-63248079","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"13:02","publishDate":"05-24-2019","updatedTime":"13:02","updatedDate":"05-24-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"Theresa May, U.K. prime minister, reacts as she delivers a speech announcing her resignation outside number 10 Downing Street in London, U.K., May 24, 2019.","credit":"Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/theresa-may-gty-ml-190524_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"5/24/2019 13:02:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":63248079,"headline":"UK PM Theresa May resigns in wake of Brexit","mediaAssetTitle":"British Prime Minister Theresa May resigns over handling of Brexit","description":"Pressure has been growing on the embattled prime minister for months.","duration":"2:03","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/05/190524_vod_orig_may_resigns_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132306053","132266872","132055565"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"UK PM Theresa May resigns in wake of Brexit","description":"Pressure has been growing on the embattled prime minister for months.","duration":"2:03","uploadDate":"05-24-2019","publication":"05-24-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/05/190524_vod_orig_may_resigns_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/05/190524_vod_orig_may_resigns_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/uk-prime-minister-theresa-resigns-wake-mismanaged-brexit-63248079"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"UK PM Theresa May resigns in wake of Brexit","pubTime":"09:02","pubDate":"05-24-2019","modTime":"09:02","modDate":"05-24-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":63248079,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"UK PM Theresa May resigns in wake of Brexit","mediaAssetTitle":"British Prime Minister Theresa May resigns over handling of Brexit","videoId":63248079,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/uk-prime-minister-theresa-resigns-wake-mismanaged-brexit-63248079"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/63248079","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/63248079","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};