MAY CAN'T STAY
Tearful Theresa May ‘will be gone by the end of July’ as Boris Johnson fires starting gun on race to be next PM
Boris Johnson said: 'Of course I'm going to go for it'
TEARFUL Theresa May said she will be gone by the end of July yesterday - as Boris Johnson fired the starting gun on the race to become the next Prime Minister.
The PM refused to name the date she'll quit No10 but managed to dodge a Tory coup after a meeting with party grandees.
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Frontrunner Boris Johnson yesterday finally confirmed he is planning to enter the leadership race when it is kicked off.
He gave a rallying cry to Eurosceptics, saying: "Of course I'm going to go for it."
The ex-Foreign Secretary slammed Ms May for her “lack of grip and dynamism” in EU negotiations.
He said: “All I can say most tactfully and usefully is that I have a pretty boundless appetite now to get it right and to do what I think would help our country to get on the right path.
“I’m going to go for it, of course I’m going to go for it.”
Mrs May is planning to step down if Parliament votes against the deal for a fourth time, allies say.
She has already promised to quit if the deal does go through - meaning she'll go by the end of July at the latest.
TEARS
But during 90 minutes of crunch talks with the powerful 1922 Committee where the PM appeared to be on the verge of tears, she refused to set an exact date for her departure.
The party bosses summoned her for the showdown demanding she explain when she intends to trigger a leadership election.
An executive member told The Sun: "She said, 'If I set out a timetable now, it will give a perverse incentive for people to vote against the bill just to get me out.'
"Mrs May also said the party would have "a much better leadership contest" after Brexit was in place, as it would be all about the future.
Instead of giving a date, the PM promised to return to meet chairman Sir Graham Brady after the Brexit vote, which will take place in the first week of June.
Sir Graham said this afternoon: "The Prime Minister is determined to secure our departure from the European Union and is devoting her efforts to securing the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the week commencing June 3, 2019 and the passage of that Bill and the consequent departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union by the summer.
"We have agreed that she and I will meet following the second reading of the bill to agree a timetable for the election of a new leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party."
The move appeared to be enough to stop an attempted Brexiteer coup to remove Mrs May within weeks.
The Sun Says
THERESA May’s time is almost up — and as it stands her party looks doomed too.
The chances of her Brexit deal passing in three weeks are zero, or close to it.
A new Tory leader and PM is desperately needed, to inspire some hope in the country, the Government and party.
Maybe he or she can reset Brexit talks, or even steer us out with No Deal. But they will face the same problems and the same Commons mathematics.
Even now The Sun believes getting Brexit over the line, even via Mrs May’s deal, is the best option. Why? Because not doing so leads almost inevitably to a Corbyn Government.
And that is worse than anything Brexit, in any form, could throw at our country.
'LAST ACT'
A No10 insider told The Sun the PM is expecting to quit after MPs vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, whether or not it passes.
The source said: "If the bill falls everyone knows what comes after that. It's the last act of this Government."
The insider dismissed the idea that Mrs May could reopen talks with the EU if her deal is defeated, saying: "She doesn't want to go to Brussels again - ever."
Even supportive MPs now believe the PM should trigger a leadership election in time for the summer.
One Cabinet minister loyal to Mrs May told The Sun that MPs should whittle the list of candidates down to two by the time of Parliament starts its holiday in late July, with members voting over the summer break.
The minister said: "The next leader should be in place in time for conference [in late September].
"They can take over in early September, have a few weeks in Parliament to get used to PMQs and things like that.
"You need to have a contest. If there had been a contest last time I think Theresa May would still have won but it would have exposed some problems and perhaps she would have had a different leadership style."
Mrs May was previously told that if she's not clear on the time scale of her departure, the committee would change the party's official rules - allowing a fresh no-confidence vote to take place as soon as next month.
Boris Johnson confirms he will run for the Conservative Party leadership after Theresa May stands down
Likely timetable of Tory leadership election
Week beginning June 3: Commons votes on Withdrawal Agreement Bill
After vote: Theresa May meets Sir Graham Brady - she will quit if the deal has been defeated
June/July: In unlikely event the deal has passed first hurdle, Mrs May steers bill through Commons and Lords
July: First phase of leadership election - MPs reduce field of candidates to a two-person shortlist
August: Parliament goes on recess - two finallists campaign among party members
September: Winner is announced and becomes Prime Minister
September 29: Tory conference starts in Manchester
October 31: Britain leaves the EU with or without a deal, unless a further extension is agreed
Under the existing rules, MPs can't launch an official challenge to the party leader until December after she survived an attempted coup last year.
But around half of the 1922 Committee executive wanted the PM to step down immediately, with the other half saying she should be allowed to make her own decision.
DEAL DEADLINE
Mrs May is planning to bring her Brexit deal back to the Commons next month with a view to getting it signed off in time for the summer holiday.
Her allies fear the deal is on course for yet another defeat with dozens of Tory rebels continuing to oppose it.
Before yesterday's meeting a string of top MPs and aides said it was time for the Prime Minister to quit.
Ex-Cabinet minister John Whittingdale blasted: "It is now time for May to go and for the country to move on.
"The country will thank her for her service, as I will, but we will breathe a huge sigh of relief as new life is injected into the Brexit negotiations with the EU as well as our domestic policy agenda."
Ed Vaizey, a senior Remainer, told ITV: "The Prime Minister's come to the end of the road and I think after the European elections she should stand down.
"She can't keep banging her head against a brick wall."
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And Nick Timothy, who was Mrs May's closest ally as her chief of staff in No10, said: "It's now beyond time for the Prime Minister to accept that the game is up. Her premiership has failed, and her authority is shot."
Grassroots activists who've launched a no-confidence motion of their own insisted yesterday's revelations won't stop them pressing ahead with the vote next month.
Ringleader Dinah Glover said she would only call it off if Mrs May officially resigns before the unprecedented vote on June 15.
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