Theresa May sobs as she finally quits — leaving Boris Johnson a step closer to the Tory leadership

ONLY those with a heart of stone can have remained unmoved by the dignity of ­Theresa May’s public resignation and the emotion that finally overcame her.

For all that her critics have thrown at her, The Sun included, who could fail to recognise the monstrous strain she has endured for three years?

Or her overwhelming sorrow at giving up the job she has wanted her whole life, with so little to show for it?

This PM will be remembered now for her failure to deliver Brexit. It will be ungenerous not to remember too her unshakeable dedication to her country and remarkable perseverance against what became insurmountable odds.

She is a good person. She did her best.

But she is a poor Prime Minister and the author of her own downfall.

She appointed a Cabinet of loyal friends largely devoid of talent.

She credulously swallowed bad advice from a staunchly europhile and dysfunctional civil service.

She lacked vital traits for a leader: core beliefs, confidence, decisiveness, mental agility, communication skills and a willingness to trust and delegate.

These failings, and a suicidal manifesto, were exposed at the 2017 election. Stripped of her majority, she foolishly tried to pretend “nothing has changed” and made promises she couldn’t keep.

She negotiated a Brexit deal which was bad enough even before Monday’s final, fatal compromises.

Mrs May described what she sees as her legacy. It is thin gruel. The economy is doing fine, the job market booming. But she did next to nothing for Sun readers, for the “just about managings”.

Brexit is undone, like her “social justice” agenda. Our democracy is in disarray, Britain divided, her party at historic poll lows. She leaves her successor an even more colossal task than her own.

Whoever that is must, above all, stop Corbyn’s thuggish extremists winning power. That can only be done by delivering Brexit — yes, with No Deal if need be — and somehow seeing off the Brexit Party whose surge could let Corbyn in.

Winning the battle of ideas against the Marxist Left will be far simpler.

Who is best placed to do it?

It must be a Brexiteer ready to appoint a younger, fresher, far more talented top team. There are plenty of able Tories in the ranks, their paths blocked by ­Cabinet duds who must be swept away.

Leave-backing MPs must avoid splitting their vote and letting another Remainer into No10. The party may not survive it. Nor, we believe, will its members tolerate any attempt by MPs to block their favourite candidates. They now have Nigel Farage’s party to join.

Mrs May has left the Tories in dire straits and with one chance to survive.

For their sake — and Britain’s — they had better make the right choice.