British PM Theresa May running out of options to stay in power

World Today

British PM Theresa May running out of options to stay in powerBritain’s Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly session of Prime Ministers Questions in Parliament in London, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

The Brexit deadlock deepens. British Prime Minister Theresa May has delayed the vote on her withdrawal bill from the European Union. It was originally planned for the first week of June.

May is facing continued pressure to resign over her Brexit policy. And as CGTN’s Gerald Tan explains, she’s running out of options.

A premiership defined by Brexit. Since moving into Number 10 Downing Street, Theresa May has tried to secure the U.K.’s departure from the EU, but in vain. Many are now asking: how much longer can the prime minister last?

For now, May cannot be ousted by her fellow Tories. In December, she won a vote of confidence called by her own Conservative Party. Under current rules, she’s immune from another challenge for another seven months.

But on Wednesday, May 22, leading Tory MPs held a secret ballot on whether to rewrite party rules and allow a no-confidence vote against May immediately. Those votes remain in sealed envelopes.

Her party wants her out and is threatening to release the ballot results if May doesn’t resign by June 10.

May has pledged to resign after MPs vote on her fourth attempt to secure a Brexit deal. That vote is now delayed until the week of June 4 when the House of Commons returns from recess.

Many MPs want May to leave now, so a new leader can help steer Britain out of the EU before the already extended deadline of October 31.

So far, May has resisted pressure to step down, including a no-confidence vote tabled in the entire House of Commons last January. She narrowly survived it, after a previous Brexit proposal suffered one of the worst parliamentary defeats in modern history. Whether she resigns – or is voted out – Theresa May’s time in Downing Street is nearing its end.