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42% of Tory Party Members Want Theresa May to Immediately Stand Down as PM

The poll confirms growing opposition to Theresa May’s continuation as leader, with just around 20 percent of Tory Party members wanting her to remain.
Sputnik

42% of Conservative Party members want UK Prime Minister Theresa May to stand down immediately, a new poll has found.

Furthermore, close to 80 percent want PM May to resign at some point in the near future, while under 20 percent want her to remain.

READ MORE: Blair Urges UK Parliament to Vote Down Any Deal on Brexit, Let People Decide

Her resignation would trigger a leadership war, and there are already a few likely contenders, including ex-foreign minister and outspoken May critic Boris Johnson.

Johnson resigned as foreign secretary shortly after the Chequers meeting, hitting out at May’s Brexit strategy, though he is yet to take any concrete steps toward launching a leadership challenge against her.

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Going into a leadership battle, Johnson is likely to maintain the backing of the party’s staunchest Brexiteers, with many backbenchers expressing support for his policies, despite numerous high-profile gaffes.

MP Jacob Rees-Mogg is another Brexiteer who has been tipped to mount a leadership challenge against May.

On the other end, Justice Greening, an MP and former education secretary, has suggested she could run in an intraparty leadership battle once May is ousted. Greening has backed giving the electorate the final say on Brexit, via a referendum, and her pro-EU views certainly differentiate her from the other likely candidates.

Meanwhile, amid speculation of a leadership contest, negotiators are still trying to agree terms so a deal can be presented to parliament, with the British government keen to avoid a no-deal Brexit and the potentially calamitous associated economic shocks.  

READ MORE: Claims That PM May Agreed to Keep UK in Customs Union 'Speculation' — Spokesman

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