However, under UK electoral commission rules, May will continue in her post in an acting capacity until 23 July when the party picks a successor, who will also become Britain’s next prime minister.
Brexit largely overshadowed the nearly three years of Theresa May's tenure as UK prime minister and eventually became her downfall. Will her replacement be able to finally deliver Brexit?
Sputnik has discussed the issue with Brexit Party MEP Diane James.
Sputnik: Will Theresa May’s successor as British Prime Minister be able to deliver Brexit?
Diane James: I think they are going to struggle. The timing is very tight, and actually very inconvenient for any Prime Minister now to try and deliver Brexit.
The reason I would say that; is because the new European Union Parliament, and everything around it, all the commissioners etcetera, they are all going to have to be appointed between the 2 July, and effectively the 31 October.
Everything that should be in place, and has been in place up until now, so Mr Tusk, for instance, Mr Juncker, these are now household names, and the roles that they actually hold are also well recognised, but those two individuals plus others, are all going to stand down and new ones have got to be in place.
If the United Kingdom is committed to delivering Brexit; and a proper Brexit, not the awful withdrawal bill that we’ve got, who are they going to negotiate with? Therefore; I think that the deadline is almost impossible.
Diane James: The European Union has managed to thwart and block Brexit until now, and it’s done it very successfully.
They will go through the usual theatre performance of saying that the UK can’t have another extension, but in fact I believe that they will probably grant another one, because I just don’t think that any of the candidates that are going to replace Prime Minister May potentially are really committed to a proper, clean Brexit.
None of them have actually said that the UK is going to ditch the withdrawal bill, start again, try and do a better deal, because that’s of course what the Tory Party wants, and they are actually walking away from this aspect of a no deal Brexit, which would be the most beneficial option for the UK to actually make Brexit mean Brexit.
Sputnik: Would the Conservatives lose a general election?
It’s been talked about for some years, that the Conservative Party needed to split, that they needed a brand new refresh almost, and that the only way the Conservative Party per se could continue; was if they ditched trying to be one party for all aspects and all sides.
I fundamentally think that quite frankly, the Conservative Party is finished. Whether another party will come out of the remnants of what purports to be the Conservative Party at the moment; that’s a completely different question.
It could well be that if that doesn’t happen; the Brexit Party will actually continue the success it’s been having, and could actually take over the mantle of Conservativism in the UK.
Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Diane James and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.