Theresa May will resign as Tory leader tomorrow but won’t step down as Prime Minister until she is certain the person replacing her will “command the confidence of the House”. This could prove especially tricky if a divisive, hardline Brexiteer like Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab wins the Tory leadership race. A controversial winner could fail to secure the support of soft Brexit or Remainer Tory MPs, or the DUP.
This means the new leader will not be Prime Minister of the country until he or she has the chance the ensure its confidence and supply deal with the DUP still stands and to secure the support of rival MPs.
Mrs May’s spokesman told the Guardian she would not hand over the keys to Number 10 until she can “say to the Queen that she is stepping aside and believes that someone else can command the confidence of the House”.
This means Mrs May’s successor as Tory leader could avoid facing an immediate no confidence vote in the Commons as ministers consider sending MPs home early for their summer break.
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Theresa May will not resign as PM until she has confidence in her successor (Image: GETTY )
Theresa May could delay
