Over the weekend, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said Theresa May needs to stand down to avoid the “utter disaster” of participating in the upcoming European elections. The comments came after Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested the Prime Minister might remain in her post until October, the newly-set deadline for the UK to agree a deal and leave the EU. Mrs May has said she will resign as soon as her embattled Brexit deal is “delivered”, but it’s unclear what her intentions are if the deal cannot be passed.
Speaking on Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mr Duncan Smith said: “I know that the Prime Minister has already said she’s going.
“She said she would go as and when the agreement was ratified which was looking at around about May, June. I think those dates still stand.
“I think that what the PM has to do is aim everything now towards departure before the EU elections, which would then allow her to step away having done what she said she would do, getting the UK out of the European Union one way or the other.
“Then we can have another leadership election and pick a new leader which is the way it has to be.”
BREXIT EXPLAINED: What is the customs union? A really simple guide
Who might replace Theresa May?
A look at the bookies is usually a good way to gauge public mood on those who might end up in power.
According to Ladbrokes, Boris Johnson will take the Tory helm next.
He is 4/1 to become the next Tory leader, and 5/1 to become the next Prime Minister.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “This might just go down as the biggest political betting year on record and as things stand it looks like BoJo could be in Number 10 as PM by the time the year is out.”
And it seems the former foreign secretary has already begun planning for the role.
At the end of March, Mr Johnson reportedly held meetings with MPs from across the Conservative party as he prepares to launch his bid for the top job.
Sources close to the Brexiteer said he and his supporters were “primed and ready” to launch his campaign.
BREXIT EXPLAINED: What is the backstop? A really simple guide
Who else is in the running?
Ladbrokes odds for the next Prime Minister are as follows:
- Boris Johnson – 5/1
- Jeremy Corbyn – 5/1
- Michael Gove – 6/1
- Dominic Raab – 8/1
- Jeremy Hunt – 10/1
- Sajid Javid – 12/1
- David Lidington – 16/1
- Matthew Hancock – 16/1
