British Conservative party leader Theresa May has just announced that she will step down from her position on June 7. Some analysts have expressed concerns about the probability of a "hard" Brexit now that the Prime Minister is due to leave her post soon.
According to The Guardian, the Spanish government sees May's departure as "bad news" as Tory MPs scramble to pick a new PM who will deliver Brexit. "A hard Brexit in these circumstance seems an almost unstoppable reality," government spokeswoman, Isabel Celaa, told the media after May's announcement.
For many analysts and political experts who believe May has the capacity to bring the U.K. out of the European Union (EU) in due time, the news came unexpectedly. Celaa said May's decision will be a disappointment to leaders who want peace and order amid Great Britain's departure from the bloc.
EU Chief Brexit negotiator Michael Barnier offered a tribute to May through a tweet, expressing his "full respect" for the PM whose Brexit deal was defeated thrice by her government and the opposition.
Former British PM David Cameron also tweeted some kind words for May, who appears to have bowed out from her position due to extreme pressure from Tory MPs who no longer trusted her decisions.
Among the early predictions for who will run for the post that May will leave empty are making rounds online. Some speculate that Chairman of the 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, may run for the Tory leadership spot.
Meanwhile, other European leaders have also commented on the shocking although not completely unexpected news of May's resignation. According to BBC News, Welsh Labor leader Mark Drakeford noted that a PM election in the midst of an undelivered Brexit "is the last thing the country needs."
Multiple other politicians under the Welsh government have expressed disappointment over May's PM seat departure. On the other hand, others are more concerned about how Brexit will be delivered in the midst of the chaos in the British Parliament.
In her tearful resignation speech, May said she did everything in her power to deliver Brexit and her failure made her feel "deep regret," but it was also a lifetime "honor" for her to have served the United Kingdom.
A leadership contest is expected to kick off one week after May leaves her post. Three potentials have confirmed their interest in running as the Conservative party leader. They are Esther McVey, Rory Stewart, and Boris Johnson.
May's premiership was packed with tension, doubts, and multiple defeats but many European leaders have heaped praise on her "courage" in the face of what could be the most contested proposal to have attempted to pass the British Parliament.
