LONDON: Former British Prime Minister Theresa May announced Friday that she will quit as a lawmaker when an election is called this year, ending a 27-year parliamentary career that included three years as the nation’s leader during a period roiled by Brexit.
May told her local newspaper, the Maidenhead Advertiser, that her work on fighting human trafficking and modern slavery was taking up more of her time and “I have realized that, looking ahead, I would no longer be able to do my job as an MP in the way I believe is right and my constituents deserve.”
May, 67, has been the member of Parliament for Maidenhead, west of London, since 1997. She served in several government posts, including home secretary between 2010 and 2016, before being selected as Conservative leader and prime minister in the chaotic aftermath of Britain’s June 2016 vote to leave the European Union. She was Britain’s second female prime minister, after fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher.
Brexit ultimately derailed her premiership, and she quit as party leader and prime minister in mid-2019 after repeatedly failing to get her divorce deal with the EU through a bitterly divided Parliament.
She also had tense relations with then-US President Donald Trump, who accused her of “making a mess” of Brexit.
Unlike many former prime ministers, who often make a quick exit from Parliament once out of office, May remained a backbench legislator while three Conservative successors – Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – grappled with the political and economic consequences of Brexit.
She was occasionally critical in public of her more populist successors — especially Johnson, whose political machinations helped bring about her downfall.
Sunak tweeted that May “defines what it means to be a public servant.”
Sunak must call an election by the end of the year, but the date is up to him. He has said it is likely to be in the fall. Opinion polls show the Conservatives, in power since 2010, trailing far behind the main opposition Labour Party.
Almost 100 of the 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons have announced they will not run for re-election, including 64 Conservatives — an unusually high number.
Former British leader Theresa May says she’ll quit Parliament before an election this year
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Former British leader Theresa May says she’ll quit Parliament before an election this year
- May told her local newspaper, the Maidenhead Advertiser, that her work on fighting human trafficking and modern slavery was taking up more of her time
- May, 67, has been the member of Parliament for Maidenhead, west of London, since 1997
EU sends emergency generators to Ukraine as France plans to coordinate aid
- The European Commission will send 447 emergency generators worth $4.3m to restore power
- “Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ... are designed to break Ukrainian spirit,” Lahbib said
PARIS: The European Union is deploying emergency generators to Ukraine, saying Russian bombings have left a million people without power and heating, while France plans to hold a call to rally international help for Ukrainians exposed to extreme cold.
Electrical engineers have been working around the clock in hazardous conditions for weeks since Russia escalated attacks on Ukraine’s grid during a cold snap that has reached temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 F).
The European Commission will send 447 emergency generators worth 3.7 million euros ($4.3 million) to restore power to hospitals, shelters and critical services affected by “relentless Russian strikes,” it said in a statement on Friday.
It added the generators will be mobilized from strategic reserves hosted in Poland and distributed in cooperation with the Ukrainian Red Cross to the most affected communities.
“Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ... are designed to break Ukrainian spirit,” European crisis chief Hadja Lahbib said in the statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared an energy emergency after the strikes over winter knocked out power generation and distribution facilities.
“We won’t let Russia freeze Ukraine. We bring light and warmth where Russia sends darkness,” Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova told a daily news briefing.
FRANCE TO HOLD CALL WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
Earlier on Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told BFM television that France would
hold a call
with G7 countries as well as Nordic and Baltic states later in the day to coordinate support for Ukraine’s energy grid.
“He continues to shell Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. We will continue to support Ukraine,” Barrot said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He said France would supply Ukraine with the equivalent of 13 extra megawatts of electricity and around 100 generators to replace destroyed infrastructure. Other countries would also pledge assistance during the virtual meeting, he said.
