If May resigns tonight, what happens next?

[WWYDhelpplease]

I don’t know if the media are speculating or there is a chance she could resign later today. If she does, what happens next?

Ooh a dig at Diane Abbott How very predictable Tories are a bag of shit but let's divert attention from that

I admire her stamina, but we'd be a lot better off at the current time if we had a PM who hadn't lost touch with reality. The Press Conference was bizarre. Talk about sticking fingers in your ears and going la, la, la. It was 'Nothing has changed. NOTHING has changed...' times 10.

The press seemed stunned and started talking to her as if she were a suitable case for treatment. One of them even, gently, asked if she might be in denial.

No recognition of the fact that 7 of her cabinet have resigned. Or that out of 50 questions from MPs, only 7 had been remotely supportive of her deal. And the DUP were particularly antagonistic, so bang goes her majority, even if she can persuade all the Tories to vote for her. Oh, and Rees Mogg was rallying his troops to get her sacked.

La, la, la. She would just go on doing her job and Parliament could sort itself out. Of course, that was what she wanted in the beginning, but Gina Miller's intervention changed all that. Has it really not registered that she has to get her deal through Parliament now?

And a Sky News poll has a clear majority for a staying in the EU. Leavers are now split between No Deal and May's Deal, with May's deal coming v much last.

Sure Cameron messed it up. But she wanted the job. It was her only chance of getting it. And it's down to her that she called Article 50 too early and then threw away her majority in the snap election. So no sympathy from me.

She was handed a poisoned chalice by Cameron (who did what the public wanted didn’t he?). I hope she stays, the thought of The Mogg scares me.

She was set up by a group of people who considered themselves to be "kingmakers".
The same thing happened with Thatcher-and it backfired spectacularly on said kingmakers because they underestimated her. It remains to be seen how the May plot will pan out in the end. Fascinating for politics geeks. But depressing/terrifying too.

I think that she's doing a pretty amazing job under impossible circumstances.

She was stymied when she did not get the backing from the country that would have given her the clout to face down the various awkward squads. But she has carried on, playing a bad hand as well as it could possbly be played. I'm glad she's come out fighting IYSWIM

And I really can't think of a better candidate to lead the Tory party and become PM, and normal length GE purdah really doesn't seem like a good idea right now.

Morbidly
Who is the illiterate, innumerate defender of Venezuela ?

Just seen that whips have been called in, and commentators saying that this is a strong indicator of a confidence vote

I'm in the strange position of rooting for Theresa May

Me too. It is a strange feeling isn't it.

But for me, the situation is very simple. "No deal" is not an option.

I think we are too far down the road of leaving to suddenly revoke Art 50 and stay in the EU after all.

Therefore it's this deal. Which is a compromise and a compromise reflects the very close nature of the referendum result (across the whole of the UK, I know it was not nearly as close in Scotland and more particularly, Gibraltar).

I think MPs will vote for it I don't see there is any choice.

And if Nicola S is reading this - I hate to say this but NI IS different to Scotland. The reason is simply the fact that nearly everyone in NI qualifies for an Irish passport, making them able to be EU citizens. The same does not apply to Scotland. It means that NI will be a non-EU territory full of EU citizens or people who can be EU citizens and therefore it should have a special status. And that's before you consider the history and the border issue.

PM Gove, coming up??!!

I hope that Larry gets someone nice.

Larry had his chance!

I'm in N Ireland. What I'm unsure of is the Red Line of the DUP and the consequences that Arlene talks about.

I fully understand the fear of violence if a border is reinstated. It would be a target and those sent to enforce it. Ditto England that broke the GFA.

BUT

If the Loyalists return to violence. Who or what is the target? No border, England - what purpose if they want to be united. Catholic's? Nothing to do with them.

I'm confused.

I dont envy her at all. Completely poisoned chalice - all the Brexiteers ran away and abrogated responsibility for sorting out the mess they got us into - I havent heard any of them credibly explain how to achieve a hard Brexit without having border controls in Ireland. Not exactly something they explained when they drove their silly bus around promising us loads more NHS money.

As I see it, even without a no confidence leadership challenge:

• May will struggle to get a majority for her deal if Brexiteers and Remainers in her party vote against her deal, and DUP voting against too. She'd be relying on Labour to get a majority.
• If she fails to get a majority and resigns, someone else will takeover and need to re-negotiate or go to the wire with no deal. Most likely they won't manage to get a substantive re-negotiated deal and in any case any option would struggle to get a majority in the same way as May has.

So that leaves us with a no deal exit. I cant see the Tories conceding to a general election, so the only other option would be a second referendum - but why would a new hard Brexit Tory go back to the popular vote with the risk of it being over-turned? They wouldn't. I'm not sure how Labour can force a General Election and even if there was one I have no clue how Labour would plan to get us out of the Brexit mess - what exactly is the latnerative they have to offer? Corbyn doesnt like the EU and his momentum young votes are overwhemingly remainers. Plus a no deal exit and potential collapse in the markets would not exactly be helped by an overspending lunatic Labour government setting about re-nationalising the railways etc. I remember the 70s and they were shit enough without wanting to re-live them again.

We're doomed.

Mind you, Belgium managed without a government for 11months. That might be a better option.

I'm not a politics geek but I'm terrified of more political uncertainty and the utter abyss our country would fall into with a corbyn government.

She went for the leadership. It's nonsense about her being handed a poisoned chalice as if she were some unsuspecting innocent.

I'm worried that a snap election will be called and the wolf that is in sheep's clothing will take the helm. Then our lifetime and our children's lifetime really will be fucked but I'm praying people ain't that stupid

For the very many people in this country, one of the richest in the world, who are homeless and starving, their lifetime already is fucked. You might want to think about that before chuntering on about "MN's ridiculous left wing bias".

I'm not a politics geek but I'm terrified of more political uncertainty and the utter abyss our country would fall into with a corbyn government.

Oh dear. Maybe you would feel a little less 'terrified' if you took your blinkers off and did a bit of reading. You could start here with this UN report on the realities of life in austerity Britain, as brought to you by the Tories.

Anyone who is 'terrified' of the alternative to the current shitfest isn't paying attention to what is happening in the here and now. I think Corbyn's an utter wanker, by the way, but all this hyperbole about him is just ridiculous.

What awful things do people think will happen if there's a Labour government?

The consequences of borrowing to spend when we're

a) still broke and
b) probably struggling with Hard Brexit (if you look at the likely timelines for Tory leadership contest, then establishing if new leader carries confidence of house, then period of purdah for GE; there is no way there will be a new govt in time to accept a deal. So we'll,be out without one. And Rees-Mogg will be extremely happy)

On a lighter note - Could somebody in the Gove - Vine household please water the plants on their front porch. They are dying - of thirst (I think but I'm not a great gardener myself).
Saw the pics on the DM website.
Is Sarah Vine - Michael Goves wife a Mail journalist or is she a freelance ?

She went for the leadership. It's nonsense about her being handed a poisoned chalice as if she were some unsuspecting innocent.

Yes and no. As I recall nobody else wanted it, so she was the one who actually stepped up to take on the job.

It doesn't mean I don't loathe her, but she looks like an angel next to Boris Half-Baked Johnson and his ilk.