Breaking news: May facing leadership challenge today.

[KitKat1985]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46535739

It's all such a mess. I'm not a fan of Teresa May particularly, but I do think anyone would have struggled to make a success of Brexit after the referendum, so not entirely sure what replacing May will achieve. And also who on earth would replace her if the challenge is successful?

I have total respect to her for stepping up to the plate, and getting us through the tumultuous time after the vote.

I can't stand the woman, but really can't see what changing leader will achieve. If the EU say no, that no will remain regardless of who's asking.

BBC news update:

Sir Graham Brady announces Tory leadership ballot
We'll be providing updates throughout the day as chairman of the backbench 1922 committee Sir Graham Brady announces that enough Tory MPs have requested a vote of confidence in Theresa May as Conservative leader.
The ballot will be held between 18:00 and 20:00 GMT on Wednesday in the House of Commons, he said.
"The votes will be counted immediately afterwards and the result will be announced as soon as possible in the evening."

So we will know by tonight if May is out or not. Please fuck don't let Boris be PM

She's had a poisoned chalice! But who's the alternative?

This country is going to hell in a handcart. The rest of the world will be laughing. We are a joke.
I'm so embarrassed to be British at the moment.

It means nothing and the rest of the world know it

I'm not a fan of Teresa May particularly, but I do think anyone would have struggled to make a success of Brexit after the referendum

Just this really,

Johnson is obviously going to stand...he has had a haircut and everything

This is such a fuckup,

Just said to dh that it better not be Boris. God help the country if it is. But for some reason the papers love him. A very clever man out for himself & makes himself look like a bumbling fool but he’s anything but.

And i agree with russia

And now is the right time to change leaders???

Is it??? Is it really???

Factual question - confidence vote this evening.

She carries on as lame duck whilst leadership contest is held.

So how long does a Tory leadership contest take? I know it'll depend on how many rounds there are, but what sort of time scales s it likely to be?

Presumably, this means hard Brexit. There wasn't much chance of a better deal anyhow, but zero chance of even trying for several weeks if there is no real PM

FFS. I’m no fan of her policies but we need a Brexit deal or we’ll crash out in chaos. Boris, Mogg, Corbyns etc are willing to fuck the country over for the sake of party politics and furthering their own careers. Utter bastards.

Bastards the lot of them.

No Deal becomes an ever likely more prospect as the time ticks on.

WE ARE NOT PREPARED FOR NO DEAL and most do not understand what will happen or think it's Project Fear.

This is terrifying.

I'm not really sure Whisky. When Cameron stepped down I don't remember it was that long before May was voted in, so maybe a few days?

I don't vote Tory, the woman has my respect and should see it through the final few months.

The shambles is a Tory shambles with a poor opposition and poor cross party working for the good of the country - they are all acting out a fucking pantomime.

Anyone know if it’s worth joining the Conservative party, erm, NOW? Would there be enough time to be able to vote between 2 candidates?

The thought of Mogg or Gove getting the job makes my blood run cold

When I heard all the laughing and jeering in parliament yesterday it was like a spitting image comedy sketch.

These Mps do not care about ordinary people. It's all about them.
I hate to be dramatic but we are heading for serious civil unrest.

People have had enough. It's going to become rich v poor literally.

the rest of the world will be laughing

Trust me...they ARE laughing. I’ve have friends all over the world and we are a laughing stock.

Good luck to whichever poor sod gets the job...but please don’t let it be Boris.

For what it's worth, I'm a remain voter and wasn't pleased by the referendum result, but accepted the democratic outcome. I do think the deal being offered is the best we're likely to get, and anyone who thought we were going to walk out of this with an amazing deal was living in a bit of a fantasy land.

Nope, you have to have been a Conservative Party member for over 3 months to vote in leadership elections.

These Mps do not care about ordinary people. It's all about them.
I hate to be dramatic but we are heading for serious civil unrest.

MPs still haven't worked out why Brexit happened.

Obviously not going to happen but I'd like the MPs who want to vote against the deal to put their cards on the table and say what they actually mean to happen next which presumably can only be a combination of:

Try and renegotiate with the EU (can Corbyn/Boris get us anywhere different?)
Cancel Brexit altogether
Postpone Brexit and hold a second referendum (and then what?)
Keep going like lemmings into no-deal
Call for an election - but then what?

Those are all quite different options but we don't know which we'll end up with if May is ousted (or in fact we don't know in any event).

Suspect in practice quite a few people are hoping to pull something out of the hat which turns the clock back a few years before the referendum was announced......

Interesting but if I think too long and hard about it, frankly the whole thing is a bit terrifying.

Exactly Driveanicecreamvan
I have many friends in the police force and they all say this country is becoming more volatile daily.
One said the best thing you can do is get street wise quickly because you will need to protect yourself.

It's terrifying

The rest of the world will be laughing.

Well some things are funny (not being able to get out of a car) but tbh I'm more saddened and dismayed than anything else. It's the kind of mirthless laughter when something's not actually funny but you really can't believe it.

I think of the child poverty and the people (particularly women) impacted by austerity and the way that universal credit seems designed to punish people for having the audacity to have a low income, and I really wonder what these politicians are playing at.

It's shaken my faith in democracy. So many people doing only what is best for them and not daring to step up and take one for the country.

I can't stand Mrs May but at least she's actually doing something (even though it's the wrong thing) - nobody wanted to be PM, remember?

TM has to have been handed the biggest political rotten egg since we were at war.
Like others I'm no fan but she has my respect.

The thought of J R-M, BoJo or Gove as leader makes my blood run cold.
Their individual views of women are terrible and that's before we even get to anything else.

I'm a remainer. Brexit is an utter farce.

I wonder who would put themselves forward to be PM if May is outed. All the hard brexiteers seem happy to shout from the sidelines but bolt or resign as soon as they might have to put their money where their mouth is. I can't imagine many people are going to want the job of sorting out this mess, knowing full well whatever they do they are going to be criticised for it.

The problem now is if Brexit isn't delivered and they back track. It will cause more trouble in terms of the fabric of democracy ruined.
This will set a disastrous cycle of events into motion.