Brian Wheeler

Image source, Reuters

Britain's second female prime minister, like the first, has ultimately been brought down by Conservative in-fighting over Europe.

But Theresa May is unlikely to join Margaret Thatcher in the annals of leaders who left an indelible mark on their country. At least not in the way she might have wanted when she entered Downing Street in July 2016.

Whatever ambitions she had - to reach out to the forgotten parts of the nation, or correct the "burning injustices" in British society - were overshadowed by a single word: Brexit.

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President Emmanuel Macron says the EU needs to know quickly what the UK wants with Brexit.

It's a list that seems to be growing all the time.

Here are the runners and riders in the race to succeed Theresa May as Tory leader.

Emma Vardy
Ireland Correspondent

"Some of Theresa May's most difficult days in office were focused on trying to resolve the issues thrown up by Northern Ireland and the Irish border over Brexit.

Some of those seemingly intractable problems posed by this place were hurdles she never fully managed to overcome.

Theresa May never got Northern Ireland's DUP to come on board with her deal and the DUP's confidence and supply arrangement with the Conservatives is due to expire shortly after her successor takes the reins - it's likely that will have to be renegotiated.

The DUP, today, have been pretty gracious and complimentary about Theresa May.

But make no mistake, whoever steps into her shoes is going to face exactly the same tricky circumstances."

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has paid tribute to his boss Mrs May, saying he was "sorry" that her premiership will end in this way.

"It has been a privilege to serve in the cabinet of a prime minister who has given everything to deliver on the outcome of the referendum, which politicians of many parties promised to enact," he said.

"Characteristically in leaving office she is doing what she believes to be in the national interest."

The BBC's Europe editor says the EU is assuming that Mrs May's successor might want more time to hold a general election or to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement.

She says some countries want the UK gone sooner, whereas Germany would prefer to allow more time.

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford says the problem Mrs May faced "has always been the difficulty inside the Conservative Party".

"She inherited a 40-year trauma and she has failed to be able to heal it," the Labour AM said.

He added: "The prime minister started off in the wrong way; she had a winner-takes-all approach.

"She acted as if the 52% who voted to leave counted for everything and the 48% who voted to stay counted for nothing - hence the red lines, hence the way she went about the negotiations.

He added: "She was a politician who lacked some of those basic political skills.

"She was rigid in her approach to things, she found it difficult to negotiate, she was not good at finding the ground where compromise could be discovered, and she went about it too late."

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has confirmed he will enter the contest to succeed Theresa May as PM - but what grounds will he stand on?

Environment Secretary Michael Gove - who entered the last Tory leadership race in 2016 but was eliminated - sidestepped the question when asked today if he'd run in the upcoming contest.

"We ultimately need to acknowledge that this is the prime minister’s day," he said.

Veteran MP Ken Clarke has stood for the Conservative leadership three times before - but rules himself out of the next contest.

What is the EU's thinking on potentially having to work with Boris Johnson, if he becomes the next prime minister?

The BBC's Europe editor has offered this analysis.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has told the BBC that Theresa May was "not the problem" when it came to the current Brexit impasse.

"She is courageous. Whoever her successor is, the WA [withdrawal agreement] is not up for renegotiation.”

Boris Johnson has said the next Tory leader will have the opportunity to "do things differently".

Mr Johnson, who has confirmed he will run for the Tory leadership, and is widely seen as the favourite to replace Mrs May, told a conference in Switzerland the next leader will have the "momentum of a new administration".

He added that Mrs May was "patient" and "stoical" in her handling of the Brexit negotiations.

Image source, Pool clip

Theresa May's predecessor in Downing Street, David Cameron, has said she will be remembered as a “dedicated public servant”.

He adds that he felt "desperately sorry" for Mrs May and her husband Philip, adding that it is "extremely difficult and painful" to quit as leader.

He adds that the prime minister will feel “extremely frustrated” that the “people who most wanted Brexit in the end wouldn’t vote for it”.

Asked whether he would back Boris Johnson to succeed her, he said: “I’m not going to get involved at all in the Conservative leadership race."

“I’m not going to give a running commentary on the future.”

From her school days and then her time studying at Oxford University, to the cabinet and eventually Number 10, these images capture Mrs May's political journey.

No doubt many will remember these chips on the Cornish coast.

Take a look at our gallery.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Theresa May's resignation puts Brexit in a new phase that may be "very dangerous for Ireland", Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said.

Mr Varadkar said the PM's departure could lead to the election of a "Eurosceptic" prime minister.

"We may see the election of a Eurosceptic prime minister who wants to repudiate the withdrawal agreement and go for no-deal, or we may even see a new British government that wants a closer relationship with the EU and goes for a second referendum," said Mr Varadkar.

A no-deal Brexit could lead to a hard border on the island of Ireland.

But the taoiseach said that whatever happens, the Irish government will "hold its nerve".

"We are going to build and strengthen our alliances across the European Union and we will make sure that we see Ireland through this," he added.

Graham Brady has spoken to the BBC about why he is standing down as chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs.

"I have been urged by a number of colleagues from across the party from inside Parliament, and outside, asking me to put myself forward as a candidate," Sir Graham told the BBC, according to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

"Therefore, I have made the decision to stand down as chair of the 1922 committee in order to ensure a fair and transparent election process.

"I am considering the approaches I have received and will make a decision in due course."

Most ministers in the cabinet have paid tribute to Mrs May today following her speech - although not all of them yet.

The Twitter feeds of David Lidington, Penny Mordaunt, Greg Clark and Jeremy Wright haven't posted anything referring to their boss's departure so far.

Meanwhile, women in politics have also been reflecting on Mrs May's impact.

Labour MP Harriet Harman criticised the outgoing prime minister for leaving the UK "more divided and unequal", but encouraged people to consider her "achievements not just failings... Esp when they are a woman in what's still a man's world".

Conservative MP for Chelmsford, Vicky Ford, described Mrs May as "the most remarkable supporter of women coming into Parliament".

And Tory MP for Redditch Rachel Maclean tweeted: "I've been fortunate to have seen first-hand her support for women in public life and to have worked on her policies of ending domestic abuse and tackling the gender pay gap."