11 U.K. Ministers want PM Theresa May to step down: report

British papers write on a possible plot to topple her; Hammond dismisses speculation

March 24, 2019 01:04 pm | Updated 10:20 pm IST - LONDON:

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels on March 22, 2019.

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels on March 22, 2019.

The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (EU) was in disarray on Sunday as Prime Minister Theresa May faced a possible plot by Ministers to topple her and Parliament prepared to grab control of Brexit from the government.

As hundreds of thousands of people marched across central London on Saturday to demand another Brexit referendum, Ms. May was the subject of what The Sunday Times said was a “coup” by senior Ministers seeking to oust her.

‘An erratic figure’

The newspaper cited 11 unidentified senior Ministers and said they had agreed that the Prime Minister should stand down, warning that she has become a toxic and erratic figure whose judgment has “gone haywire”. When asked by Sky about reports in The Sunday Times and other newspapers of a plot and whether she had run out of road, Finance Minister Philip Hammond said: “No. I don’t think that is the case at all.” “Changing Prime Minister wouldn’t help us,” Mr. Hammond said.

Mr. Hammond said the best way forward would be for Parliament to back Ms. May’s deal, although he said that it might not be approved and so Parliament should then try to find a way to end the impasse.

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