Brexit update: May faces Parliament with labour talks stalling

Prime Minister Theresa May will face lawmakers in Parliament on Wednesday after another day of inconclusive talks with the opposition Labour Party further dented her hopes of reaching a Brexit deal.

Cross-party talks were inconclusive on Tuesday Graham Brady, leader of rank-and-file Tory MPs, set a 16:00 deadline for May to set out a roadmap to quit, the Telegraph reports.

Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom says she’s considering standing for Tory leadership after May steps down. By announcing she will stand down once her Brexit deal has passed, May has kicked off a leadership contest among her Tory colleagues – even though the Times newspaper reported Wednesday she intends to stay in her post until the fall.

She now faces repeated entreaties from rank-and-file Tory members of Parliament to quit sooner, while senior activists will gather in London next month to debate a petition calling for her to resign.

Leadsom joins International Development Secretary Rory Stewart in formally declaring their interest in the leadership. But a much wider field, including former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and former Cabinet minister Esther McVey have given interviews about their vision and background, setting the stage for when they formally declare their hands.

Leadsom said she is “seriously considering standing” as Conservative Party leader once Theresa May steps aside. She was speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

Pro-Brexit Leadsom made it to the final two candidates against May in 2016, but withdrew after suggesting being a mother would make her a better leader. May had publicly spoken about her unsuccessful desire for children.

Leadsom used her interview to appeal to pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers and the party’s membership, which has the final say over two candidates selected by MPs. She said she is “disgusted” that three years after the referendum result the UK hasn’t left the EU, describing herself as an “utterly determined Brexiteer.”

Leadsom, 55, described May’s Brexit deal as “tolerable” and said that while she doesn’t favour leaving the EU without a deal, “I don’t think no-deal would be the disaster everyone thinks it is.”