Prime Minister Theresa May has told Conservative MPs that she will stand down ‘earlier than I intended’ before the next stage of Brexit negotiations.

She said that she will stand aside if they support her deal in Parliament in a third meaningful vote – something that many Conservative MPs had been calling for.

No date for her departure has been named, but the BBC are suggesting that a possible Tory leadership contest could take place in May.

It is unclear what will take place should the deal fail in a third vote or if the vote does not take place due to an intervention by the Speaker, John Bercow, who said that the deal would need ‘substantial changes’ before it can be voted on again.

Many Conservatives who had previous opposed the deal, including Brexiteer and possible leadership contender Boris Johnson, have said they will support her deal. This comes after Johnson described the deal as leaving Britain as a ‘vassal state’ of the EU in the past.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has also softened on his support for May’s deal, saying
“I think that we have got to the point where legally leaving is better than not leaving at all.”

The news comes as Parliament debates and votes on alternatives to the Prime Minister’s deal, including a no deal Brexit, revoking Article 50 and a so-called Norway-style arrangement.

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