Most Tories want Theresa May to quit before the next general election

pulse

July 4, 2017 2:49 PM

Over half of Conservative Party members believe May should stand down before 2020, a new poll has found.

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LONDON — A majority of Conservatives Party members want Theresa May to step down before the next scheduled general election, according to a new opinion poll.

When asked by ConservativeHome, "Should Theresa May announce her resignation as party leader, thus triggering a Conservative leadership election?", over half of respondents said she should quit before the next election in 2022.

Less than a third of Tory activists and party members said she shouldn't quit at any point, while over 15% of respondents said May should quit her role as Conservative leader and prime minister with immediate effect.

Here are the results of ConservativeHome's poll:

Should Theresa May announce her resignation as party leader, thus triggering a Conservative leadership election?

Yes, now — 15.7%
Yes, before the next election — 56.47%
No — 27.21%
Don't know — 1.15%

This poll comes as May adapts to a life as a prime minister without a parliamentary majority. The Conservative minority government was able to get its Queen's Speech through the House of Commons last week, but May is coming under increasing pressure from her cabinet ministers to make major concessions in key policy areas. This week Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson joined a list of senior Tories, including Michael Fallon and Michael Gove, who have called on May to scrap the freeze on public sector pay rises that have been in place since 2010.

Behind closed doors senior Tories want May to stand down as leader and hand over to a successor as soon as Brexit talks have finished in March 2019, according to reports. Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis and Chancellor Philip Hammond are all tipped as potential replacements, while dozens of Conservative MPs have urged Andrea Leadsom to consider running for a second time, friends of Leadsom told Business Insider last week.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is readying his party for another general election being held as early as later this year, amid the belief that the Conservative government will not be able to survive beyond the New Year, even with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party. Labour MPs spent the weekend campaigning in Tory marginals which they believe are up for grabs at the next election. Corbyn spent Saturday in Hastings where Home Secretary Amber Rudd has a wafer-thin majority of 346.

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