Theresa May admits the Tories suffered a ‘very disappointing night’ in statement released hours after scale of Brexit Party thrashing became clear
- PM quit on Friday as her MPs refused to back her deal if it was voted on again
- 24 hours earlier Tory voters abandoned Tories in their droves for Brexit Party
- She said: ‘It shows the importance of finding a Brexit deal, and I sincerely hope these results focus minds in Parliament’
Theresa May admitted it had been a ‘very disappointing night’ for the Conservatives after they were almost wiped out in the European elections.
The Prime Minister, who will stand down as Tory leader on June 7, has been blamed for the rout by the Brexit Party for failing to leave the EU on March 29.
Mrs May, who quit on Friday, said: ‘Some excellent MEPs have lost their seats, some excellent candidates missed out. But Labour have also suffered big losses’.
She added: ‘It shows the importance of finding a Brexit deal, and I sincerely hope these results focus minds in Parliament’.
Theresa May arrives at church with her husband Philip yesterday hours before the Tory election nightmare results were revealed
Mrs May was overcome by tears as she spoke of her pride at having been PM, even though she admitted to having failed to deliver Brexit, before quitting
Labour and the Conservatives’ Brexit policies were dealt a hammer blow by voters in a terrible night for both parties in the European elections.
The Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats triumphed, but the scale of disaster for the main parties was laid bare as the final results for Great Britain were announced.
The Tories secured just 9.1% of the vote – their worst ever national election share – while Labour finished on 14.1%, with voters split between the clear Brexit alternatives offered by Nigel Farage’s new party and the pro-EU Liberal Democrats.
Just four Conservatives were elected in England, Scotland and Wales, while the Brexit Party had 29 seats, overtaking the 24 MEPs that Mr Farage’s former party Ukip sent to the European Parliament in 2014.
The Lib Dems, reduced to just a single MEP in 2014, were on 16 after their best ever European results.
Labour had 10, halved from 20, the Greens – who also enjoyed a boost from pro-EU voters – were on seven, up from three.
Mr Farage today warned the Tories he will wipe them out at a general election unless they push through Brexit by Halloween – after securing a stunning triumph in EU polls.
The stark ultimatum came after the Brexit Party won at least 28 MEP seats and 31 per cent of the vote, despite only being formed six weeks ago.
A jubilant Nigel Farage (pictured in London this morning) demanded a role in the next round of negotiations with the EU after te Brexit Party’s triumph, threatening to contest a general election
In grim contrast, the Conservatives have dropped to fifth place across much of the country on just 9 per cent of the vote.
The disastrous showing immediately sparked warnings from would-be leader Boris Johnson that things will get even worse for the Tories if the UK does not leave the EU by the new deadline at the end of October – deal or no deal.
And Jeremy Corbyn was facing civil war within his party as critics blamed the party’s poor third-place finish on 14 per cent on his failure to back a second referendum. The Remainer Lib Dems surged into second place on 20 per cent with the Greens coming a close fourth on 12 per cent.
A jubilant Mr Farage demanded a role in the next round of negotiations with the EU, threatening to contest a general election.
Speaking this morning, he blasted the Tories for their handling of Brexit but said he would be willing to support a Conservative leader who promises to take Britain out of the EU with No Deal.
He said: ‘If we don’t leave in October the Brexit party will go on to a general election.
‘We are happy to help any leader who is genuine about us leaving the EU. We would like to be part of the negotiating team, use us and give us some responsibility, but they need to be prepared to leave with a clean break Brexit. Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab, Michael Gove – all of them voted for Mrs May’s European treaty.
‘It’s all about establishing trust – if the next leader says the same thing then no one is going to trust them.’
‘This is just the beginning of a new political movement.’