British Prime Minister Theresa May to step down as party leader

British Prime Minister Theresa May is stepping down as leader of the Conservatives, sparking a contest to become Britain’s next prime minister.

May became prime minister in 2016 with the overriding goal of leading Britain out of the European Union (EU).

She has bowed to relentless pressure from her party to quit over her failure to take Britain out of the EU on schedule.

May’s departure will trigger a party leadership contest in which any Conservative member of parliament can run.

She will stay as caretaker prime minister until the new leader is selected.

The early front-runner is Boris Johnson, a former foreign secretary and strong champion of Brexit.