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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Oliver Milne

Theresa May breaks cover after election woe - and says Brexit's not her problem

Theresa May has said that solving Britain's Brexit crisis is officially a job for her successor as she headed to Brussels for a summit.

In a statement which indicated just how over it all the PM was, she wasted no time in passing the problem on to whoever replaces her in the Tory leadership race.

She said the issue of Brexit was "now a matter for my successor" in a frank admission of her political irrelevance.

But speaking to cameras before the meeting, which will see EU leaders discuss the elections and pick the next leaders of some of the EU institutions, she took a coded pot shot at the frontrunner.

Boris Johnson has suggested that Britain should leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal.

(REUTERS)

But Mrs May said her preference was to avoid the chaos of no deal - in a slap down to her former Foreign Secretary.

Mrs May said it was best for Britain to leave the European Union in an orderly way, with a divorce agreement.

"The best option for the UK is to leave the EU with a deal," she told reporters.

Mrs May added that the European elections were "deeply disappointing" for the Tories and showed "the importance of actually delivering on Brexit".

"I think the best way to do that is with a deal, but it will be for my successor and for Parliament to find a way forward to get a consensus and I hope those election results will focus Parliament on the need to deliver Brexit."

Outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has delivered a stark message to candidates in the race to replace Theresa May .

As the Tory hopefuls outline their visions for Britain's future relationship with the EU, Mr Juncker delivered a pretty clear verdict on their horsetrading.

Speaking to television cameras outside a summit in Brussels he said: "There will be no renegotiation."

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