THERESA MAY has announced that her reign as Prime Minister will come to an end on Friday, June 7.

Speaking outside Downing Street this morning, Mrs May said she had 'done her best' to deliver a Brexit deal.

A tearful Prime Minister said she had "done my best" to get her Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament and take the UK out of the European Union but acknowledged she had failed.

"It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit," she said in Downing Street.

Watched by husband Philip and her closest aides, an emotional Mrs May said it was in the "best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort".

Announcing her departure from a job she loved, Mrs May said: "I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party on Friday 7th June so that a successor can be chosen."

Concluding her resignation statement, Mrs May broke down as she said it had been "the honour of my life" to serve "the country that I love".

Union leaders offered little sympathy over the Prime Minister's resignation.

Tim Roache, GMB general secretary, said: "This Government has given us more farcical scenes than The Thick Of It, and more brutal beheadings than Game Of Thrones.

"No-one is going to be sorry when this series ends.

"Working people are sick of the Tories focusing on who is going to take Theresa May's job when thousands across the country are losing theirs.

"We cannot let Britain's workers, industries and communities become the casualties of the next round of Tory internal wars.

"Let's have a general election and let the people decide."

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "Theresa May will go down in history as one of the worst prime ministers.

"She has done nothing to repair our broken public services, forgotten all about families struggling to get by, brutally mistreated the Windrush generation and woefully mismanaged the aftermath of the Brexit vote.

"However, working people should fear what comes next. Her replacement will be chosen by the hard right of the Tory Party, who want more austerity, increased privatisation and fewer rights for working people.

"That's why there must now be a general election. The decision about who leads the country must be taken in every community, not by the Brexiteer boys' club in the tea rooms and bars of Westminster."

Tim Breitmeyer, President of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said: “For many this will have come as no surprise. Theresa May’s inability to reach a consensus within the Conservative Party, yet alone Parliament, was eventually going to come to a head.

“The upcoming leadership contest will not alter the political arithmetic however and the Brexit deadline of 31 October still looms large. While the focus of the Westminster bubble may shift, rural businesses will be looking on concerned that progress towards reaching a workable agreement with the EU has stalled. 

“Whoever emerges as Prime Minister will need to build a future relationship with the EU which offers as free and frictionless trade as possible and continued access to labour. Allowing the next five months to drift towards a ‘no deal’ Brexit, with its immediate barriers to trade, is a scenario we need to avoid.”

Earlier, in a sign that the leadership race to replace Mrs May is already under way, Helen Grant quit as Conservative vice chair for communities to "actively and openly" support Dominic Raab.

She quit her Tory party role to avoid any "perception of a conflict" between Mr Raab's campaign and Conservative HQ".

Ms Grant said the former Brexit secretary "has an inspiring vision for a fairer Britain and I think he is undoubtedly the best person to unite the Conservative Party and our country".

Former Middle East Minister Alistair Burt said he could vote for Boris Johnson to take over from Theresa May.

When asked whether he could back Mr Johnson, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The answer to the question for almost all the candidates is yes.

"I would find it very difficult to support a candidate who said it was in Britain's best interest to leave with no deal, leave straight away, WTO...

"I don't expect any candidate really to say that."

Labour MP David Lammy, who opposes Brexit, tweeted: "Theresa May's premiership was doomed from the moment she bound the country to the ERG's impossible red lines.

"Every PM who maintains the fantasy that we can leave the EU but keep the benefits is destined to fail - and sadly the next one may bring the country with them."

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "I want to pay tribute to the PM today. Delivering Brexit was always going to be a huge task, but one she met every day with courage & resolve.

"NHS will have an extra £20bn thanks to her support, and she leaves the country safer and more secure. A true public servant."

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss, a candidate to replace Mrs May, tweeted: "Very dignified statement from the Prime Minister. She has put her all into the job and has shown huge resilience at this difficult time. #ThankYou #PMStatement"

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "I wish Theresa May well. She and I had profound disagreements - not least on her handling of Brexit and her disregard for Scotland's interests. However, leadership is tough - especially in these times - and she deserves thanks for her service.

"Her departure will not solve the Brexit mess that the Tories have created. Only putting the matter back to the people can do that. Given current circumstances, it also feels deeply wrong for another Tory to be installed in Number 10 without a General Election."

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said it was "time to get on" with the process of choosing a new prime minister.

"I am very sorry it has come to this. Nobody could have worked harder, or shown a greater sense of public duty, in delivering the result of the EU referendum than Theresa May," he said.

"She has my utmost respect for those endeavours, in the most challenging of circumstances, as well as her unswerving commitment to the Union.

"As Mrs May herself acknowledges, she has, however unfairly, become an impediment to the resolution of Brexit and was no longer being given a hearing by Parliament.

"Yesterday's elections will surely show that delivering Brexit is now more urgent than ever, and that will fall to a new Prime Minister. It's time to get on with the process of appointing one."

Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, a candidate to replace Mrs May as Conservative Party leader, tweeted: "Dignified as ever, @theresa_may showed her integrity. She remains a dedicated public servant, patriot and loyal Conservative."

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has described Mrs May as honourable and deeply passionate.

In a statement, he said: "I got to know Theresa May very well over the last two years.

"She is principled, honourable and deeply passionate about doing her best for her country, and her party.

"Politicians throughout the EU have admired her tenacity, her courage and her determination during what has been a difficult and challenging time.

"Theresa May strove to chart a new future for the United Kingdom. I want to wish her the very best for the future.

"I look forward to working closely with her successor."

Labour MP Jess Phillips tweeted: "Have listened now to her statement and yes it's hard to hear her emotion. She deserves our respect but not an unwavering whitewash. Our country desperately needed and needs leadership that doesn't pander to their bases and speaks and hears the country."

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd tweeted: "As a Party we must come together to make a success of the next phase of our Party's great story.

"Brexit is a process and compromise is needed to pass a Deal that works for everyone.

"We must show we can lead this great country to the strong future that I know we can deliver."