The Slow-Motion Downfall of Theresa May
| Date | 01 September 2019 |
| Published date | 01 September 2019 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2041905819871846 |
| Author | Graham Goodlad |
36 POLITICAL INSIGHT • SEPTEMBER 2019
It has become a truism that, with the
downfall of Theresa May, ‘Europe’ has
claimed its fourth Conservative Prime
Minister. One of the main causes of
Margaret Thatcher’s resignation, almost
30 years ago, was a clash with her most
senior Cabinet colleagues over European
integration. Her successor, John Major,
suffered the Conservative Party’s heaviest
electoral defeat in 1997, largely as a result
of internal divisions over the same issue.
David Cameron resigned abruptly after
backing ‘Remain’ in the 2016 referendum
and seeing his side defeated. And now,
Theresa May has left office with her attempt
to manage Brexit in tatters, after three years
The Slow-Motion
Downfall of
Theresa May
Theresa May’s departure from office came as no surprise to the
political world. Graham Goodlad examines the causes of her downfall
– and why it took so long to reach the end-game in Downing Street.
of tortuous negotiations and parliamentary
manoeuvres.
Explanations of May’s fall must, however,
look beyond the extreme toxicity of Europe
in Conservative Party circles. The roots of
her failure lie in an increasingly intractable
situation at Westminster, her difficulties in
managing the Cabinet, and the domestic
impact of the government’s protracted
negotiations with the EU. Crucially, unlike
previous Tory leaders, she lost the support
of the Conservative grassroots as well as
that of her colleagues at Westminster. A
© Press Association
Political Insight SEPT2019.indd 36 01/08/2019 14:10
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