PM Theresa May says she'll resign if her Brexit deal passes

Theresa May

British Prime Minister Theresa May told members of her party on Wednesday evening that she was prepared to step down if they voted to support her contentious Brexit deal.

Her offer to resign came after months of chaos in Parliament and speculation that she would be forced out.

Another moment of high drama in the Brexit process, May's move was a last-ditch effort to pass her deal to leave the European Union nearly three years after voters approved doing so in a June 2016 referendum.

"I have heard very clearly the mood of the parliamentary party," the prime minister told a closed meeting of her own lawmakers, according to a government statement released afterward. "I know there is a desire for a new approach — and new leadership — in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations, and I won't stand in the way of that."

She added, "I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party."