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Roundup: Britain's Leadsom quits race to be next PM, leaving keys to No. 10 to Theresa May

Xinhua, July 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

Britain's energy minister Andrea Leadsom dropped out of the race on Monday to be leader of the ruling Conservative Party and the next prime minister.

Leadsom's announcement came after the other contender in the race, Home Secretary Theresa May, launched her leadership manifesto.

It now seems likely May will become prime minister in a matter of days after a proposed ballot of the Conservative Party membership was called off.

Leadsom said May had won support from 60 percent of Conservative MPs at Westminster, and she had won support from 84 MPs, less than 25 percent of the total.

On Monday, she wrote to Graham Brady, who chairs the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs to officially withdraw from the contest.

She cited the urgent need for strong leadership, adding a nine-week leadership campaign was highly undesirable.

Leadsom said it was important for the country to have a new prime minister in place as soon as possible, adding May was ideally placed to implement Britain's Brexit decision.

She welcomed May's promise to carry out the wishes of the majority to bring the country out of Europe.

The result of the contest had been due to be announced on Sept. 9, but with no ballot now necessary, May will become prime minister earlier.

Talks will now take place with the Conservative Party board, government officials, and Buckingham Palace about a timetable for the handover from David Cameron to May.

Brady said there would now be no contest following Leadsom's decision, and he expected to declare Theresa May as leader as soon as possible.

He said there would be constitutional processes to go through and he planned to make statements later, and agreed the handover would no longer take the expected nine weeks, but would come much earlier.

Political commentators expect May to become prime minister in a matter of days. But she will first have to have an audience with Queen Elizabeth to approve her appointment.

Cameron announced on June 24 he was resigning from his position as prime minister following the referendum decision for Britain to withdraw from EU membership.

Britain has not had a woman prime minister since Margaret Thatcher became the country's first ever woman head of government in 1979.

Leadsom supporters reacted with dismay at her decision, believing she would have been a popular choice among 150,000 party members who would have decided the leadership question.

Meanwhile, Labour MP Angela Eagle announced she would stand for the leadership of the Labour Party, challenging current leader Jeremy Corbyn who is estranged from the vast majority of Labour MPs. Endit