Brexit: Theresa May says UK exit now for her successor as she arrives at EU summit
The PM admits her "great regret" at being "unable to deliver Brexit" as she attends a Brussels gathering of the bloc's leaders.
Tuesday 28 May 2019 23:01, UK
Theresa May has stressed Brexit is now a matter for her successor as she arrived at a European Union summit in Brussels.
The gathering is the first time the prime minister has met EU leaders since announcing she will resign next month.
Speaking on her arrival, Mrs May admitted it was a "matter of great regret" that she has been "unable to deliver Brexit", having originally planned for the UK to leave the EU on 29 March.
She said: "That matter is now for my successor and they will have to find a way of addressing the very strongly held views on both sides of this issue."
The prime minister repeated her message that "compromise" is needed in parliament in order to break the Brexit deadlock at Westminster.
A number of Tory MPs vying to replace Mrs May in 10 Downing Street have argued the UK should leave the EU on 31 October, in line with the new timetable, whether or not a withdrawal agreement is passed by the House of Commons or not.
The prime minister refused to comment on the views of individual candidates, but pointedly remarked that her view remains that "it's best for the UK to leave with a deal".
She claimed the "deeply disappointing" results of last week's European Parliament elections, which saw the Tories suffer their worst ever result as the Brexit Party topped the polls, showed "the importance of actually delivering on Brexit".
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte claimed Mrs May would be met on Tuesday "with a lot of kisses and hugs" from EU leaders, adding: "Because we respect her a lot."
Other EU leaders, such as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Luxembourg's prime minister Xavier Bettel, reiterated that the bloc will not renegotiate the withdrawal deal agreed with Mrs May with her successor.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, among those wanting to replace Mrs May, earlier insisted there must be a "change" to the withdrawal agreement.
At Tuesday's summit, Mrs May will meet with Donald Tusk, European Council president, and then have an informal dinner with EU member state leaders as they discuss who will take over the bloc's top jobs later this year.
The European Parliament elections saw a bloc-wide surge for smaller parties, with increased support for Greens, nationalists and liberals.
Leaders will discuss who should take over from Mr Juncker at the top of the European Commission, the EU's executive branch.
They will also consider who should replace Mr Tusk and who should become the new head of the European Central Bank.