How Brexit Ate the Prime Minister
Theresa May couldn’t break a political stalemate that’s hardened British national divisions. That’s her legacy, but only partly her fault.
Facing the music.
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Prime Minister Theresa May was popular once. That may be hard to remember as she steps down in two weeks’ time, but it’s true. Just three years before her own political party forced her to step aside, she was hailed by politicians and citizens as the wisest choice to lead the U.K.'s separation from the European Union.
Then came the reality of Brexit and the political stalemate she was unable to break. History will judge her by that failure, which has hardened national divisions and hollowed out the center of British politics. But it's not fair to assess May's legacy without separating the things she could control from the things that were out of her hands.