THERESA May’s resignation has been met with a mixed response by MPs in East Lancashire.

While one praised her for ‘giving her all’ in navigating the country through a difficult period with Brexit, another said she had lost all authority. 

Mrs May confirmed in a statement outside No 10 Downing Street today that she will step down from office on June 7, and said it was a matter of deep regret that she has not been able to deliver Brexit. 

She becomes the second female prime minister to resign over Europe after Margaret Thatcher did in November 1990.

It saw Michael Heseltine launch a challenge to her leadership amid differences within her cabinet over her views on the European Community. 

Mrs May's most ferocious attack came from Ribble Valley Conservative MP Nigel Evans, executive secretary of the 1922 Committee, which will oversee the race to appoint the Prime Minister’s successor.

He said: “I would like to thank Theresa May for doing the right thing and announcing her resignation in a timely and orderly fashion.

“And with it her withdrawal agreement has to be dead and that’s important, so whoever her successor is isn’t saddled with this poisoned well and has the clean slate to deliver something better.

“She has tried her best but it all went down hill when her foreign and Brexit secretary quit after her Chequers deal.

“She has lost all authority in cabinet and can’t pass anything through parliament.

“The most important thing for her to do in her premiership was Brexit and she failed to deliver Brexit.”

He added: “So it’s right that someone else should come in and try and deliver something better.”

But Pendle’s Conservative MP Andrew Stephenson said it was very sad to see her resign.

He said: “She has given her all in navigating the country through a difficult period.

“She’s totally committed to this country and someone I’ve always had a great admiration for.

“I’ve supported her throughout her premiership.

“We’ve reached an impasse in parliament now and I think she recognised that and that this announcement therefore became almost inevitable.

“What we need now is to unite behind a new leader who can get on and deliver Brexit."

Hyndburn’s Labour MP Graham Jones said that Mrs May’s resignation was simply handing a poisoned chalice over to a new leader.

He said: “It is inevitably Theresa May’s mistakes that have led to her own downfall.

“No Tory leader can solve a Tory crisis of their own making.

“All May is doing is handing over a poisoned chalice to a new leader.

“What we desperately need now is for Brexit to be sorted and then a new Labour government.”