Andrea Leadsom resigns from Theresa May's government over her Brexit plans

Reuters/Neil Hall

Andrea Leadsom, a candidate to become the next Conservative Party leader and British prime minister, rules herself out of the leadership battle during a news conference in central London, Britain July 11, 2016.

Andrea Leadsom has resigned as leader of the House of Commons in protest over Theresa May's Brexit plans.

On Wednesday evening, the Conservative MP wrote to the Prime Minister to announce she was leaving the government over May's plans, which would entail a second referendum on leaving the European Union.

"I have always maintained that a second referendum would be dangerously divisive, and I do not support the Government willingly facilitating such a concession," she wrote in the letter, which she also shared on Twitter. "It would also risk undermining our Union which is something I passionately want to see strengthened."

The resignation is yet another blow to May's already-tenuous grasp on power, and comes ahead of the EU elections.

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