SWINDON politicians have begun reacting to the announcement that Theresa May will step down by June 7. 

Sarah Church, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for South Swindon, said: "This has been a long time coming. Theresa May’s premiership has been defined by Brexit and therefore defined by chaos and division.

READ MORE: Theresa May will resign on June 7

"It sickens me to think that a tiny group of Conservative Party members will now choose our next prime minister.

"By all accounts it looks set to be a man who has made explicit racist comments, lengthened the imprisonment of a British national in Iran through incompetence, and whose only care is his own career.

"I strongly hope that a general election will follow hot on the heels of the Tory party leadership contest to give us all a chance to give our consent to who governs us."

Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon, said: "It has been an absolute pleasure to serve under Theresa May - steadfast, dignified, focused and driven. 

"Whilst Brexit deadlock remained, she delivered record employment and significant investment in public services - genuine opportunity for all."

Robert Buckland, South Swindon MP and prisons minister, added: “I thought it was a very dignified and unexpectedly moving speech. It’s understandable that, bearing in mind the inability to move Brexit forwards, rightly she’s taken this course of action.

“When the dust settles, I think people will say this is a woman who took on an extremely difficult task, which became progressively more difficult. I genuinely wonder whether anybody else could have ended up in a different place.”

Claire Perry, Devizes MP, told the BBC: "She was right to reach out across the House and have conversations with Labour, but we now need a fresh pair of eyes and to get on with Brexit."

More follows.