Scottish Secretary David Mundell has paid tribute to Theresa May as she prepares to step down as Conservative leader.
Mrs May will formally stand down as Tory leader on Friday – although she will carry on as Prime Minister and acting party leader until a successor is in place.
READ MORE: Theresa May to formally stand down formally as Conservative Party leader
Paying tribute to the Prime Minister, David Mundell said: "I am very sorry it has come to this. Nobody could have worked harder, or shown a greater sense of public duty, in delivering the result of the EU referendum than Theresa May.
"She has my utmost respect for those endeavours, in the most challenging of circumstances, as well as her unswerving commitment to the Union.
"As Mrs May herself acknowledges, she has, however unfairly, become an impediment to the resolution of Brexit, and was no longer being given a hearing by Parliament.
READ MORE: Relations between Scottish and UK Governments 'have broken down'
"Yesterday’s elections will surely show that delivering Brexit is now more urgent than ever, and that will fall to a new Prime Minister. It's time to get on with the process of appointing one."
Under the timetable set out by the party high command, it is expected the new leader will be in place in the week beginning July 22 following a postal ballot of the party’s 120,000 grassroots members.
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