Brexit ‘Red Lines’ Became a Trap for Theresa May – The New York Times

Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University, was unsparing, calling Mrs. May’s time in office “a complete and utter waste, an exercise in futility.”

“She will be seen as one of the worst-performing prime ministers ever to occupy that office,” he said. “The idea that history will be kinder to her in the long run, I think, is for the birds. It’s something nice that we like to say about people when we feel sorry for them.”

This was not the way Mrs. May’s story was supposed to end.

On the heels of the 2016 referendum, she appealed, to many, as a safe pair of hands, a dutiful public servant who might be able to steer the country toward compromise. The daughter of a small-town vicar, Mrs. May seemed to hail from a simpler, more old-fashioned England. A political loner, she belonged to none of Westminster’s political camps, so was unlikely to be drawn into back-channel squabbles or conspiracy.