Timeline: Three years of Brexit under Theresa May
By Zhou Jingnan
["china"]
01:37
"I do so with no ill-will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love." With British Prime Minister Theresa May clearly chocking up during her resignation speech, the countdown on UK's second female prime minister officially started ticking on Friday.
Her career in Britain's highest political office will end on June 7.
Three years ago, when May assumed office, she probably didn't expect to spend most of her leadership struggling with Brexit when she promised "a country that works for everyone." 
Yet the majority of her exposure had everything to do with this seemingly never-ending process that got booted during the stint of her predecessor David Cameron. 
Having failed to get her withdrawal deal through parliament three times, May has had her share of failure and mockery, not just in Britain, but also with leaders of other EU member states.    
A red-jacketed May arrives for a family photo with a phalanx of male leaders in dark suits during the European Union leaders informal summit in Salzburg, Austria, September 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

A red-jacketed May arrives for a family photo with a phalanx of male leaders in dark suits during the European Union leaders informal summit in Salzburg, Austria, September 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

Having dodged the bullet of a no-confidence vote several times, she had not managed to balk at the inevitable fate of stepping down. 
Some see May as a leader with no legacy. Regardless of what the ultimate evaluation of her as the British prime minister might be, here's how she tried to deliver Brexit:
July 13, 2016: Theresa May becomes the UK's new prime minister with a promise of "Brexit means Brexit."
October 2, 2016: May announces that the UK will leave the EU on March 29, 2019. 
March 29, 2017: May triggers Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), known as the process of leaving the EU. The two-year countdown to Brexit starts.
Theresa May, UK prime minister, leaves 10 Downing Street on her way to speak in the House of Commons in London, UK, March 29, 2017. /VCG Photo

Theresa May, UK prime minister, leaves 10 Downing Street on her way to speak in the House of Commons in London, UK, March 29, 2017. /VCG Photo

June 8, 2017: General election results in a hung parliament. The Conservatives lose their majority in the House of Commons and May forms a minority government. 
December 8, 2017: The UK and the EU publish a joint report on progress during phase one of negotiations. Both sides agree to move to phase two with talks on transition and the framework for future EU-UK ties.     
June 26, 2018: The EU Withdrawal Bill receives royal assent. The Queen agrees to make the bill into an Act of Parliament. 
July 9, 2018: A day after David Davis resigned as Brexit secretary on July 8, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also resigns. May replaces them with Dominic Raab and Jeremy Hunt respectively.
November 14, 2018: The UK and the EU agree on the withdrawal agreement, but it's not well-received back in Britain. Raab resigns as Brexit secretary the following day along with several other ministers. 
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May reacts during a press conference inside 10 Downing Street in central London on November 15, 2018. /VCG Photo 

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May reacts during a press conference inside 10 Downing Street in central London on November 15, 2018. /VCG Photo 

December 12, 2018: May wins a vote of no confidence in her leadership of the Conservatives, triggered by her own MPs, by 200 to 117. 
January 16, 2019: May narrowly wins a motion of no confidence in her government, which was tabled by opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, by 325 to 306.
January 19, 2019: Lawmakers defeat May's Brexit divorce deal by the crushing margin of 432 to 202, the worst such defeat in modern British history. 
March 12, 2019: Parliament voted against the revised Brexit deal by 391 to 242. Two days later, MPs voted to delay Brexit.
March 22, 2019: EU leaders gave May two options: Delay Brexit until May 22 if MPs vote for the withdrawal deal or delay it until April 12 if they vote against the deal.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends a European Union leaders summit, which discusses whether or not to grant the UK a Brexit delay, in Brussels, Belgium, March 21, 2019. /VCG Photo 

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends a European Union leaders summit, which discusses whether or not to grant the UK a Brexit delay, in Brussels, Belgium, March 21, 2019. /VCG Photo 

March 29, 2019: The day that the UK was supposed to leave the EU, British lawmakers voted for a third time against May's deal – rejecting it this time with a vote of 344 to 286. Following the latest defeat, May approached the main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to find a compromise, angering hardline Brexiteers in her own Conservative party.
April 11, 2019: The UK and the EU agreed to a "flexible" extension until October 31, which can end sooner if the Brexit deal is approved. If the deal isn't ratified by May 22, the UK would have to take part in European elections.
May 21, 2019: After 6 weeks of cross-party talks that went almost nowhere, in a last roll of the dice, May promises a "new deal" on Brexit. It is immediately rejected by large numbers of Conservative lawmakers and the opposition Labour Party.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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