Andrea Leadsom has done the decent thing and withdrawn from the Tory leadership race. Theresa May becomes the new Tory leader and Prime Minister, presumably within days.

But it was never in doubt that Leadsom is a decent person. What was always in doubt was her readiness and suitability to be Prime Minister at such a crucial juncture in Britain’s history. Her supporters – some of whom said much worse about David Cameron and his family down the years – will say she was treated harshly by MPs and the media, but the Tories were not choosing a leader for the Girl Guides or the Boy Scouts. It is the country at stake here.

Leadsom’s dignified statement is a recognition that if she could not weather ten days of campaigning under the media glare then running the UK and delivering Brexit were going to be a bit of a stretch.‎ Here is how she gracefully bowed to the inevitable:

‘This morning I have written a letter to Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee and I would like to read it out to you.

‘The best interests of the country inspired me to stand for the leadership. I believe that in leaving the EU a bright future awaits where all our people can share in a new prosperity, freedom and democracy.

‘The referendum result demonstrated a clear desire for change. Strong leadership is needed urgently to begin the work of withdrawing from the European Union.

‘A nine week leadership campaign at such a critical moment for our country is highly undesirable.

‘Business needs certainty. A strong and unified government must move quickly to set out what an independent United Kingdom’s framework for business looks like.

‘It is also essential that current EU workers in the UK and businesses that employ them know where they stand.

‘The Conservative party was elected only last year with a strong manifesto. We now need a new prime minister in place as soon as possible, committed to fulfilling that manifesto as well as implementing the full instructions from the referendum.

‘Theresa May carries over 60 per cent of the support from the parliamentary party. She is ideally placed to implement Brexit on the best possible terms for the British people and she has promised that she will do so.
‘For me personally, to have won the support of 84 colleagues last Thursday was a great expression of confidence to which I am incredibly grateful.

‘Nevertheless, this is less than 25 per cent of the parliamentary party and after careful consideration I do don’t believe this is sufficient support to lead a strong and stable government, should I win the leadership election.

‘There is no greater privilege than to lead the Conservative party in government and I would have been deeply honoured to do it.

‘I have however concluded that the interests of our country are best served by the immediate appointment of a strong and well-supported prime minister.

‘I am therefore withdrawing from the leadership election and I wish Theresa May the very greatest success. I assure her of my full support.’

It is incredible to think that it is little more than a week since her campaign really got going. The sudden enthusiasm of the Tory Right was unnerving. Someone they never expressed any interest in before ‎was suddenly presented by them as the new Margaret Thatcher. The whole thing was so post-modern, as they projected their ideological fantasies onto someone who was never (social conscience matters aside) particularly of the Right. She was just there. They pushed her forward, and she was enthusiastic, but it was cruel in the end because she was out of her depth.

I had always had doubts, because of her grandstanding on her City career that did not quite right true, particularly on the Barings weekend in 1995. She created the impression she was a key player when she was one of hundreds of people in banks and firms scattered across the City that weekend working to deal with the fallout. She had a perfectly respectable, honourable, successful career in the City, but for reasons that are not hard to figure out it was made by her supporters into more than it was. When she took the decision to run for Prime Minister and got to the final two, all of that – including the recent amendments to her CV – was bound to be examined. Reaction was the first outlet to raise those doubts.

Leadsom then compounded her campaign’s problems with the infamous Times interview at the weekend in which she was undone by a “but”. She did not want to turn it into an Andrea has children and Theresa does not, but…

By yesterday, as the country watched in fascinated horror, it had all become so bitter, and one of her supporters was even pushing a Tory split, that it was time for the application of some common sense. To her great credit, Andrea Leadsom decided patriotically to put country before her own personal ambition. Thank goodness for that. Now, Theresa May…