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UK leader May slams populist politics, Brexit 'absolutism'

LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Theresa May says she worries about the increasing "absolutism" of world politics, in a message many will see as aimed at her successor as Britain's leader and President Donald Trump.

May, who leaves office in a week, criticized the "politics of division" and said "some are losing the ability to disagree without demeaning the views of others."

May announced her resignation last month after Parliament rejected her Brexit divorce deal. It was defeated in part by pro-Brexit members of May's Conservative Party who condemned its compromises with the EU.

She used her last major speech Wednesday to defend political compromise and condemn populists who give "easy answers" to complex problems.

She backed the Paris climate accord and the international nuclear agreement with Iran, which Trump has rejected.

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This story has been corrected to show that the speech was given Wednesday, not Thursday.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at Chatham House in London, Wednesday July 17, 2019. Prime Minister Theresa May says she worries about the increasing "absolutism" of world politics, in a message many will see as aimed at her successor as Britain's leader and President Donald Trump. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP) The Associated Press
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at Chatham House in London, Wednesday July 17, 2019. Prime Minister Theresa May says she worries about the increasing "absolutism" of world politics, in a message many will see as aimed at her successor as Britain's leader and President Donald Trump. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP) The Associated Press
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at Chatham House in London, Wednesday July 17, 2019. Prime Minister Theresa May says she worries about the increasing "absolutism" of world politics, in a message many will see as aimed at her successor as Britain's leader and President Donald Trump. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP) The Associated Press
In this grab taken from video, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London, Wednesday July 17, 2019. (House of Commons/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, for the House of Commons to attend Prime Minister's Questions, in London, Wednesday July 17, 2019. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP) The Associated Press
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