Tory MPs' reaction to Theresa May's resignation is reminiscent of a scene from The Thick of It

The old saying goes that 'life imitates art' and that has been evident in the last few years as British politics has descended into a satirical farce.

On Friday morning Theresa May announced that she was resigning as prime minister following pressure from her cabinet and a failed attempt to bring her Brexit withdrawal agreement back to the Commons.

In an emotional speech, May said that it had been her honour to 'serve the country she loved' after confirming that she would be officially leaving office on June 7, triggering a leadership race.

Following her resignation, many of her colleagues were quick to heap praise on May, despite her being effectively forced out of office by these very people. The word 'dignified' was said more than once...

The whole thing has been reminiscent of the finale to season 2 of the sweary BBC political satire The Thick of It where the prime minister unexpectedly resigned sending the government into meltdown and spin doctors informing MPs that they need to praise him to high heaven, despite some of them doing the best to hatch schemes behind his back.

Picture: BBC/Screengrab

Picture: BBC/ Screengrab

Picture: BBC/ Screengrab

Picture: BBC/ Screengrab

Picture: BBC/ Screengrab

Although May's resignation was a bit more expected than this example from The Thick of It it is by no means any less chaotic and it's not the only scene from the show that people are referencing today.

More: How everyone's reacting to Theresa May's resignation announcement​