UK PM May will honour promise to quit if Brexit deal passes: Hammond

Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is seen outside Downing Street in London, Britain May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May will honour her promise to step down as soon as lawmakers pass her Brexit deal, finance minister Philip Hammond said in an interview published on Thursday.

Hammond told London's Evening Standard newspaper that May was "as good as her word".

Lawmakers who would like to see May stand down quickly should vote for her deal, Hammond said.

He added that he would like to put Britain's defence budget back on a "sustainable trajectory".

(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)