Today will mark David Cameron’s last full day in office and tomorrow evening Britain’s second-ever female Prime Minister will take charge of the country.
Theresa May was yesterday named as the sucecssor to Number 10 as Amanda leadsom dropped out of the Tory leadership race, which had been due to last until September 9.
It will now been Mrs May’s job to guide us through the Brexit process and last night she promised to give British people “more control over their lives”.
But even before she officially takes on the role, Mrs May was facing calls to hold a snap general election from Labour, who said it was “crucial” that the UK has a “democratically-elected Prime Minister” at a time of economic and political instability following the vote to leave the EU.
Mrs May – who rushed back to Westminster from a campaign speech in Birmingham following Mrs Leadsom’s announcement – appeared outside Parliament to declare herself “honoured and humbled” to become the Conservative leader.
Accompanied by husband Philip and flanked by dozens of applauding MPs from all sides of the party, Mrs May said she would offer “strong, proven leadership to steer us through what will be difficult and uncertain economic and political times”.
She repeated her message that “Brexit means Brexit”, in a clear bid to reassure Eurosceptic Tories that she will make good on the referendum vote to quit the EU, despite being a Remain supporter during the campaign.
And she set out her One Nation vision of “a country that works not for the privileged few, but that works for every one of us”, adding: “We are going to give people more control over their lives and that’s how together we will build a better Britain.”
Her speech in Birmingham signalled a sharp change in direction for the Government when she takes the helm, promising “a different kind of Conservatism” that will “get tough on irresponsible behaviour in big business” and give ordinary workers a greater share in economic growth.
In comments indicating she recognises voter “frustration” with the austerity offered by Mr Cameron, she said the June 23 referendum was not only a vote to leave the EU but also “a vote for serious change”.
She set out a series of plans to rein in executive pay and bonuses, put workers into the boardroom and tackle market abuses by banks and utility companies, while also putting multinational companies such as Amazon, Google and Starbucks on notice that she expects them to pay their taxes in full.
Mr Cameron said he was “delighted” that the 59-year-old Home Secretary will replace him in Downing Street.
Speaking outside No. 10, he said: “She is strong, she is competent, she is more than able to provide the leadership that our country is going to need in the years ahead and she will have my full support.”
Mrs May also won the backing of Brexit standard-bearers Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, who issued messages of support immediately after Mrs Leadsom’s withdrawal, at a time when there was still some confusion in Westminster over whether she would now have to fight a different opponent.
Mr Johnson said he had “no doubt Theresa will make an excellent party leader and Prime Minister”, while Mr Gove – who was eliminated from the leadership contest after taking third place in last week’s vote by MPs – said Mrs May had “my full support as our next Prime Minister”.
Labour election co-ordinator Jon Trickett said he was putting the whole party on general election footing, on the very day when its own leadership contest was kicked off by a formal challenge to Jeremy Corbyn from Angela Eagle.
Who is Theresa May?
Theresa May earned a reputation as a safe pair of hands as she navigated a job often seen as a poisoned chalice to become the longest-serving home secretary for more than a century.
Now the 59-year-old vicar’s daughter faces the toughest challenge of her political career and is set to arrive at Downing Street tasked with negotiating Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Although she was signed up to the Remain campaign, Mrs May kept a very low profile during the lead-up to the vote.
But her reputation as a “reluctant Remainer” has not saved her from attacks by rivals who insist that Brexit-backing voters will want a PM who actively campaigned to leave. And she has sparked controversy by saying she could not guarantee that EU citizens living in the UK would be allowed to stay after Brexit, insisting their fate must be part of negotiations with former EU partners.
She will now take charge of a party she once described as “nasty” when she tried, as party chairman, to oversee modernisation. It is not the only time she has doled out some harsh truths with little sugar coating. Members of the Police Federation were stunned into silence when Mrs May attacked the organisation in a blistering speech.
Hanging on to the Home Secretary brief, which notoriously ruins political careers, for six years shows her ability to navigate stormy political waters.
Securing the deportation of radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada after a lengthy legal battle boosted her popularity among the party’s rank and file. However, she has held the post at a time when net migration has reached record levels of about a third of a million, leaving the government under intense pressure over its target of reducing the figure to below 100,000.
While her long track record in the senior echelons of British politics is well-documented, the famously private Tory lets little slip about her personal life. Earlier this month she revealed that she and her husband Philip were affected by not being able to have children but said it was just “one of those things”.
Philip was her “rock” when she mourned the death of her father, the Rev Hubert Brasier, in a car accident in 1981, and the loss of her mother months later.
Mrs May also told of her “shock” three years ago after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, which means she must inject herself with insulin at least twice a day for the rest of her life.
But the illness “doesn’t affect how I do the job”, she insisted. Politics is a “way of life” that leaves little time for relaxing, but occasional mountain walks and culinary experimentation – she owns more than 100 cookbooks – are among her outside interests.
Mrs May is still a practising member of the Anglican church, but said it was “right that we don’t flaunt these things here in British politics”.
Educated at Wheatley Park Comprehensive School in Oxfordshire and St Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she read geography, she embarked on a career in finance that included a six-year stint at the Bank of England. Elected to Merton Council in 1986, she later headed to Westminster as MP for Maidenhead in 1997.
What does it mean for Brexit?
Theresa May claimed she would “make a success” of Brexit at the launch of her national campaign to become Conservative leader ahead of Mrs Leadsom’s surprise withdrawal from the contest.
In a speech in Birmingham, the Home Secretary, who was a low-key supporter of Remain during last month’s EU referendum, sought to reassure Eurosceptics that she will not attempt to overturn the result, repeating her declaration that “Brexit is Brexit”.
She set out the three key messages of her leadership campaign: “First, our country needs strong, proven leadership to steer us through this time of economic and political uncertainty and to negotiate the best deal for Britain as we leave the EU and forge a new role for ourselves in the world.
“Because Brexit means Brexit, and we’re going to make a success of it.
“Second, we need to unite our party and our country.
“And third, we need a bold new positive vision for the future of our country – a vision of a country that works not for the privileged few, but for every one of us.”
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