Emerging from a bruising referendum which resulted in a vote to leave the European Union, the United Kingdom is searching for leaders.
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Theresa May (left) and Andrea Leadsom are the two remaining candidates in the Conservative Party leadership contest in Britain.
Junior Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom emerged in second place, with 84 votes, meaning the UK’s next prime minister will be female, for only the second time in history. In other words, the next British prime minister will definitely be a woman.
The Prime Minister strongly denied he was clinging to office after some Tory MPs called for the final vote of party members – which is due to see the result announced on September 9 – to be brought forward.
Leadsom who has far less political experience, having spent most of her career in the City, is on the right of the party and voted to exit the Union.
Asked about the Tory MPs who threatened to quit if Mrs Leadsom should be elected, Mr Duncan Smith said: “Calm down for God’s sake, this is a leadership election and I think people will regret some of the things they have said”. I am sure – I don’t really know Theresa very well – but, I am sure she will be really, really sad that she doesn’t have children.
Some Leadsom supporters are privately calling for her to apologise for her comments, according to the Guardian.
Leadsom, a committed Christian who says she participates in a Bible study group in Parliament, said she is looking to “banish the pessimists” on the risks to the economy of leaving the EU.
May, 59, supported the losing “remain” side in the European Union vote but says she is the best person to unite a party that – like the country – is divided over the referendum result.
“She has the experience, she is already a member of the National Security Council, she works to protect homeland security just as I deal with threats overseas like Daesh (Islamic State) and our commitments to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and we work together”.
Mrs May’s campaign received a boost with an endorsement from The Sun newspaper – which proclaimed on its front page that the “new Mrs T must be Tezza not Leadsom”.
After the comments were published, Leadsom tweeted a link to the story, saying: “Truly appalling and the exact opposite of what I said”. Yesterday he headed up a march in her support in the capital.
United Kingdom justice secretary Michael Gove, work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb and former defence minister Liam Fox are also in the running to replace Cameron following last month’s referendum in favour of Brexit.
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“She was talking about what motivates her personally”, Mordaunt told BBC radio.
