Standing outside 10 Downing St. Cameron said: “We will have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening”.
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Cameron welcomed Leadsom’s decision to drop out of the race and said he was confident May would steer the country in the right direction, calling her strong and competent, and offering her his full support.
Even before arriving at 10 Downing Street, Mrs May was facing calls for a snap general election from Labour, who said it was “crucial” that the United Kingdom has a “democratically elected Prime Minister” at a time of economic and political instability following the vote to leave the EU.
Cameron had planned to remain in office until the Conservative leadership contest concluded on September 9 but will now offer his resignation to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II after a final appearance in parliament Wednesday afternoon.
Monday started as a busy working day for May, 60 this year, as she unveiled her leadership manifesto in Birmingham.
But she repeated her new mantra that “Brexit means Brexit”, saying there could be no second referendum and no attempt to rejoin the European Union by the back door.
Home Secretary Theresa May launches her leadership campaign in London, Britain, June 30, 2016.
The pound, which hit a 31-year low in the wake of the Brexit vote, briefly rose after Leadsom, a pro-Brexit figure with no senior ministerial experience, withdrew from contention to be prime minister.
That ensured Great Britain would have its first female Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher.
“Brexit means Brexit and we’re going to make a success of it”, May said in televised remarks.
Eagle, who is from Labour’s “soft” left, said that Britain faced “dangerous times” ahead and that Corbyn is unable to face the task of holding the Conservative government to account.
But May always had the stronger backing of the Conservative Party, easily winning two rounds of voting among Tory MPs, and many pro-Brexit MPs pledged their support for May before Leadsom backed out.
She will also want to appoint a tough operator to succeed her as Home Secretary, with Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and her leadership campaign chief Chris Grayling the leading candidates. Having herself campaigned – albeit not very vigorously – for Britain to remain in the European Union, she now has to reunite her party, which is split over Europe.
May will have to keep Leave-supporting Conservative heavyweights onside if she is to heal the splits in the party caused by the referendum.
165-v-31-(Charles de Ledesma, AP correspondent)-British Prime Minister David Cameron is chairing his final key meeting before handing over power to his successor.
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Britain’s opposition Labor Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn also finds himself gripped by post Brexit turmoil.
