Soon after, the palace confirmed that Cameron had “tendered his resignation as prime minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which her majesty was graciously pleased to accept”.
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“I’m told that there are lots of leadership roles out there at the moment: There’s the England football team, there’s ‘Top Gear, ‘ there’s even across the big pond the role that needs filling”, Danny Kinahan, a lawmaker from Northern Ireland, told Mr. Cameron jokingly, referring to the country’s soccer team, a popular television show and the United States presidential election.
“I came into Downing Street to confront our problems as a country and lead people through hard decisions so we could reach better times”, he said.
So, before starting protracted negotiations with the European Union and various other key trading nations, May will need to bring peace to her own team.
In a carefully orchestrated political ballet, Cameron made his final appearance as prime minister in Parliament, turning the usually raucous prime minister’s questions session into a time for praise, thanks, gentle ribbing, cheers – and a sprinkle of criticism.
When 52 percent of voters decided they wanted to leave the bloc in last month’s referendum, Mr. Cameron was left with little alternative but to resign. “I will miss the barbs from the opposition”, Cameron said, promising to watch future exchanges as a regular Conservative lawmaker on the back benches.
Tony Blair had famously never held a government position before becoming Prime Minister, as the Labour Party had been out of power for the entire duration of his career as an MP. She is seen as being to the right of Cameron, who represents the more centre-right element of the party.
This as almost 52 percent of Britons voted in an European Union referendum on June 23 to leave the bloc.
One of the more cheerful exchanges took place between Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Cameron says he wanted to scotch “the rumor that somehow I don’t love Larry”.
Cameron noted that he had answered 5,500 parliamentary questions in his six years in office.
Stock markets traded within sight of their highest levels of the year as the prospect of stimulative economic policy across the developed world eased immediate concerns over the impact of the Brexit vote. And he offered the closest thing he has ever given to a mission statement: “I believe that politics is about public service in the national interest”.
The new leader, Britain’s Home Secretary – in charge of immigration and law and order – for the past six years, has the tough task of calming the country, and the financial markets, after the massive upheaval that has followed the June 23 referendum.
As she fills the major roles in her government, May will have to keep Brexit-supporting heavyweights onside if she is to heal the splits in the party caused by the referendum.
Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers – one of a handful of Cabinet ministers who backed Leave – could be for the chop to make way for some new faces. We have seen Boris Johnson, Mr Cameron’s bombastic heir-apparent, abruptly drop out of the race to replace him after being betrayed by his own campaign manager Michael Gove, who was himself then ejected from the race as a traitor by previously supportive MPs. However, the EU leadership is unlikely to agree to such a deal, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that there will be no informal pre-negotiations; and earlier today, the EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said May must “accelerate” the Brexit process and bring forward the Article 50.
Even her apology in “The Telegraph” – “I’ve been under attack, it’s been shattering” – overshadows her sincerity by morphing herself into the victim.
The tea-leaf-reading over timing was in full swing Tuesday as May, 59, was set to become the new leader of the Conservative Party and the next prime minister.
Wednesday’s newspapers offered mixed judgments of Cameron, a politician toppled by his decision to call a referendum on European Union membership – which he then lost.
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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”.
