She acknowledged that Britain faces a rocky road ahead as it undoes 43 years of European Union ties and forges a new relationship with its neighbors.
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Britain’s new Prime Minister Theresa May (R, front) and her husband arrive at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain on July 13, 2016.
In his final Prime Minister’s Questions at Parliament, outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron opened Wednesday with the quip that “apart from one meeting in the afternoon with the Queen, my diary is remarkably light”.
Flanked by his wife and children, the PM said Britain was “much stronger” than when he took over.
May, the second female British prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, also has said she will not initiate the exit negotiations before the end of the year.
Earlier in the day, Cameron made his final appearance in the House of Commons, where he received a standing ovation for his performance after six years in the job.
Speaking on the steps of her campaign headquarters in Westminster alongside Wycombe MP and keen supporter Steve Baker, the Energy Minister wished Mrs May “the very greatest success” and promised her “my full support”.
It follows a dramatic few weeks in British politics, with Brexit setting off a domino effect of politicians falling by the wayside – Cameron resigned, likely successor Boris Johnson was “stabbed in the back” by allies, and leadership contender Andrea Leadsom threw in the towel amid controversial motherhood comments.
Mrs May arrived at the Palace by ministerial auto with husband Philip, having set off from the House of Commons only after receiving the signal that predecessor David Cameron’s resignation as PM had been accepted by the Queen and that he had advised the head of state to appoint the former Home Secretary in his place.
Cameron told The Daily Telegraph it had been “a privilege to serve the country I love”.
“I will miss the roar of the crowd”.
Mrs May’s elevation to the country’s most senior political role, at the age of 59, completes a whirlwind rise which was triggered by the unexpected referendum vote for Brexit on June 23 which brought down predecessor David Cameron.
“As I once said, I was the future once”, Cameron said.
He added: “As I leave today, I hope that people will see a stronger country, a thriving economy, and more chances to get on in life”.
Wednesday’s newspapers, however, 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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“I have experienced a man who is serious, who is a fan of no-nonsense policy and who was delivering at each and every moment when things started to become serious”, Juncker said.
