German Chancellor Angela Merkel called to wish her luck while French President Francois Hollande reminded the new prime minister that he wants to see Brexit happen quickly.
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The White House says he told May on Thursday that the USA was committed to deepening the US relationship with the U.K. Obama told her he looks forward to working with her during his final six months in office. “We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives”, she said. He says Obama is confident the USA will keep working to strengthen relations “irrespective of specific personalities”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Johnson had “lied a lot” in the European Union campaign but said he was not concerned about his unconventional manner, telling Europe 1 radio that was “his style”.Europe’s media reacted with incredulity to the appointment, with Germany’s Die Welt describing him as “undiplomatic, unpredictable and disloyal”.
On Thursday she followed up by removing the justice, education, culture and cabinet office ministers, an unusually high toll of sackings for a British cabinet shakeup.
Ayrault said people had seen what his style was like during the referendum campaign, adding that Johnson “lied a lot to the British”. “[He has] his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear”.
Others took a more conciliatory view with the belief that Johnson as foreign secretary would be more temperate than his previous incarnations as Johnson the journalist, Johnson the legislator or Johnson the London mayor.
“Brexit means Brexit”, she has repeatedly said, adding earlier this week that “there will be no attempts to remain inside the European Union, no attempts to rejoin it by the back door and no second referendum”.
Germany’s finance minister is signaling a willingness to forget past statements by Boris Johnson, Britain’s new foreign secretary.
He was the figurehead of the successful Leave campaign, but since the referendum had suffered widespread criticism and ridicule for failing to present a clear Brexit plan and swiftly dropped out of the leadership race won by May.
Does she have the ability to emulate the achievements of Britain’s first female premier, Margaret Thatcher?
Gove’s replacement, Justice Secretary Liz Truss, and the new Education Secretary Justine Greening both attended state schools – as did May.
The Guardian newspaper carried a picture of May and her husband on the steps of 10 Downing Street with the headline: “May’s pledge to Brexit Britain”.
Justine Greening, formerly in charge of worldwide development, is now education secretary and minister for women and equalities.
“At this incredibly important time that will determine Britain’s economic and cultural relations with Europe, it is extraordinary that the new prime minister has chosen someone whose career is built on making jokes”, Farron said.
He was quoted as saying: “Boris Johnson is a crafty party politician who managed to use the euroskeptic mood for himself. But completely different political tasks now stand at the forefront: This is about taking foreign policy responsibility beyond Brexit”.
“My job is to seek to protect Scotland’s interests and I’ve said I’m open to seeking to do that through the United Kingdom process”.
“The prime minister explained that we would need some time to prepare for these negotiations and spoke of her hope that these could be conducted in a constructive and positive spirit”. He has said that Article 50 of the European Union constitution – the formal trigger for two years of negotiations – should be invoked by the start of 2017.
Johnson has been made foreign secretary, replacing Philip Hammond who was made Chancellor of the Exchequer replacing George Osborne.
Mrs May is the 13th Prime Minister to serve this queen – the first was Winston Churchill. She rewarded Johnson with the plum job of foreign secretary.
May is expected to name a raft of new ministers on Thursday.
The foreign policy spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party in Parliament said that many current British suggestions for future relations with the European Union were “unworkable”.
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Later in the day Thursday, Hammond is slated to meet with Bank of England governor Mark Carney to discuss the British economy moving forward.
