May gave the farming ministry to Andrea Leadsom, another Brexit campaigner who had run against her for the Conservative party leadership.
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May had a phone call late Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who invited her to visit, followed by calls with the French and Irish leaders, a Downing Street spokeswoman said. She also promised to preside over an economy that benefits everyone.
Cameron stepped down after Britons rejected his entreaties and voted to leave the EU in a referendum last month, severely undermining European efforts to forge greater unity and creating economic uncertainty across the 28-nation bloc.
But with Leave campaigners scoring the top jobs, including Boris Johnson as foreign secretary and Liam Fox as worldwide trade secretary, its becoming clearer how Brexit negotiations could shape up.
But Mr Davis insisted Britain would be able to put in place new trade agreements to come into force at the point of exit from the European Union having been fully negotiated beforehand. However, she has amply demonstrated an attempt to reunite the Conservative Party badly fractured by the Brexit vote.
Even so, Mr Johnson’s elevation to such a prestigious post represents a remarkable change of fortunes in a career that has had its share of them.
While addressing the media Johnson stated he was trying to “reassure everybody about Brexit”.
“His appointment is a gamble”, said Peter Snowdon, a long-time observer of the ruling Conservative party who co-authored a book on May’s predecessor, David Cameron.
Alun Cairns kept his job as Wales Secretary and Mr Cameron’s former parliamentary aide Gavin Williamson became chief whip.
Gove had earned the tag of “Britain’s Brutus” after ambushing his friend and fellow Brexiteer, former London Mayor Boris Johnson, and knocking him from the race for the country’s top job. She blocked the use of the cannons, citing fears that they could cause serious injuries.
White House spokesman John Earnest said the United States congratulates May and he noted she is familiar to many in Washington.
David Davis called for a “brisk but measured” approach to Brexit and the triggering of Article 50 to leave the European Union before or in early 2017, repeating comments made before he was appointed to the Cabinet. During a recent interview with the Yorkshire Post newspaper he recalled that colleagues in Europe had nicknamed him the “charming bastard”.
She also pledged to defend the “precious bond of the United Kingdom”, a nod to her determination to beat back a revitalized secessionist movement in Scotland driven by opposition to the decision to leave the European Union.
The priority given to the visit was meant to show Mrs May wanted to “fully engage” with the Scottish government over the looming negotiations to secure the best possible “divorce” deal for Britain from the EU.
By dividing up responsibility for Brexit, however, Snowdon said May had ensured she could keep overall control.
“The reality is that the hard-headed, pragmatic businessmen on the continent will do everything to ensure that trade with Britain continues uninterrupted”, he said.
In a major shift away from the era of austerity imposed by George Osborne, the former chancellor, his successor Philip Hammond suggested that his Treasury will borrow in order to invest in British infrastructure.
His job of Work and Pensions Secretary went to Damian Green, who served under Mrs May at the Home Office for four years as immigration minister and policing minister until his surprise sacking by Mr Cameron in 2014.
Justine Greening, formerly in charge of global development, is now education secretary and minister for women and equalities.
The libertarian Davis – a former special forces reservist who boasts that he has broken his nose five times – has sparred with May for years over the powers of Britain’s spy agencies, which she oversaw as home secretary and he thinks are too intrusive.
In her first speech as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street on Wednesday, May said: “We will make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for every one of us”.
May said last month that if she became prime minister she would not invoke Article 50 this year, despite pressure from European Union leaders to do so swiftly.
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He is expected to sit on the backbenches as an ordinary MP on a salary of £75,000 – half of what he was earning as Prime Minister.
