David Cameron has chaired his last cabinet meeting as Britain’s Prime Minister, laying out plans for a vote on renewing the country’s nuclear weapons system known as Trident and for his Life Chances’ strategy for disadvantaged people. The new PM is scheduled to move into 10 Downing Street on July 13.
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Members of Parliament applauded David Cameron on his last day as Prime Minister after six years in office.
A cursory glance shows that the former premier, now 49, looks younger in the picture and is clearly moving into a house and not out of it.
“May will return to Downing Street as prime minister”. Extricating Britain from the European Union while ensuring the best possible trade deals with each individual member country is a huge challenge fraught with risk for her political career.
But when Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom unexpectedly pulled out of the race Monday, leaving only May, the home secretary, still in the running, Cameron announced that he would swiftly make way for the incoming leader.
The 59-year-old, who will become Britain’s second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, also has to attempt to bridge Conservative Party divisions and deal with a potential economic downturn.
Though she had supported the Remain campaign she is now firmly focused on respecting the result of the referendum.
“I came into Downing Street to confront our problems as a country and lead people through hard decisions so that together we could reach better times”.
“And then after that I expect to go to the palace and offer my resignation”.
For the second time in the nation’s history, the United Kingdom will be led by a woman – and as it was the first time with Margaret Thatcher, that woman will be from the Conservative Party.
The meeting was described as “emotional” by Culture Secretary John Whittingdale who said “there was a touch of sadness” to the Prime Minister and his ministers.
The monarch will then call on Ms May to form a government and the newly-anointed prime minister will make a statement outside her new Downing Street residence.
Cameron was to face MPs in parliament for a final time on Wednesday in the weekly prime minister’s questions session, before meeting Queen Elizabeth II to tender his resignation to the head of state.
The second, she said, was the need to unite our country and third the need for a strong, new positive vision for the country.
“That’s what I think a lot of people expect and hope and call for”, he said in Brussels, adding that further delays would prolong damaging uncertainty for the economy.
Reassuring words for those of her Conservative colleagues who had supported the leave campaign.
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She is also expected to meet Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in the coming days, with Sturgeon telling a press conference Wednesday that Brexit “does not apply to Scotland, as Scotland voted differently in the referendum”.
