Andrea Leadsom, one of three candidates vying to be Britain’s next prime minister, said her top priority would be to guarantee tariff-free trade with the European Union after Britons voted to quit the bloc.
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Britain will have a female prime minister by the autumn, after Conservative MPs chose two women – Theresa May, the home secretary, and Andrea Leadsom, the pro-Brexit junior energy minister – to put forward to party activists in the contest to replace David Cameron.
Theresa May won the first round with an overwhelming result of 165 votes – followed by Andrea Leadsom on 66, Michael Gove on 48 and Stephen Crabb on 34.
Interior minister Theresa May opened up a strong lead on Tuesday in what is now a three-horse race to become Britain’s next prime minister, but the first stage of voting was overshadowed by post-Brexit carnage for property investors and the pound.
May had campaigned to remain in the European Union, but not loudly, and she is known for her Euroskeptic views.
Leadsom backer Steve Baker – a fellow Brexit campaigner – described the upcoming contest as a “David vs Goliath” battle.
May and Leadsom became the two finalists for the leadership of the Conservative Party Thursday, beating out competitor Michael Gove in the third round of voting among Members of Parliament.
Leadsom, a former financial sector worker, was one of the most ardent campaigners for Britain to leave the European Union ahead of the June 23 referendum which delivered the Brexit vote.
“It’s now up to the Conservative Party and indeed the wider country to assess the skills, the abilities and the leadership potential of these two candidates”.
“I was really fortunate to have some of the brightest and the best in the parliamentary party on my side and I’m naturally disappointed that I haven’t be able to make it through to the final round of this leadership contest”.
Mr Clarke, a lawmaker for 46 years, was a minister in the governments of Conservative leaders Mr Cameron, John Major and Margaret Thatcher. “People need certainty and they will get it. I say to all who are legally here, that you will be welcome to stay”.
Mrs May is not the sort of crowd-pleaser who wows party conferences; nor is she seen in Westminster as particularly warm or friendly.
Some 150,000 Conservative Party members will now vote by postal ballot, with the result announced September 9.
She has made much of her 25 years in the City to prove herself a capable candidate for ministerial – and now, potentially, prime ministerial office.
Leadsom said the key job of the new prime minister would be to ensure the continued success of the British economy.
She also said on Thursday she did not like the gay marriage law brought in by Cameron, and would be committed to overturning a ban on fox hunting, both issues which resonate with traditional Conservatives.
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After swiftly changing allegiances in the race for the next Prime Minister from Boris Johnson to Michael Gove, Boles has answered accusations that he’d plotted to rig the party election.
