Her first cabinet announcement was former foreign secretary Mr Hammond as chancellor – replacing George Osborne.
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The world of politics, diplomacy and celebrity has reacted with a mixture of amusement and horror to the news that Boris Johnson has been appointed Britain’s new foreign secretary.
The former mayor of London, who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union, is not exactly known for his diplomatic skills.
Conservative lawmaker David Davis took the newly formed job of minister in charge of negotiations with the European Union that will set up the conditions for leaving.
May’s previous post of home secretary will be filled by Amber Rudd, while Michael Fallon stays on as defence secretary. “We are very different people and when you are building a team for anything you want, [you need] different kinds of people with different kinds of skills”, he said. The decision to make Johnson foreign minister was a “sign of the political crisis” in the United Kingdom following the Brexit vote, Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a radio interview.
May, Britain’s second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, who governed between 1979 and 1990, took office after meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, shortly after Cameron resigned from the role after losing his campaign to remain in the EU.
Mrs Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement that the German leader wished Mrs May luck in her new job in a telephone conversation on Wednesday evening.
For an “ordinary working class family”, she added, “life is much harder than many people in Westminster realise”.
“It means we believe in the Union: the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”.
Wednesday also was David Cameron’s final day as the head of the British government.
Four EU and British sources told Reuters on Thursday it was unclear the dinner would go ahead and if so, who among Johnson and the 27 other EU ministers would attend.
He had also come out strongly in support of Andrea Leadsom, May’s last remaining opponent to the post of Conservative party leader before she withdrew on Monday.
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In her conversation with the Irish Prime Minister the two officials agreed to maintain “strong collaboration” between the two countries.
