Britain’s new Prime Minister Theresa May speaks outside 10 Downing Street in central London on July 13, 2016 on the day she takes office following the formal resignation of David Cameron.
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She also pulled a controversial decision by pointing Boris Johnson to be the Foreign Secretary.
Speaking on the steps of her campaign headquarters in Westminster alongside Wycombe MP and keen supporter Steve Baker, the Energy Minister wished Mrs May “the very greatest success” and promised her “my full support”. The challenges ahead will truly test the mettle of the woman some are already calling Britain’s “second Iron Lady”.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve our country as prime minister over these last six years, and to serve as leader of my party for nearly 11 years”, he said outside 10 Downing St., accompanied by his wife Samantha and his children – 12-year-old Nancy, 10-year-old Elwen and 5-year-old Florence. In contrast to Margaret Thatcher, who chose to be surrounded by an all-male Cabinet for nearly her entire time in Downing Street, sources close to May say that she is determined to put into effect a long held belief that there should be a better gender balance at the top end of the government.
“We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives”.
“When we take the big calls, we’ll think not of the powerful, but you”.
Theresa May, 59, is now the UK’s second female Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party.
Theresa May, the current home secretary, is set to become the UK’s next prime minister today.
Osborne will be replaced as Chancellor of the Exchequer by Philip Hammond, who was Foreign Secretary in Cameron’s government.
May’s spokeswoman said she had spoken by phone to European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, explaining that Britain would not be triggering the exit process immediately.
“As soon as David Cameron said he would be stepping down we needed to get a new Prime Minister in place as soon as we could”.
By Wednesday evening, David Cameron will be out and Theresa May will be the British government’s new leader. Buckingham Palace has released an image of May offering a deep curtsy before the monarch, denoting that she has accepted the queen’s invitation to form a government.
“I believe Theresa will provide strong and stable leadership”, Cameron said in his speech.
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.
May’s first main task in office will be limiting the damage to the British economy over its split with the European Union. United Kingdom has not formally started the Brexit process.
The new PM said that she wants to start talks with the European Union on the issue as soon as possible, but not before the end of 2016.
She said she wanted to address the poorest and most disadvantaged in society, and the people who had been left behind.
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Elected the Conservative Party leader in 2005, Cameron led a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 to 2015, and then led his party to a majority in the 2015 general election.
