New finance minister Philip Hammond who took over from George Osborne, a stalwart of Cameron’s government who fell by the wayside in the transition, confirmed there would be “no emergency budget”.
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European Union foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday in Johnson’s first test in his new position.
May’s previous post of home secretary will be filled by Amber Rudd, while Michael Fallon stays on as defence secretary.
Theresa May on Wednesday became Britain’s second woman prime minister after Margaret Thatcher as the tough-talking leader officially took charge with a heavy workload already waiting in her in-tray after the Brexit vote.
According to Bloomberg, the former London mayor campaigned for Brexit, but pulled out of the race to succeed David Cameron as prime minister.
Boris Johnson’s appointment as Foreign Secretary late yesterday caught many people by surprise, including US State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner.
The representative for Haltemprice and Howden, who was Europe Minister between 1994 and 1997 and challenged Mr Cameron to the Conservative Party leadership in 2005, has been a long-standing opponent of the European Union.
“For all who love America, it is time to think of supporting Hillary, not because we necessarily want her for herself but because we want Bill in the role of First Husband”, he said.
Writing in The Sun tabloid, Johnson called Obama a “part-Kenyan president” – referring to the birth country of Obama’s father – and said the president had an “ancestral dislike of the British empire”.
“What looks look a promotion could in fact be a poisoned chalice”, the left-leaning paper said, adding that “the real negotiations on the Brexit will be managed by a specially created ministry and by the prime minister’s cabinet”. May but warned she would have to deal with the “enormous economic uncertainty and insecurity” caused by leaving the EU.
Johnson was one of the highest-profile politicians in the “Leave” camp during the European Union referendum.
An official photograph showed Mrs May curtseying to a smiling Queen Elizabeth, for whom she is the 13th prime minister in a line that started with Winston Churchill. She was a high-profile supporter of the “Remain” camp in the referendum.
Acknowledging the struggles faced by many, May declared: “The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours”.
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“We have all got different styles and that is why we make a strong team…” We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives.
