In her first appointment after taking office, May named former foreign secretary Philip Hammond as Britain’s finance minister.
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By awarding such a senior job to Johnson, analysts say May is trying to mend fences insider her party, which was ripped apart by the Brexit vote, and forced former Conservative Party leader David Cameron to resign as prime minister, making way for May’s rise.
And he said Mrs May would provide “strong and stable leadership in delivering the Conservative manifesto on which we were elected” and wished her well in negotiating “the best possible terms for Britain’s exit from the European Union”.
May, the second female British prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, also has said she will not initiate the exit negotiations before the end of the year.
European Parliament chief Martin Schulz today took aim at British Prime Minister Theresa May’s new cabinet, saying it continued a “dangerously vicious cycle” that will hurt Britain and Europe.
Cameron stepped down after Britons rejected his entreaties to stay in the European Union, sending shock waves across the 28-nation bloc.
The UK’s new prime minister Theresa May has vowed to lead a “one nation” government that works for all not just the “privileged few”.
She appointed Former Mayor of London Boris Johnson as the country’s new Foreign Secretary.
Cameron gave a short speech as he left the Downing Street office for the last time.
The United States congratulated May and said it was confident in her ability to steer Britain through the Brexit negotiations.
Mr. Cameron’s decision to step down comes on the heels – and very much because – of the Brexit vote, which he initiated despite his vocal support for remaining in the EU.
The regular Wednesday session of prime minister’s questions always begins with the prime minister listing his engagements for the day. “I look forward to working closely with you on this and to learn about your intentions in this regard”, he said in a letter to May.
Minutes later, May arrived at the palace, accompanied by her husband Philip.
May’s appointment at the Buckingham Palace, to “kiss hands” with the Queen, as the ceremony is known, came shortly after David Cameron went to the Palace to tender his resignation, the Guardian reported.
Flanked by his wife and children, the PM said Britain was “much stronger” than when he took over.
“The Government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours”, she said.
As home secretary, the 59-year-old May has been in charge of immigration and law and order for the past six years.
It follows a dramatic few weeks in British politics, with Brexit setting off a domino effect of politicians falling by the wayside – Cameron resigned, likely successor Boris Johnson was “stabbed in the back” by allies, and leadership contender Andrea Leadsom threw in the towel amid controversial motherhood comments.
“There is a streak that we all saw which was to be really quite narrow in focus and reluctant to shift even when the facts seemed to be changing, and if that’s what happens when she’s prime minister we could find ourselves in difficulties”, Cable told BBC television.
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The House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament, gave him a standing ovation in his final appearance.
