David Cameron said being Prime Minister has been the “greatest honour of my life” in his final words outside Downing Street.
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The Prime Minister will then arrive at her new home in Downing Street – freshly vacated by Cameron.
Despite being a part of a Tory government that has disadvantaged working class people, May said her government “will be driven not be the interests of the privileged few, but by yours”.
“I will do everything I can to give you more control of your lives”.
The new leader, Britain’s Home Secretary – in charge of immigration and law and order – for the past six years, has the tough task of calming the country, and the financial markets, after the massive upheaval that has followed the June 23 referendum.
Britain’s second woman prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, May swept to power in the wake of last month’s referendum.
“We will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you”, May said.
May took over from David Cameron less than three weeks after Britain voted to leave the EU.
By convention the Queen is above party politics and does not personally choose the prime minister, so Mr Cameron’s last duty was to advise her to invite Theresa May to form the next administration.
In his final Prime Minister’s Questions at Parliament, outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron opened Wednesday with the quip that “apart from one meeting in the afternoon with the Queen, my diary is remarkably light”.
Finance Minister George Osborne, Justice Secretary Michael Gove and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan were among those who were not offered roles while others, including Work & Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb and Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers, chose to resign.
To get started on these goals she will have to quickly appoint a cabinet and begin to negotiate the terms and treaties affected by Britain’s historic European Union withdrawal. But after the only other candidate for the job, Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom, dropped out of the contest, it left May as the sole candidate, leading to a swift transition.
Addressing the waiting media before heading to Buckingham Palace, Cameron sought to paint a positive picture of his time in office, despite it ending suddenly after the European Union referendum result.
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It came after she swiftly appointed key cabinet members soon after taking office Wednesday, including new Treasury chief Philip Hammond and Boris Johnson, the former London mayor, as foreign secretary.
