Now Mrs May will begin the work of picking her first Cabinet – and she is expected to choose a record number of women for senior Government positions. Though admitting he had “not got every decision right” while in office, Cameron affirmed his belief that “today, our country is much stronger” and praised May for her “strong and stable leadership”.
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In her address Mrs May paid tribute to her predecessor, saying she was following in the footsteps of a “great modern Prime Minister”.
Earlier, Cameron had made his final statement in Downing Street flanked by his wife Samantha and three children, where he wished Britain “continued success”.
Mrs May arrived at the Palace by ministerial vehicle with husband Philip, having set off from the House of Commons only after receiving the signal that predecessor David Cameron’s resignation as PM had been accepted by the Queen and that he had advised the head of state to appoint the former Home Secretary in his place.
Johnson led the Brexit camp to victory, antagonising many European Union leaders in the process, but dismayed supporters by backing out of the race to succeed Cameron at the last minute. When asked if they were happy or unhappy with the Labour leader, 48 per cent of Labour supporters said they were unhappy compared to 45 per cent who reported being happy with Mr Corbyn.
Mr Cameron told his MPs that he meant to stay in public life and would be “willing them on”, saying “nothing is impossible”.
Cameron used his final day in office to try to stake a claim on a legacy beyond his status as the prime minister who – by gambling on a referendum – took Britain out of the EU.
May takes on the UK’s top job – with a very heavy in-tray. He also stressed his love for Larry the Downing Street cat – amid rumours that he was not a fan – a point he later emphasised on Twitter and swapped warm wishes with Jeremy Corbyn, saying he had nearly come to admire the Labour leader’s “tenacity” in hanging on to his job. The United States said it was looking forward to working with him. His daughters Nancy and Florence were seen to give their father a wave and cheer him on during the session.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street after being invited to form a government by the Queen, she said it would be her mission to “build a better Britain”.
Royal audience The BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the private audience was likely to be a short one, potentially about 20 minutes.
After formally submitting his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday, Theresa May has accepted an invitation from the monarch to form government.
Mrs May inherits a government transformed in less than a month by the referendum vote for Britain to leave the European Union which lead to her predecessor David Cameron resigning as leader.
May – who became Conservative leader Monday after her sole contender for the job, Andrea Leadsom, dropped out of the race – is Britain’s second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, who held office from 1979 to 1990. Michael Fallon remains in the role of defence secretary. In order to keep her promise to “win big” in 2020, she will need to appeal to voters who have lost faith in the Westminster establishment. In making policy decisions, the government will “think not of the powerful, but you”, she said. Like her former boss, May opposed the Brexit referendum in which a majority of British citizens elected to sever membership to the EU.
Mrs May is the 13th Prime Minister during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
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He championed for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union and after the leave faction claimed victory said he believed he was not the person to take the United Kingdom through the next stage of its political development. She told Sky News the prime minister has “championed gay marriage and social justice while putting the Conservative Party in the centre ground” of politics and leaving behind a “strong economic foundation” to cope with the uncertainty caused by Brexit.
