Theresa May set to become Britain’s second female prime minister
The UK's new leader will take the reigns today, and will start compiling her cabinet to oversee Brexit
Britain’s new prime minister Theresa May is set to begin drawing up her new top team and is expected to increase the number of women in government.
As the UK’s second female leader, she will succeed David Cameron, who will take to the despatch Box in the House of Commons for his last session of prime ministers questions, before the historic shift of power takes place.
After Cameron makes a statement in Downing Street, he will head to Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation to the Queen. Following that, Theresa May will have an audience with the head of state, where she will accept the monarch’s offer to form a new government and will, in keeping with tradition, “kiss hands” with the head of state.
Although a Remain supporter during the European Union referendum, May has stressed that “Brexit means Brexit” and the hunt for a building to house the department that will steer Britain out of the EU is already under way.
Having been the longest-serving Home Secretary, Theresa May, who was in pole position with 199 votes in the leadership contest following the final round, said she could “unite our party and our country”.
Theresa May’s route to the top job was completed, when on Monday, her closest rival Andrea Leadsom pulled out of the race for the Conservative leadership.
She has been supportive of the Jewish community, instilling confidence in fighting anti-Semitism in her time as a minister.
During her time in the role, she pledged £13m funding to protect from the threat of terrorism and lauded a new national Holocaust memorial as a potent “reminder of the past”, amid an increase in hate crimes.
At the annual Community Security Trust dinner in March she said: “No one wants the school where they send their child to need security guards, or have their place of worship to be fitted with security alarms and blast resistant glass”, adding that the government stands by the community.
On Israel, she has been an advocate for security and supports a two-state solution.
However, her stance on immigration has been criticised by Jewish human rights group Rene Cassin. Following her speech at the 2014 Conservative Party conference, they said she “demonstrated a wilful ignorance of international law regarding refugees” and “peddled harmful and false myths” about the impact of immigration in the UK.
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