Theresa May didn’t think she would end up Prime Minister of the UK without so much as a fight. But that’s exactly what’s happened. With no opponent to compete with, May is on a fast track to become the first female Prime Minister in 26 years and with the approval of outgoing PM David Cameron, she could walk past the portals at No. 10 Downing Street as early as Wednesday afternoon.
May has been the leader of the Conservative Party since July 2016 and a member of Parliament for Maidenhead since 1997. She served as Home Secretary since 2010, where her single-mindedness helped drive through far-reaching changes to the country’s policing methods. Her toughness on terrorism, child sexual abuse and immigration should auger well as she undertakes to lead the country after the Brexit vote ushers in a new era in the UK’s position in international politics and finance.
No Rush
The new British leader will not be in hurry to trigger EU exit clause. She will have to resist pressure to rush into exit negotiations with the other EU members and will need to focus on calming investors who have sunk the pound to its lowest against the dollar since Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s last female prime minister, was in power in the 1980s.
May admits to not exemplifying the typical political figure. When announcing her candidacy two weeks ago, she told her listeners “I don’t tour the television studios. I don’t gossip about people over lunch. I don’t go drinking in Parliament’s bars. I don’t often wear my heart on my sleeve. I just get on with the job in front of me.”
She is expected to move forward slowly, an approach she has taken successfully over the years and has promised to deliver “political stability and economic certainty.” She’s already rejected the idea of an immediate general election and has ruled out triggering Article 50 this year, saying that Britain’s negotiations need time to be fine-tuned.
This line of thinking may please some Brits though it may not be to the liking of those who voted to leave the EU and looked forward to immediate results but this will not deter May from the future she envisions for her country.
According to some analysts, May would like to see as much access as possible to the EU’s single market and an end to the freedom of EU citizens to live and work in the U.K. Her economic vision includes backing the Treasury using bonds to fund infrastructure projects and more government focus on handling the U.K.’s lack of productivity growth.
Although a Conservative, May is taking on some Labor policies such as cracking down on anti-competitive practices by utility companies and banks; forcing multinationals to pay more tax; protecting national industrial champions and more transparency on executive remunerations.
The future PM has made it quite clear that although she sided with the Remain camp, there will be no do-over on the Brexit vote. "Brexit means Brexit,” she said. “The campaign was fought. The vote was held. Turnout was high, and the public gave their verdict."
Theresa May offers a sense of calm and competency as the UK rides out the people’s decision to exit the EU. At the same time, she harbors long-term ambitions in terms of reshaping the nation and ensuring that Conservatism assumes a more dominant role in British politics.