Theresa May

By Jon Sterngass

In 2016, the British people voted in favor of Brexit, or Great Britain leaving the European Union. Immediately following that vote, Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, and the task of handling Brexit ultimately landed in the hands of Theresa May. May had previously been a Parliamentarian and, later, Britain's Home Secretary, cultivating a reputation for being a force for modernization in the Conservative Party. Brexit, however, has proven to be a difficult and convoluted task, even for the capable and hardworking May.

Enhanced by a timeline, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading, Theresa May is a fascinating account of the life and career of Britain's second female prime minister.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chelsea House
• Release date: Jun 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781438185781

Book preview

title

Theresa May

Copyright © 2019 by Infobase

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information, contact:

Chelsea House

An imprint of Infobase

132 West 31st Street

New York NY 10001

ISBN 978-1-4381-8578-1

You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web

at http://www.infobase.com

Contents

Chapters

The Poisoned Chalice

The Vicar’s Daughter

Politics Captured Me

The Nasty Party

Working in a Political Graveyard

Brexit

History Will Judge

Support Materials

Timeline

Bibliography

Further Resources

About the Author

Learn More About

The Big Bang

Chapters

The Poisoned Chalice

A Shocking Vote

On June 24, 2016, the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland woke up to shocking news. The day before, the people had voted on a simply worded question: Should the United Kingdom (UK) remain a member of the European Union (EU) or leave the European Union? The vote attracted widespread attention and the outcome had been expected to be close, but everyone—polls, newspapers, politicians, and even Leave supporters—thought that the Remain side would win. 

More than 30 million people voted, almost 73 percent of eligible voters. When all the votes were counted, to the amazement of the world as well as to almost half of Britain's own citizens, the people voted 51.89 percent to 48.11 percent to exit the European Union. A sense of astonishment spread across the nation. Confused newscasters and politicians sounded as if they could not believe the results. 

The EU is an economic and political partnership involving more than 25 European countries. It began after World War II to boost European economic cooperation based on the idea that countries that trade together are less likely to go to war with each other.The UK was not an original member but joined in the first wave of EU expansion in 1973. Now, after 43 years, Britain would be leaving. This amazing political upheaval is known as Brexit—the British exit from the EU.

More than 17 million people voted to leave the EU. But what did that vote mean? Was it an act of liberation act that would free Britain from the EU's rules and bureaucracy and breathe new life into the country? Or was it a sign of irrational anger by communities that felt left behind by the globalization of the economy, encouraged by false promises and fear of foreigners. No one was quite sure how to interpret the vote and the answer depended almost completely on who was asked.

That fateful morning, Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to the nation. Only a year before, the Conservative Party had won their first majority in a general election for 23 years. That election had been a personal triumph for Cameron. However, it had been the prime minister who had decided, against a great deal of advice, to hold the Brexit vote in the first place. Like everyone else, Cameron had felt there was little risk of the Leavers winning.

If the British people expected reassuring words from Cameron, an experienced politician who had been prime minister for six years, they were quickly disappointed. Cameron listed the achievements of his time in office and then promptly resigned. The British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path, he said, and as such, I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction. Who would replace him in this moment of crisis?

British newspaper front pages reporting that Prime Minister David Cameron resigned after the EU Referendum, June 25, 2016.

Source: Shutterstock.

The Leadership Battle

The Conservative Party and the Labour Party are the two largest political parties in the United Kingdom and have provided all of the country's prime ministers since 1935. Because the Conservative Party had a majority in the House of Commons in 2016, most people expected the new prime minister to be the most prominent Leaver in the party. That would be Boris Johnson, the self-proclaimed leader of the Leave campaign. Johnson was a former journalist, mayor of London, and MP (Member of Parliament) who inspired love in some and contempt in others. Supporters praised him as an entertaining and popular figure; critics accused him of dishonesty and racism.

Mayor of London at the time, Boris Johnson speaking at a Vote Leave rally in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, April 16, 2016.

Source: Shutterstock.

Johnson was supported by his old friend, Michael Gove, another backer of the Leave campaign. Gove had already served as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and was now campaign manager for Johnson's drive to become prime minister. In the popular mind, Gove lacked the appeal to be prime minister but would help control the more impulsive Johnson.

The other frontrunner was Theresa May, first elected as the MP for Maidenhead in 1997 and more recently Home Secretary since 2010. May had voted to remain in the EU during the election. In one speech, she declared, Remaining inside the European Union does make us more secure, it does make us more prosperous and it does make us more influential beyond our shores.

However, she took almost no part in the campaign and was known to be a Eurosceptic, someone suspicious of the benefits of the EU. Some people believed that the next prime minister should be a Leaver, but May offered an alternative, a unity candidate whose appeal was her capability. Some Remainers were demanding a second vote but May rejected that option. The campaign was fought, she admitted and the public gave their verdict. There must be no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it through the back door. Brexit means Brexit.

Instead, May declared that she could provide strong leadership and a positive vision for the UK's future outside of the EU. I know I'm not a showy politician, May said. "I don't tour the television studios. I