Britain will be getting new leadership much quicker than anyone expected, as the political whirlwind set off by last month’s Brexit vote continued Monday with Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement that he was stepping down Wednesday and Home Secretary Theresa May — like Mr. Cameron an opponent of Britain’s exit from the European Union — wrapping up the race to succeed him.
Though Ms. May, who will join Margaret Thatcher as Britain’s only female prime ministers, quietly backed Mr. Cameron’s “Remain” campaign last month in last month’s stunning vote, she will step in to head the divided Conservative Party at a time of momentous change for her country.
Ms. May was confirmed as the winner of the Conservative leadership contest on Monday after her last remaining opponent, Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom, a Brexit backer, unexpectedly dropped from the race, saying the country could not afford a drawn-out contest.
The 59-year-old Ms. May, a onetime banker who has held a number of posts in her nearly two decades in the House of Commons, now faces the task of uniting her fractured party and negotiating the terms of the U.K.’s divorce from the 28-nation EU. Despite her pro-EU stance, Ms. May has repeatedly pledged to do both.
“Brexit means Brexit, and we’re going to make a success of it,” Ms. May said, flanked by cheering Parliament members on Monday.
In her first address as the new Conservative leader, Ms. May said she can “build a better Britain” by carrying out a successful exit from the EU, uniting the parties, and creating a “strong, new, positive vision” for the country.
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The pressure is on Ms. May to negotiate successful exit terms with EU officials, and some say she is coming to power with little leverage to wrest a good deal from Brussels.
Austria’s finance minister, Hans Schelling, warned that “Great Britain will become Little Britain,” predicting that Scotland and Northern Ireland might leave the United Kingdom to stay with the EU.
“The new Tory leader was perfectly positioned to make her own luck and to benefit from the stumbles of others,” the left-wing Guardian newspaper wrote in an editorial Monday. “But in Brexit, she faces a situation that would have daunted a Churchill.”
But the more conservative Telegraph said Ms. May shares some of the political and personal strengths of another Tory prime minister — Thatcher.
They’re both “characterized by a remarkable strength of character and by the ability to command respect among their peers. We trust that in Mrs. May, the Tory Party has found itself another Iron Lady,” the paper wrote.
Mr. Cameron said the emergence of his political ally as his successor helped speed up his own decision. The Conservatives had been looking as a leadership battle stretching into September before Ms. Leadsom bowed out.
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In a quick statement outside of Number 10 Downing Street, he told reporters he would tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday after his last question period in Parliament.
“Theresa May is strong, she is competent, she is more than able to provide the leadership that our country is going to need in the years ahead,” Mr. Cameron said before retreating to the building while singing a cheerful tune.
Mr. Cameron seems relieved to hand over the keys to Ms. May — and she’s already facing some heat. The opposition Labor Party and Liberal Democrats are calling for a new election, even though the parties are knee-deep in electing their own leaders. Ms. May has said she would not call a new election as prime minister.
Ms. Leadsom, a pro-Brexit candidate, announced her withdrawal from the race after a weekend of backlash over her comments suggesting she would make a better prime minister than childless Ms. May.
After dropping out, however, Ms. Leadsom said she gives her “full support” to the home secretary — and Ms. May thanked her former opponent for the “dignity” she showed in abandoning the race.
As the equivalent of Britain’s homeland security secretary the past five years, Ms. May is a known figure both in European capitals and in Washington. The White House said in a statement that President Obama, who lobbied unsuccessfully for the “Remain” forces, was confident that the “special relationship” between the United States and Britain would continue after Ms. May becomes prime minister.
• Jessie Fox can be reached at jfox@washingtontimes.com.
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