Theresa May Becomes Britain's New Prime Minister
Theresa May has become Britain's second female Prime Minister after taking over the Conservative Party from David Cameron , who resigned after losing the referendum on leaving the European Union. May is the first female to move into Downing Street since Margaret Thatcher, who led the country between 1979 and 1990.
David Cameron became British Prime Minister in 2010. In the past 6 years he often criticized the EU and tried to get better deals for Britain. He was the main supporter of the remain campaign in the 2016 nationwide EU referendum and stated that even if Britain did not get everything it wanted from the EU it was better to stay inside the union. In his final speech Cameron said that he was proud of the achievements of the government in the past 6 years, including legalizing same-sex marriages and providing more money for the National Health Service.
The new leader, Theresa May, was also in favour of staying in the EU, but she has stated that her main task now is to respect the outcome of the referendum and get the best deal possible for the country.
May has much experience as a politician. She started out as an MP in 1997 and became Home Secretary in 2010. The new Prime Minister has a reputation as a tough-minded negotiator and, like many Conservatives, has been demanding stricter immigration laws. She is said to be tough on Russia and China, while remaining a close friend of the United States. Her main task, however, is to unite a divided nation. She must deal with new nationalist campaigns in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the two parts of the UK that have voted to stay in the EU.
Shortly after Cameron had visited Queen Elizabeth and offered his resignation, the British monarch formally appointed Theresa May as the new head of government and asked her to form a stable government. May is the 13th Prime Minister that the Queen has appointed in her 64-year reign.
Related Topics
- Britain Votes to Leave the European Union
- Scotland Says No to Independence
- European Union
- Margaret Thatcher
- Northern Ireland
- Queen Elizabeth II
Words
- achievement = important things that you have done
- appoint = select, give someone a job
- campaign = movement
- deal = agreement
- demand = want , call for
- experience = knowledge that you get from a job
- female = woman
- formally = officially
- head of government = , person who leads the government, Prime Minister
- Home Secretary = here: minister who deals with problems in Great Britain
- however = but
- immigration = when people leave their country and go to another country to live and work there
- in favour of = to be for something
- including = also
- legalize = allow
- main = most important
- monarch = king or queen
- MP = member of parliament
- National Health Service = British system that gives free health service to all people
- nationalist = group that wants to be free and not a part of another country
- nationwide = here: in the whole UK
- negotiator = someone who takes part in discussions and tries to reach an agreement
- offer = give
- outcome = result
- politician = person who works in government or for a political party
- proud = satisfied, to feel pleased about something
- provide = give
- referendum = when people around the country vote on a certain subject
- reign = rule
- remain = stay
- remain campaign = the movement that wanted Great Britain to stay a member of the European Union
- reputation = character; what people think about someone
- resign = to officially say that you have decided to leave your job
- respect = here: to do what the people have voted for
- same-sex marriages = two men or two women can marry and bring up children
- state = say officially
- strict = exact
- supporter = person who fights for something
- task = job
- tough = hard
- tough-minded = here: a person who does not give up on something easily, especially if they believe in it
- unite = bring together