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Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
's term as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 13 July 2016, when she accepted an invitation of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
to form a government, following the resignation of her predecessor David Cameron in the aftermath of the European Union (EU) membership referendum, and ended with her resignation on 24 July 2019. While serving as prime minister, May also served as the First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and leader of the Conservative Party. May's premiership was dominated by
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
, in particular by her negotiations with the European Union of a
Brexit withdrawal agreement The Brexit withdrawal agreement, officially titled Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, is a treaty between the European Uni ...
, and her attempts to gain Parliamentary approval for this agreement, thereby achieving the departure of the UK from the EU. Other events during May's premiership included terrorist attacks in Westminster,
Manchester Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. The arena has the ...
and London Bridge, the Grenfell Tower fire, the Windrush scandal, and the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The UK's official assessment of this incident was supported by 28 other countries, who expelled an unprecedented total of 153 Russian diplomats. This was considered to be one of the highest points of May's premiership. In January 2017 the Supreme Court ruled against May's government, finding that the process of leaving the EU could not be initiated without an authorising Act. On 29 March the UK invoked Article 50. This formally began the process of leaving, and set the date for Brexit as 29 March 2019. In April 2017, May called a snap general election, held on 8 June, with the aim of strengthening her hand with opposition MPs and in the EU negotiations. However, the election resulted in the loss of the Conservatives' small overall majority, weakening her position.
Brexit negotiations Between 2017 and 2019, representatives of the United Kingdom and the European Union negotiated the terms for Brexit, the planned withdrawal of the UK from the EU. These negotiations arose following the decision of the Parliament of the United ...
formally opened later in June. In July a Withdrawal Bill was introduced to the House of Commons, to formally repeal Britain's membership of the EU. The government did not want to give MPs a vote on the withdrawal agreement made with the EU, but an amendment to the Withdrawal Bill, authored by Dominic Grieve, to give Parliament a legal guarantee of a vote on any withdrawal agreement, was passed by 309 to 305. In July 2018, more than a year after negotiations had formally opened, the
Chequers plan The Chequers plan, officially known as ''The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union (Cm 9593)'', was a UK Government white paper concerning Brexit, published on 12July 2018 by the prime minister, Theresa May. The ...
was published, laying out the type of future relationship with the EU that the UK sought to achieve. This led to the resignations of Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
. In November, the text of the finalised withdrawal agreement was published. On 4 December, the May government was found in
contempt of Parliament In countries with a parliamentary system of government, contempt of Parliament is the offence of obstructing the legislature in the carrying out of its functions, or of hindering any legislator in the performance of his duties. Typology The conce ...
, for failing to lay before Parliament its legal advice on the proposed withdrawal agreement; the first government to be found in contempt in British history. Later in December, May faced, and won, a Conservative Party vote of confidence. Early in 2019, Parliament voted against ratifying the withdrawal agreement three times, the first time by a margin of 230 votes, the worst defeat for any government in modern Parliamentary history. The date of Brexit was delayed to 31 October 2019. The Cooper–Letwin Act was passed against the government's opposition. European elections were held on 23 May 2019, at which the Conservatives came fifth with 9% of the vote, and the next day May announced her resignation. She resigned on 24 July 2019, and was succeeded by Johnson.


Bid for Conservative leadership

In a referendum held on 23 June 2016, Britain voted to withdraw from the European Union, with a result of 52% for withdrawal and 48% for remaining within the union. David Cameron, who as prime minister had campaigned to remain within the European Union, announced on 24 June 2016, immediately following the announcement of the referendum results, that he would resign from his post. Following the first stages of a Conservative Party leadership election, Home Secretary
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
's only remaining competitor,
Andrea Leadsom Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Enviro ...
, withdrew from the race on 11 July 2016. Following this announcement, Cameron said that he would step down from his post on 13 July. Cameron formally tendered his resignation to
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
on that day, who subsequently appointed
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
as his successor.


Early days

When appointed by the Queen on 13 July 2016, May became the UK's second female prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher, and the nation's first female Prime Minister of the 21st century. She told the media on 11 July 2016 that she was "honoured and humbled" to ascend to the role. Responding to some calls for a general election (reported by the news media) to confirm her mandate, "sources close to Mrs May" said there would be no such election, according to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
. In a speech after her appointment, May emphasised the term Unionist in the name of the Conservative Party, reminding all of "the precious, precious bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland." By 15 July 2016, May had travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland to meet with first minister Nicola Sturgeon, to reinforce the bond between Scotland and the rest of the country. "This visit to Scotland is my first as prime minister and I'm coming here to show my commitment to preserving this special union that has endured for centuries," she explained. After a meeting at
Bute House Bute House ( Gaelic: ''Taigh Bhòid'') is the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland located within Charlotte Square in Edinburgh. Alongside two other personal offices at the Scottish Parliament Building and St. Andrew's House, ...
, May offered the following comment about Scotland's role in the negotiations about the UK's exit from the EU: "I'm willing to listen to options and I've been very clear with the First Minister today that I want the Scottish government to be fully engaged in our discussion." In August 2016, May launched an investigation aimed at identifying and reducing racism within
public services A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...
. As part of the government's plan to curb
childhood obesity Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of ...
, May took steps to reduce sugar content of foods, though many experts criticised her as they felt that too little was being done. Notably there were widespread calls for curbing advertising of unhealthy foods to children and banning promotions of unhealthy food (such as multipacks and '
buy one, get one free "Buy one, get one free" or "two for the price of one" is a common form of sales promotion. Economist Alex Tabarrok has argued that the success of this promotion lies in the fact that consumers value the first unit significantly more than the sec ...
') in supermarkets, restaurants, cafes and takeaways.


Health Service

Under May, consultation began over cost saving, streamlining and reduction of some services in the National Health Service (NHS). Critics feared cuts that could "put lives at risk" even though the review focused primarily on reducing costs. An article in '' The Guardian'' suggested possible benefits from the review but feared secrecy within the NHS was hindering effective public discussion. Liberal Democrat MP
Norman Lamb Sir Norman Peter Lamb (born 16 September 1957) is a British politician and solicitor. He was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for North Norfolk from 2001 to 2019, and was the chair of the Science and Technology Select Committe ...
accepted the review made sense in principle but stated: "While it is important that the NHS becomes more efficient and sustainable for future generations, redesign of care models will only get us so far – and no experts believe the Conservative doctrine that an extra £8 billion funding by 2020 will be anywhere near enough."


Grammar schools

In September 2016, May announced that she would end a ban on new
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary sch ...
s. A BBC article suggested grammar schools would be "dumbed down" while other secondary schools in the area would "suffer". Jon Coles of United Learning, which controls 60 schools was "unconvinced more grammar schools would raise standards". Poor children and children from families that are "just about managing" tend to miss out on grammar school places. None of the top ten nations with the best education have UK style grammar schools selecting at age 11. The Royal Society commissioned research from the Education Policy Institute which showed that disadvantaged pupils did worse overall in science and maths in regions with selective education. A cross party Select Committee of MPs described the issue of grammar school expansion as an "unnecessary distraction" and cast doubt on the claim grammar schools improve social mobility. Many speakers emphasized the need to tackle funding problems' effects on the whole of schooling. Following the outcome of the 2017 general election, May's grammar school policy was not included in the
Queen's Speech A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining th ...
, and was deemed unlikely to be pursued.


Child poverty

The Child Poverty Unit was merged with the Department for Work and Pensions leading to fears by some that
child poverty Child poverty refers to the state of children living in poverty and applies to children from poor families and orphans being raised with limited or no state resources. UNICEF estimates that 356 million children live in extreme poverty. It's es ...
would be less of a priority under May. This "ran counter" to May's pledge to "govern for everyone and fight the injustice of being born poor". A study said that from 2014 to 2015 28% of UK children were poor. The
Child Poverty Action Group Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is a UK charity that works to alleviate poverty and social exclusion. History The Group first met on 5 March 1965, at a meeting organised by Harriett C. Wilson. It followed the publication of Brian Abel-Smith ...
feared restricting the Child Poverty Unit to one department would reduce its effectiveness. The
Institute for Fiscal Studies The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is an economic research institute based in London, United Kingdom, which specialises in UK taxation and public policy. It produces both academic and policy-related findings. The institute's aim is to "ad ...
projected a 50% increase in child poverty by 2020 due to benefit cuts and 'sluggish wages'.


Ministerial appointments

May appointed new Cabinet members in "one of the most sweeping government reshuffles for decades", described by ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' as "a brutal cull": several prominent members, including six of David Cameron's ministers, were removed from their posts. The early appointments were interpreted both as "centrist and conciliatory", an effort to reunite the party in the wake of the UK's vote to leave the European Union, and as "a shift to the right", according to '' The Guardian''.
Robert Peston Robert James Kenneth Peston (born 25 April 1960) is an English journalist, presenter, and author. He is the political editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show '' Peston'' (previously '' Peston on Sunday''). From 2006 ...
of '' ITV News'' specifically labelled her new Cabinet as right wing. May abolished the
Department for Energy and Climate Change The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom created on 3 October 2008, by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take over some of the functions related to energy of the Department for Busin ...
in a move widely criticised by Greenpeace which expressed concern the new government failed to see the threat from climate change,
Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with ...
which said climate change "is happening now while the new government lowers its priority", and also by other more impartial peoples and groups. Climate change was included within the scope of the new
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is a department of His Majesty's Government. The department was formed during a machinery of government change on 14 July 2016, following Theresa May's appointment as Prime ...
. Upon becoming prime minister, May appointed former Mayor of London
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
as foreign secretary, former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Amber Rudd Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British former politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye, fir ...
as
home secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
, and former
Shadow Home Secretary In British politics, the Shadow Home Secretary (formally known as the Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department) is the person within the shadow cabinet who shadows the Home Secretary; this effectively means scrutinising government poli ...
David Davis to the newly created office of
Brexit secretary Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union or, informally, Brexit Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the business of the Department for Exiting the Eur ...
. Her choice of Johnson as Foreign Secretary "raised eyebrows", and drew some criticism from the press. Liam Fox and
Philip Hammond Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019, Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014. ...
, both of whom had previously served as
Secretary of State for Defence The secretary of state for defence, also referred to as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Ministry of Defence. The incumbent is a membe ...
(Fox from 2010 to 2011 and Hammond from 2011 to 2014), with Hammond having served as Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, were appointed to the newly created office of
International Trade Secretary The secretary of state for international trade, also referred to as the international trade secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Department for Internat ...
, along with Chancellor of the Exchequer, respectively. Replacing Michael Gove,
Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fi ...
was made Justice Secretary, the "first female Lord Chancellor in the thousand-year history of the role".
Andrea Leadsom Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Enviro ...
, who was energy minister and May's primary competitor for party leader, was made the new
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, also referred to as the environment secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the Department for Environment, Foo ...
. However, former Northern Ireland Secretary
Theresa Villiers Theresa Anne Villiers (born 5 March 1968) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chipping Barnet since 2005, having previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005. A member of the ...
resigned from Cabinet after May offered her a post which was "not one which I felt I could take on". May jointly appointed Fiona Hill and
Nick Timothy Nicholas James Timothy (born March 1980) is a British political adviser. He served as Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff, alongside Fiona Hill, to Prime Minister Theresa May, until his resignation in the wake of the 2017 general election. ...
on 14 July as her
Downing Street Chiefs of Staff Downing may refer to: Places * Downing, Missouri, US, a city * Downing, Wisconsin, US, a village * Downing Park (Newburgh, New York), US, a public park * Downing, Flintshire, Wales Buildings * Downing Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Aus ...
. Both had been political advisers to her at the Home Office before both working outside the government for a brief period before working on her leadership campaign. The three ministers with new roles who worked to negotiate Brexit all espoused the Leave vote: David Davis, Liam Fox and
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
.


Foreign trips

May made 72 trips to 33 countries during her premiership. The country she visited the most was Belgium, where she travelled 23 times, often for Brexit negotiations at the European Council and Commission. She took part in three UN GA summits, four
G20 The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, ...
summits, three EU summits, two G7 summits, two NATO summits, and one
CHOGM The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM; or) is a biennial summit meeting of the governmental leaders from all Commonwealth nations. Despite the name, the head of state may be present in the meeting instead of the head of gov ...
summit. On 20 July, May attended her first Prime Minister's Questions since taking office, then afterwards made her first overseas trip as prime minister, visiting Berlin for talks with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...
. They discussed
Germany–United Kingdom relations Germany–United Kingdom relations are the bilateral relations between Germany and the United Kingdom. Relations were very strong in the Late Middle Ages when the German cities of the Hanseatic League traded with England and Scotland. Before ...
while the UK prepared for Brexit. During the visit, May said that she would not trigger
Article 50 Withdrawal from the European Union is the legal and political process whereby an EU member state ceases to be a member of the Union. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union ( TEU) states that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from t ...
before 2017, suggesting it would take time for the UK to negotiate a "sensible and orderly departure" from the EU. May also announced that in the wake of the referendum, Britain would relinquish the
presidency of the Council of the European Union The presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the European Union, which is the co-legislator of the EU legislature alongside the European Parliament. It rotates among the member state ...
that the UK had been scheduled to hold in the second half of 2017. On 4 September, May attended the
2016 G20 Hangzhou summit The 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit was the eleventh meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20). It was held on 4–5 September 2016 in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang. It was the first ever G20 summit to be hosted in China and the second in an Asian count ...
, the first since the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. May sought to use the summit to emphasise her commitment to making the UK a "global leader in free trade" She also faced questions over the decision to delay planned Chinese investment in
Hinkley Point C Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) is a two-unit, 3,200MWe EPR nuclear power station under construction in Somerset, England. The site was one of eight announced by the British government in 2010, and in November 2012 a nuclear site ...
. On 21 January 2017, following the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president, the White House announced that May would meet the President on 27 January, making her the first foreign leader to meet Trump since he took office on 20 January. May attended the annual
Munich Security Conference The Munich Security Conference (MSC; german: Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz) is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany since 1963. Former names are ''Wehrkundetagung'' and ''Münchne ...
from 16 to 17 February 2018 where she urged European allies to agree to a new security treaty. Whilst in Germany she also held a meeting with Angela Merkel in Berlin.


Incidents


Islamic extremist attacks

On 22 March 2017, a terrorist ploughed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people and injuring others, in an Islamic extremist attack. May, who was in the House of Commons for a vote at the time, was evacuated by her security team in the Prime Ministerial car and taken to
10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
. She condemned the attack as "sick and depraved" in the night following it, and said "our resolve will never waver in the face of terrorism" in next day's morning session of Parliament. On 22 May, twenty-two people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated a homemade device laden with shrapnel in the lobby of the
Manchester Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. The arena has the ...
at the end of a music concert with American singer
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
. Two-hundred people were injured in the attack, the worst on British soil since the
7 July 2005 London bombings The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mo ...
. After a COBRA meeting with
Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 me ...
(GMP)'s Chief Constable Ian Hopkins on 23 May, May announced that the UK's terror threat level had been raised to "critical", and remained so until 27 May, when it was reduced to its previous level of severe. Within hours of the attack, information given confidentially to security services in the United States and France were leaked to the news media, leading to condemnation from
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
Amber Rudd Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British former politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye, fir ...
. On 25 May, GMP said it had stopped sharing information on the attack with the US intelligence services. May said she would make clear to US president Donald Trump that "intelligence that has been shared must be made secure." Trump described the leaks to the news media as "deeply troubling", and pledged to carry out a full investigation. May created the Commission for Countering Extremism in the aftermath of the bombing. On 3 June, three terrorists drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before getting out and running into
Borough Market Borough Market is a wholesale and retail market hall in Southwark, London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century. The present buildings were bu ...
. Eight people were killed, and armed police shot the attackers dead eight minutes after the first emergency calls were made.


Grenfell Tower fire

On 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in
Grenfell Tower Grenfell Tower is a derelict 24-storey residential tower block in North Kensington in London, England. The tower was completed in 1974 as part of the first phase of the Lancaster West Estate. The tower was named after Grenfell Road, which ran t ...
, a block of flats in West London, causing 72 deaths. The response to the disaster caused an image problem for May's government during its second term. May stated she would "always regret" not meeting the surviving residents of the tower in the immediate aftermath of the fire.


Salisbury nerve agent attack

On 4 March 2018, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer, and his daughter Yulia Skripal were poisoned in a restaurant in Salisbury. Within days of the attack, political pressure began to mount on May and her government to take action against the perpetrators, and most politicians believed that the Russian government was behind the attack. Several days later May said the agent had been identified as one of the Novichok family of agents, believed to have been developed in the 1980s by the Soviet Union. She said Britain was to push for the EU to agree new sanctions against Russia, and spoke in the House of Commons on 12 March: May said that the British government requested that Russia explain which of these two possibilities it was by the end of 13 March 2018. She also said: "The extra-judicial killing of terrorists and dissidents outside Russia were given legal sanction by the Russian Parliament in 2006. And of course Russia used radiological substances in its barbaric assault on Mr Litvinenko." She said that the UK government would "consider in detail the response from the Russian State" and in the event that there was no credible response, the government would "conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the United Kingdom" and measures would follow. British media billed the statement as "Theresa May's ultimatum to Putin." On 13 March,
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
Amber Rudd Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British former politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye, fir ...
ordered an inquiry by the police and security services into alleged Russian state involvement in 14 previous suspicious deaths of Russian exiles and businessmen in the UK. May unveiled a series of measures on 14 March 2018 in retaliation for the poisoning attack, after the Russian government refused to meet the UK's request for an account of the incident. One of the chief measures was the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats which she presented as "actions to dismantle the Russian espionage network in the UK", as the diplomats had been identified as "undeclared intelligence agents".
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
cast doubt in his parliamentary response to May's statement concerning blaming the attack on Russia prior to the results of an independent investigation, which provoked criticism from some MPs, including members of his own party. The UK's official assessment of the incident was supported by 28 other countries which responded similarly. Altogether, an unprecedented 153 Russian diplomats were expelled. Russia denied the accusations and responded similarly to the expulsions, "accusing Britain of the poisoning". On 5 September, British authorities identified two Russian nationals, using the names Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, as suspected of the Skripals' poisoning, and alleged that they were active officers in Russian military intelligence. May was widely praised for her handling of the nerve agent attack and it was considered to be one of the highest points of her premiership.


Snap general election

On 18 April 2017, in a surprise statement made outside 10 Downing Street, May announced that she was to seek parliamentary approval for an early election. She explained that, following the country's decision in summer 2016 to leave the European Union, she had "only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion" that although she had "said that there should be no election until 2020", that "the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election and seek your support for the decisions I must take." May had previously indicated through a spokesperson she had no plan for a general election; the spokesperson stated "There isn’t going to be one. It isn't going to happen. There is not going to be a general election." She denied there would be an election many times. On 19 April MPs gave May the two-thirds
super-majority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...
required to call the
snap election A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled. Generally, a snap election in a parliamentary system (the dissolution of parliament) is called to capitalize on an unusual electoral opportunity or to ...
she had asked for. MPs voted 522 in favour and 13 against, "giving the go-ahead" for the election to be held on 8 June 2017. During an '' ITV News'' interview on the campaign trail, May said that the naughtiest thing she had ever done was running through fields of wheat as a child. The comment was the subject of sustained media commentary and became closely associated with May. As of 9 June the Conservative Party had lost seats and Labour had gained seats. The Conservatives remained the largest single party but without an absolute majority. In the immediate aftermath of the election, it was unclear if May would continue as prime minister. She stated that she would have an informal understanding with the DUP to keep her party in government. On 10 June 10 Downing Street issued a statement that a
Conservative–DUP agreement The Conservative–DUP agreement between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) followed the 2017 United Kingdom general election which resulted in a hung parliament. Negotiations between the two parties began on 9 June, ...
was reached in principle. A few hours later, the statement was retracted when it was claimed that it had been "issued in error" and that talks between the Conservative Party and DUP were still ongoing. On 11 June former Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, described May as a "dead woman walking".


Second term developments

Potential candidates for a future general election were reluctant to put their names forward in the early days of May's second term. Suspected reasons at the time included being demoralised by May's premiership and lack of confidence that the Conservatives would win at the next election. In July 2018, it was announced the British government was not planning to object to the United States seeking the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
for two suspected British members of ISIL, waiving Britain's long-standing objection to foreign executions. On 28 February, May addressed a Jordan investment conference in
Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its character ...
, speaking alongside Jordan's prime minister,
Omar Razzaz Omar Razzaz ( ar, عمر الرزاز; born 17 May 1961) was the 42nd Prime Minister of Jordan from June 14, 2018 to October 12, 2020. He was designated to form a new government on 5 June 2018 after his predecessor resigned as a result of widesp ...
.
King Abdullah II Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين , translit=ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of t ...
was present at the conference, where May announced new economic support for Jordan. On 7 March, May, along with the Duke and
Duchess of Sussex Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle; August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III. Meghan was ...
, Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...
,
Duchess of Cornwall Duchess of Cornwall is a courtesy title held by the wife of the eldest son and heir of the British monarch. The current title-holder is Catherine, wife of William, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall. Duchesses of Cornwall Until her husband ...
, and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, attended an event at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ha ...
which marked the 50th anniversary of the investiture of the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the ruler ...
. Also in 2018, a public consultation was held on the 2017 manifesto was a commitment to reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004, but was not acted upon before May left office.


Social care reforms

While drafting the 2017 Conservative Party manifesto ahead of the
snap election A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled. Generally, a snap election in a parliamentary system (the dissolution of parliament) is called to capitalize on an unusual electoral opportunity or to ...
, it was widely reported that May had wished
social care Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
reform be a priority, in order to address much needed funding reforms and end the ' intergenerational unfairness' of existing models. The manifesto put forward proposals to raise the threshold for free care from £23,250 to £100,000, while including property in the means test and permitting deferred payment after death. These proposals were derided as a 'dementia tax', and the proposals dominated the media landscape until the London Bridge attack on 3 June 2017. In response to these criticisms, May announced that the proposals would form the basis of a wider consultation on wider social care funding, which drew criticisms of a '
u-turn A U-turn in driving refers to performing a 180° rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the letter U. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others, it is treated as a m ...
'. After the election, journalist Tim Shipman argued that social care was the single issue that cost May her majority. In March 2017,
Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
Philip Hammond Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019, Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014. ...
first announced a green paper on the future funding options for social care. Since the announcement, the green paper was marred by several delays, with the Health Secretary Matt Hancock giving evidence to select committees citing
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
and lack of cross-party consensus as the reasons for the delay. Ultimately, the green paper never materialised during May's premiership. A December 2019 poll by
learning disabilities Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...
charity Hft found that 59% of social care providers in England believed that the situation in social care worsened under May's time in office, compared to just 3% who said it was slightly better.


Huawei 5G network row

In April 2019, May approved the supply of equipment by the Chinese telecoms firm Huawei for the UK's upgrade to a 5G data network. The government went ahead with the decision despite the Five Eyes intelligence grouping - Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Britain - being urged by the United States to exclude the company, due to the rumoured risk of espionage or sabotage. Huawei has been denying claims it is controlled by the
Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...
. The former head of
MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...
, Sir
Richard Dearlove Sir Richard Billing Dearlove (born 23 January 1945) was head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), a role known informally as "C", from 1999 until 6 May 2004. He was in his role as head of MI6 during the invasion of Iraq. He was ...
, accused May of putting economic interests ahead of national security, saying the decision to allow Huawei to supply 5G technology was 'appalling' and presented a significant security risk. The day after May's announcement, it was made public that the police were near to being called in on the Cabinet after an unauthorised disclosure surfaced regarding whether or not to let Huawei bid for sensitive 5G contracts. The Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office called for the resignation of the minister who leaked the information, and May faced criticism for not calling in MI5 to investigate the leak. On 1 May 2019, May dismissed her
Secretary of State for Defence The secretary of state for defence, also referred to as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Ministry of Defence. The incumbent is a membe ...
,
Gavin Williamson Sir Gavin Alexander Williamson (born 25 June 1976) is a British politician who most recently served as Minister of State without Portfolio from 25 October to 8 November 2022. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Staffordshire s ...
, saying she had "compelling evidence" he was responsible for the unauthorised disclosure. May said she had "lost confidence in his ability to serve", promoting former
International Development Secretary The minister of state for development and Africa, formerly the minister of state for development and the secretary of state for international development, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The of ...
Penny Mordaunt into his role. Williamson strenuously denied leaking the information.


Brexit

May triggered
Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union Withdrawal from the European Union is the legal and political process whereby an EU member state ceases to be a member of the Union. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union ( TEU) states that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from t ...
to leave the EU in March 2017. However, under her leadership, the government was unable to reach an EU withdrawal agreement approved by the Conservative Party as a whole. How to manage the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was a major problem; the so-called ' backstop'.


Events during withdrawal negotiations

Following Cabinet agreement for May's proposals on Brexit, David Davis resigned from his government position on 8 July 2018. The day after, Steve Baker also resigned. It was later reported that May was beginning to face the threat of a leadership contest amid mounting anger from Brexiteers over her government's Brexit policy. Conservative Party backbencher
Andrea Jenkyns Andrea Marie Jenkyns (born 16 June 1974) is a British politician serving as Deputy Chairwoman of the European Research Group (ERG) since 2019. She was first elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Morley and Outwood in West York ...
called on for the prime minister to be replaced, saying "
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
's premiership is over".
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
resigned as Foreign Secretary on 9 July 2018.


Reactions to the withdrawal agreement

May's controversial draft withdrawal agreement received widespread criticism and at least 23 Conservative MPs proceeded to submit a letter demanding a vote of no confidence (a total of 48 letters from MPs were needed to trigger one). In addition to this, four ministers, including cabinet members
Esther McVey Esther Louise McVey (born 24 October 1967) is a British politician and television presenter serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton since 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Minister of State for Housing and Pl ...
and
Brexit Secretary Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union or, informally, Brexit Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the business of the Department for Exiting the Eur ...
Dominic Raab, resigned over the deal. However, a poll of 505 Conservative councillors found that a majority wanted MPs to back the prime minister, although more were against the deal than for it. On 4 December 2018, the May government was found in
contempt of Parliament In countries with a parliamentary system of government, contempt of Parliament is the offence of obstructing the legislature in the carrying out of its functions, or of hindering any legislator in the performance of his duties. Typology The conce ...
– the first government to be found in contempt in history – on a motion passed by MPs by 311 to 293 votes. The vote was triggered by the government failing to lay before Parliament any legal advice on the proposed withdrawal agreement on the terms of the UK's departure from the European Union, after a
humble address In British parliamentary procedure, a humble address is a communication from one of the houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the monarch. For example, following the speech from the throne opening a session of parliament, each house wil ...
for a return was unanimously agreed to by the House of Commons on 13 November 2018. The government then agreed to publish the full legal advice for
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
that was given to the prime minister by the
attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
during negotiations with the European Union. A House of Commons vote on May's deal was set to take place on 11 December 2018, but was delayed due to a lack of support for the deal. The following day, it was announced that May would face a vote of confidence in her leadership, after at least 48 Conservative MPs had submitted letters of no confidence to the Chairman of the
1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench membe ...
,
Sir Graham Brady Sir Graham Stuart Brady (born 20 May 1967) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Altrincham and Sale West since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Chairman of the 1922 Committee since 20 ...
. On the evening of 12 December, May won the vote by 200 votes to 117. She subsequently went to an EU summit to secure legal assurances over her Brexit deal, specifically over the controversial 'backstop'. European leaders however ruled out any renegotiation of the deal, but did not rule out assurances on the backstop's temporary nature. Theresa May said that she would not lead the Conservatives in the 2022 general election.


Parliamentary votes on the withdrawal agreement

On 15 January 2019, May's government was defeated in the House of Commons by a margin of 230 votes (202 in favour and 432 opposed) in the first 'meaningful vote' on her deal to leave the EU. It was the largest majority against a United Kingdom government in history. On 16 January, Parliament as a whole held a vote of no confidence in May and her government, which
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
called a " zombie" government. It was the second no-confidence motion since 1925 after the 1979 vote against James Callaghan. The motion fell in May's favour by 19 votes (325 to 306). On 14 February the same year, May suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted by 303 to 258 – a majority of 45 – against a motion endorsing the government's Brexit negotiating strategy. In February 2019, three Conservative MPs –
Heidi Allen Heidi Suzanne Allen (' Bancroft; born 18 January 1975) is a British former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Cambridgeshire from 2015 to 2019. Initially elected as a Conservative, she resigned from the party in F ...
,
Anna Soubry Anna Mary Soubry (; born 7 December 1956) is a British barrister, journalist and former politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxtowe from 2010 to 2019. Known for her support of pro-European policies, she was originally elected as ...
, and
Sarah Wollaston Sarah Wollaston (born 17 February 1962) is a British former Liberal Democrat politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Totnes from 2010 to 2019. First elected for the Conservative Party, she later served as a Change UK and Liberal ...
– defected from the party to join
The Independent Group The Independent Group for Change, also known as Change UK, was a British centrism, centrist, Pro-Europeanism, pro-European Union political party, founded in February 2019 and dissolved ten months later, shortly after all its Member of Parliame ...
, a pro-EU political association of MPs founded by seven former members of the Labour party. The MPs said the reasons for their departure were their opposition to the party's handling of Brexit, what they saw as the takeover of the Conservative party by 'right wing, ... hard-line anti-EU' MPs, and lack of concern from the Conservative party for the 'most vulnerable in society'. May concentrated on convincing MPs to agree to leave the EU with her Brexit deal on the agreed date of 29 March 2019, despite some Conservative backbenchers proposing a two-month postponement. She was also vocally opposed to a second referendum on Brexit. On 24 February, May delayed the second 'meaningful' vote on the final Brexit deal until 12 March, a fortnight before the 29 March date. She faced further calls for her resignation. On 26 February, she said that she wanted to avoid a possible extension to the
Article 50 Withdrawal from the European Union is the legal and political process whereby an EU member state ceases to be a member of the Union. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union ( TEU) states that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from t ...
period. She also spoke of the fact that she hoped MPs would get to vote on a "short, limited" delay to Brexit if they reject her deal and a no-deal exit from the EU. On 28 February, the
minister of state for agriculture, fisheries and food Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
,
George Eustice Charles George Eustice (born 28 September 1971) is a British politician and former public relations executive who held office as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs between 2020 and 2022. A member of the Conservative Pa ...
, resigned from May's government over her promise to allow MPs a vote on delaying Brexit if her Brexit deal were to be rejected. In his resignation letter, Eustice said "I fear that developments this week will lead to a sequence of events culminating in the EU dictating the terms of any extension requested and the final humiliation of our country." On 12 March, May was again defeated in the House of Commons, on the second 'meaningful vote', this time by 149 votes (242 in favour and 391 against), on her latest Brexit deal after she secured last-minute concessions from the EU.


Delay to date of departure

On 21 March an extension was agreed until 12 April, or 22 May, if MPs approved the Withdrawal Agreement. However, on 29 March MPs rejected the withdrawal agreement in the third 'meaningful vote', making the new departure date 12 April. Later that month, May began asking the EU for a short extension of the two-year Brexit process until 30 June. European Council President Donald Tusk said he believed the EU would agree to a short extension, but this would only be if May's deal was supported by UK MPs, and not in the case of a no-deal Brexit. On 5 April May wrote to Donald Tusk requesting a second extension until 30 June. On 11 April, the EU agreed to an extension until 31 May if the UK failed to hold European Parliament elections, or an extension to 31 October if it did. May accepted the 31 October date, after previously saying said she would not accept an extension beyond 30 June. The new withdrawal date postponed the risk of the UK "crashing out" of the EU without a deal. From the Labour benches, Shadow Brexit Secretary
Sir Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (; born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and barrister who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras ...
called May's delay "a good thing", saying businesses would be "relieved", and "Negotiations are in good faith. We all feel a deep sense of duty to break the impasse. But there's also this question of how on Earth do we ensure that anything this Prime Minister promises is actually delivered in the future because of course she's already said she's going to step down, probably within months." Talks between Labour and the government aimed at breaking the Brexit impasse ended without agreement on 17 May. May promised to set a timetable for her departure from office if she lost the parliamentary vote on her EU withdrawal agreement bill in the week beginning 3 June. The chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir
Graham Brady Sir Graham Stuart Brady (born 20 May 1967) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Altrincham and Sale West since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Chairman of the 1922 Committee since 20 ...
, said he had reached an agreement over the Prime Minister's future during "very frank" talks in Parliament. He confirmed that the committee's executive and May would meet again to discuss her future following the first debate. The
Leader of the House of Commons The leader of the House of Commons is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom whose main role is organising government business in the House of Commons. The leader is generally a member or attendee of the cabinet of the ...
,
Andrea Leadsom Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Enviro ...
, resigned from May's cabinet with a "heavy heart" on the eve of the 23 May 2019 European election, saying she could no longer back the government's Brexit plan.


Final months in office


Announcement of resignation

On 27 March 2019 at a meeting of the
1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench membe ...
, May confirmed that she would "not lead the UK in the next stage of
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
negotiations", meaning she was expected to resign after the third meaningful vote, if it had passed successfully. However, no date was stated, and her reported wording was ambiguous and thus carried no binding force. On 29 March, the third meaningful vote was defeated, and while May did not state anything in regard to standing down, Corbyn stated that if May could not find an alternative to her deal "she must go, not at an indeterminate date in the future but now." On 22 April it was announced that the leaders of 70
Conservative Association A Conservative Association (CA) is a local organisation composed of Conservative Party members in the United Kingdom. Every association varies in membership size but all correspond to a parliamentary constituency in England, Wales, Scotland and ...
s had signed a petition calling for a vote of no confidence. Under party rules an Extraordinary General Meeting must be convened if one is demanded by 65 associations. The non-binding vote, to be determined by 800 of the party's senior officials, would be the first time such an instance had occurred. On 24 April, the party's 1922 Committee ruled out changing the leadership challenge rules, but its chair,
Graham Brady Sir Graham Stuart Brady (born 20 May 1967) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Altrincham and Sale West since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Chairman of the 1922 Committee since 20 ...
, asked for clarity on when May would step down from office. In the 23 May
European Parliament election Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are considered the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Unti ...
, the Conservative Party lost 15 seats in the European Parliament (placing them fifth, behind the
Brexit Party Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded with support from Nigel Farage in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, advocating hard Euroscepticism and a no-deal Brexit, and was briefly a significant p ...
, Liberal Democrats, Labour Party and Green Party), achieved a 9% vote share, and nursed what many called the worst nationwide election result in their 185-year history. The next day, May announced that she would resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party effective 7 June 2019, remaining leader for Donald Trump's state visit. She stated, "it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort rexit"


Reaction

Conservative MPs Liam Fox,
Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician who has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer since 14 October 2022. He previously served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Spor ...
, Michael Gove, Steve Baker,
Andrea Leadsom Dame Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (; ' Salmon; born 13 May 1963) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Northamptonshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Secretary of State for Enviro ...
, Julian Smith, Dominic Raab,
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
, Matt Hancock,
Sajid Javid Sajid Javid (; born 5 December 1969) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from June 2021 to July 2022, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2018 to 2019 and Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
and
Philip Hammond Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician and life peer who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019, Foreign Secretary from 2014 to 2016, and Defence Secretary from 2011 to 2014. ...
were among those paying tribute to May after her resignation announcement. Leader of the Opposition
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
tweeted that it was "right" for May to have left her post, and used the opportunity to call for an early general election. He later said he could understand the "stress" May was going through. Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson said that May had an "unenviably difficult job" and deemed that "she did it badly." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable responded with a similar message to Labour, saying "she aywas right to recognise that her administration had reached the end of the road." The European Commission said that President Jean-Claude Juncker lauded May as "a woman of courage," and that he viewed her resignation "without personal joy."


Donald Trump state visit

May was strongly criticised in the United Kingdom by members of all major parties, including her own, for refusing to condemn Donald Trump's Executive Order 13769 (colloquially known as the "Muslim ban") as well as for inviting Trump to a state visit with
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
. More than 1.8 million signed an official parliamentary e-petition which said that " Donald Trump's well documented misogyny and vulgarity disqualifies him from being received by Her Majesty the Queen or the Prince of Wales," and Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
said in Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) that Trump should not be welcomed to Britain "while he abuses our shared values with his shameful Muslim ban and attacks on refugees' and women's rights" and said that Trump should be banned from the UK until the bar on Muslims entering the US is lifted. Baroness Warsi, former chair of the Conservatives, accused May of "bowing down" to Trump, who she described as "a man who has no respect for women, disdain for minorities, little value for LGBT communities, no compassion clearly for the vulnerable and whose policies are rooted in divisive rhetoric." London Mayor
Sadiq Khan Sadiq Aman Khan (; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting from 2005 until 2016. A member of the Labour Party, Khan is on the party's soft ...
and the Conservative leader in Scotland, Ruth Davidson, also called for the visit to be cancelled. In a statement, Corbyn said, "Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honour a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs
climate change denial Climate change denial, or global warming denial, is denial, dismissal, or doubt that contradicts the scientific consensus on climate change, including the extent to which it is caused by humans, its effects on nature and human society, or the ...
and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric. Maintaining an important relationship with the United States does not require the pomp and ceremony of a state visit. It is disappointing that the Prime Minister has again opted to kowtow to this US administration." He confirmed he was intending to boycott the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honour of President Trump. Trump, along with First Lady
Melania Trump Melania Trump ( ; born Melanija Knavs , Germanized as Melania Knauss ; born April 26, 1970) is a Slovene-American former model and businesswoman who served as First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 as the wife of 45th president Do ...
, their adult children, and a number of members of his administration, landed at London Stansted Airport on 3 June 2019 to begin their three-day state visit. They were greeted at the airport by the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Woody Johnson Robert Wood Johnson IV (born April 12, 1947) is an American businessman who was United States ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021. He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, and a billionaire heir to the Johnson & Johnson ph ...
and Foreign Secretary
Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician who has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer since 14 October 2022. He previously served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Spor ...
. That day he met the Queen,
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
and other members of the Royal Family at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ha ...
, and in the evening, paid tribute to the Queen in a state banquet with May. The next day, Trump and May partook in a breakfast meeting of British and American business leaders, with the intention to boost trade links between the two countries. Mr and Mrs Trump then arrived at Downing Street in the vehicle
Cadillac One The United States presidential state car (nicknamed "the Beast", "Cadillac One", "First Car"; code named "Stagecoach") is the official state car of the president of the United States. United States presidents embraced automotive technology in ...
, and were shown a copy of the
American Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...
inside Downing Street. During this same time,
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
spoke at a rally against the state visit, in nearby Trafalgar Square. At a joint press conference at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with May, Trump said he had turned down a request from Corbyn to meet during the visit. A Labour spokesman said Corbyn remained "ready to engage with the president on a range of issues, including the climate emergency, threats to peace and the refugee crisis." Trump said that the United States and United Kingdom have the "greatest alliance the world has ever known", promising a "phenomenal" trade deal after the UK leaves the EU, and adding that "everything is on the table" - including the
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
. News agencies reported that Trump seemed to spend more time with Conservative leadership contenders on the visit than he did with May, holding a private meeting with Hunt on Tuesday night, speaking to Michael Gove at the state banquet and having a 20-minute phone call with
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
. He also met
Nigel Farage Nigel Paul Farage (; born 3 April 1964) is a British broadcaster and former politician who was Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Brexit Party (renamed Reform UK in 2021) from 20 ...
, May's former European election rival from the
Brexit Party Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded with support from Nigel Farage in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, advocating hard Euroscepticism and a no-deal Brexit, and was briefly a significant p ...
.


D-Day 75th anniversary

On the third day of the state visit, Trump and May travelled to Portsmouth to attend the 75th D-Day anniversary commemorative ceremonies. Members of the armed forces and more than 300 veterans attended the event, which included a flypast of the Red Arrows. May hosted a total of 15 world leaders and used the occasion to call for continued Western unity in tackling what she called "new and evolving security threats." The last time outside a formal summit that Britain had hosted the multitude of international political figures seen in Portsmouth was during the
2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
under David Cameron.


Caretaker Prime Minister

The Conservative Party fell to third place in the 6 June
2019 Peterborough by-election A by-election took place in the Parliamentary constituency of Peterborough on 6 June 2019. It was won by Lisa Forbes of the Labour Party. Mike Greene of the Brexit Party took second place. The seat was vacant following the removal of the for ...
, behind winners Labour and the Brexit Party in second place, in what was historically a Conservative-Labour marginal seat. May remained as 'caretaker' Prime Minister, awaiting the election of a successor by the Conservative Party membership in the 2019 leadership election. The winner of the contest was declared on 23 July to be
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
MP. On 10 June, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
announced that it would end free TV licenses for most of its consumers over the age of 75, by June 2020. May said she was "very disappointed" with the BBC's decision and urged the corporation to rethink its budgeting plan. On 12 June, May announced the terms of a new government strategy to tackle climate change, pledging Britain to cut
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...
to a net zero figure by 2050. This followed the
Committee on Climate Change The Climate Change Committee (CCC), originally named the Committee on Climate Change, is an independent non-departmental public body, formed under the Climate Change Act (2008) to advise the United Kingdom and devolved Governments and Parliament ...
's report in May, which said that the net zero figure is reachable by that date at no added cost from previous estimates. In Prime Minister's Questions on 17 June, May said that she would remain as MP for Maidenhead after stepping down as Prime Minister. She said she was "looking forward" to "devoting her full time" to her Maidenhead constituency. At the G20 Osaka summit, May attended a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and berated the Salisbury nerve agent attack as a "despicable act". She further confronted Putin over a "wider pattern of unacceptable behaviour". On 12 July, May created a new body, the Office for Tackling Injustices, to monitor government efforts to tackle "deep-seated societal injustice" and to use data to "provide the catalyst" for better policies.


See also

*
2010s in United Kingdom political history 2010s political history refers to significant political and societal historical events in the United Kingdom in the 2010s, presented as a historical overview in narrative format. There were four Prime Ministers during this time (Brown, Camero ...
*
Politics of the United Kingdom The United Kingdom is a unitary state with devolution that is governed within the framework of a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch, currently Charles III, King of the United Kingdom, is the head ...
*
2019 Conservative Party leadership election The 2019 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered when Theresa May announced on 24 May 2019 that she would resign as leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June and as prime minister of the United Kingdom once a successor had been el ...


References


Further reading

* Allen, Nicholas. "Brexit, butchery and Boris: Theresa May and her first cabinet." ''Parliamentary Affairs'' 70.3 (2017): 633-644
online
* Allen, Nicholas. "'Brexit means Brexit': Theresa May and post-referendum British politics." ''British Politics'' 13.1 (2018): 105-120
online
* Atkins, Judi, and John Gaffney. "Narrative, persona and performance: The case of Theresa May 2016–2017." ''British Journal of Politics and International Relations'' 22.2 (2020): 293-308
online
* Bale, Tim, and Paul Webb. "'Honey, I shrunk the majority': Theresa may and the Tories." ''Political Insight'' 8.2 (2017): 20-23. * Brusenbauch Meislova, Monika. "Brexit Means Brexit—or Does It? The Legacy of Theresa May's Discursive Treatment of Brexit." ''Political Quarterly'' (Oct 2019) 90#4 pp 681–689. * Byrne, Chris, Nick Randall, and Kevin Theakston. "Theresa May's disjunctive premiership: Choice and constraint in political time." ''British Journal of Politics and International Relations'' (2021): 13691481211016931
online
* Cole, Mike. ''Theresa May, The Hostile Environment and Public Pedagogies of Hate and Threat. The Case for a Future Without Borders'' (Routledge. 2019). * Harrois, Thibaud. "Towards 'Global Britain'? Theresa May and the UK's Role in the World after Brexit." ''Observatoire de la société britannique'' 21 (2018): 51-73
online
* Hickson, Kevin, Robert Page, and Ben Williams. "Strangled at birth: the One Nation ideology of Theresa May." ''Journal of Political Ideologies'' 25.3 (2020): 334-350. * McConnell, Allan, and Simon Tormey. "Explanations for the Brexit policy fiasco: near-impossible challenge, leadership failure or Westminster pathology?." ''Journal of European Public Policy'' 27.5 (2020): 685-702
online
* Marlow-Stevens, Samuel, and Richard Hayton. "A rhetorical political analysis of Theresa May's statecraft on Brexit." ''Parliamentary Affairs'' (2020). * Prince, Rosa. ''Theresa May: The enigmatic prime minister'' (Biteback Publishing, 2017). * Roe-Crines, Andrew, Tim Heppell, and David Jeffery. "Theresa May and the Conservative Party leadership confidence motion of 2018: analysing the voting behaviour of Conservative Parliamentarians." ''British Politics'' (2020): 1-19
online
* Seldon, Anthony. ''May At Ten'' (2020
excerpt
* Shipman, Tim. ''All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class'' (2nd ed. 2017
excerpt
* Shipman, Tim. ''Fall Out: A Year of Political Mayhem'' (2017), journalist looks at May's performance * Schnapper, Pauline. "Theresa May, the Brexit negotiations and the two-level game, 2017–2019." ''Journal of Contemporary European Studies'' (2020): 1-12. * Trimble, Linda. ''Ms. Prime Minister: Gender, Media, and Leadership'' (2017
excerpt
* Williams, Ben. "Tory ideology and social policy under Theresa May: Current and future directions." ''Renewal'' 25.3-4 (2017): 128-138. * Williams, Blair E. "A tale of two women: A comparative gendered media analysis of UK Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May." ''Parliamentary Affairs'' 74.2 (2021): 398-420. * Yolles, Maurice, and Davide Di Fatta. "Agency, personality, and multiple identity types: understanding Theresa May." ''Kybernetes'' (2018)
online
{{Theresa May May, Theresa Consequences of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum History of the Conservative Party (UK) Theresa May 2016 in the United Kingdom 2017 in the United Kingdom 2018 in the United Kingdom 2019 in the United Kingdom Articles containing video clips