In short
Theresa May became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on July 13, 2016, following David Cameron's resignation after the Brexit referendum. She was the second woman to hold the office, inheriting a fractured Conservative Party and a country divided over its future in the European Union.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern prime ministers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons, so they are invariably members of Parliament.
As it was happening
11 voices, 279 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Brexit referendum
UK votes 52% to 48% to leave the European Union; David Cameron announces he will step down.
Voices from this moment (1)
Brexit referendum
Jun 23
“UK votes 52% to 48% to leave the European Union; David…”
As it was happening
11 voices, 279 days.
Day 0 · June 23, 2016
Brexit referendum
UK votes 52% to 48% to leave the European Union; David Cameron announces he will step down.
“UK votes 52% to 48% to leave the European Union; David…”
- Brexit referendum, Jun 23
Day 18 · July 11, 2016
Conservative leadership race narrows
Theresa May emerges as frontrunner after rival Andrea Leadsom withdraws from the contest.
“Theresa May emerges as frontrunner after rival Andrea…”
- Conservative leadership race narrows, Jul 11
Day 20 · July 13, 2016
May appointed Prime Minister
Theresa May becomes Prime Minister after meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. She forms her first Cabinet.
“Theresa May becomes Prime Minister after David Cameron's…”
- The Guardian, Jul 13
“Theresa May is new Prime Minister - 'Brexit means Brexit'”
- The Telegraph, Jul 13
“Theresa May appointed UK Prime Minister after Cameron steps…”
- BBC News, Jul 13
“Theresa May Becomes Prime Minister of Britain, Vowing to…”
- The New York Times, Jul 13
“Theresa May - Britanniens neue Premierministerin”
- Der Spiegel, Jul 13
“Theresa May becomes Prime Minister after meeting Queen…”
- May appointed Prime Minister, Jul 13
Day 21 · July 14, 2016
First statements as PM
May delivers her first speech outside 10 Downing Street, pledging to make Britain work for ordinary working people.
“May delivers her first speech outside 10 Downing Street,…”
- First statements as PM, Jul 14
Day 101 · October 2, 2016
Conservative Party Conference speech
May delivers keynote address signaling hard Brexit stance and 'Great Repeal Bill' to end EU law supremacy.
“May delivers keynote address signaling hard Brexit stance…”
- Conservative Party Conference speech, Oct 2
Day 279 · March 29, 2017
Article 50 triggered
May formally initiates Brexit negotiations with the European Union, setting a two-year departure clock.
“May formally initiates Brexit negotiations with the…”
- Article 50 triggered, Mar 29
Afterward
What followed
- 2017 - General election called, Conservative majority lost. May called a snap election on 18 April 2017, expecting to strengthen her hand in Brexit talks. The 8 June election backfired spectacularly, leaving her party with 318 seats and forced into a confidence-and-supply agreement with the 10 DUP MPs to govern.
- 2017 - Grenfell Tower fire and public inquiry. The 14 June 2017 Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people in west London, exposing systemic failures in building safety oversight and regulation. May's government faced sustained criticism over its response and the delay in establishing a public inquiry.
- 2017 - Hard Brexit negotiation begins. May triggered Article 50 on 29 March 2017, formally beginning the UK's exit from the EU. This set a two-year countdown for leaving and launched years of fractious negotiations with Brussels over trade terms, the Irish border, and citizens' rights.
- 2018 - Chequers Plan published. On 6 July 2018, May unveiled her proposed post-Brexit trade arrangement (later called the Chequers Plan) at her country residence. The plan triggered resignations from David Davis and Boris Johnson, fracturing her cabinet and hardening opposition from both Remainers and Leavers.
- 2019 - May announces resignation. On 24 May 2019, May announced she would step down as Prime Minister by 7 June. Her three failed attempts to pass her Brexit withdrawal agreement through Parliament had made her position untenable. Boris Johnson succeeded her in July 2019.
The numbers.
3 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Order in British history
0th Prime Minister
Days in office
0 (until July 24, 2019)
Years as Home Secretary
0 (2010-2016)
The visual record.
Front pages.
3 outlets carried the story: The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC News.
Media coverage
What the world was reading.
5 pieces, ranked by how much they shaped the discourse.
The Guardian
Newspaper · United Kingdom · Jul 13, 2016
"Theresa May becomes Prime Minister after David Cameron's resignation"
Theresa May was confirmed as Britain's second female prime minister on Wednesday after David Cameron formally resigned following the Brexit referendum. The Home Secretary, who campaigned to remain in the EU, will take office immediately and face the task of negotiating the country's departure from the European Union.
- Jul 13, 2016
BBC News
TV · United Kingdom
"Theresa May appointed UK Prime Minister after Cameron steps down"
Theresa May has been appointed Prime Minister following David Cameron's resignation in the wake of the EU referendum result. May, the longest-serving Home Secretary in modern times, replaces Cameron with immediate effect.
- Jul 13, 2016
The Telegraph
Newspaper · United Kingdom
"Theresa May is new Prime Minister - 'Brexit means Brexit'"
Theresa May has become Prime Minister and immediately declared that 'Brexit means Brexit', signalling a hard line on EU negotiations. The Home Secretary takes over from David Cameron with a mandate to unite the fractured Conservative Party and country.
- Jul 13, 2016
The New York Times
Newspaper · United States
"Theresa May Becomes Prime Minister of Britain, Vowing to Lead Brexit Negotiations"
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, was appointed Prime Minister of Britain on Wednesday, taking over from David Cameron after the country's vote to leave the European Union. She assumes office at a moment of deep uncertainty about Britain's future relationships with Europe and the world.
- Jul 13, 2016
Der Spiegel
Magazine · Germany
"Theresa May - Britanniens neue Premierministerin"
DE: 'Theresa May - Britanniens neue Premierministerin' / EN: 'Theresa May - Britain's New Prime Minister'. May succeeds David Cameron as Britain navigates the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, inheriting the challenge of negotiating the nation's departure from the EU.
At the cinema, on the charts.
While the world watched Finding Dory, Blinding Lights topped the charts.
The world it landed in
What was on the radio, the screen, and everyone's mind.
Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
Culturally dominant during 2016 was not possible; The Weeknd's earlier work like 'Can't Feel My Face' (2015) was contemporary
One Dance - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla
Closer - The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
Finding Dory (2016)
The Jungle Book (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Game of Thrones
Season 6 aired in 2016
The Crown
Netflix series debuted in November 2016
Stranger Things
Netflix series premiered in July 2016
Same week, elsewhere
2016 was shaped by Brexit's shock result (June), Donald Trump's US election victory (November), and cultural dominance of superhero franchises and prestige television. UK culture was fractured between Leave and Remain camps, with political uncertainty defining the national mood.
Then and now.
5 measurements then and now - the deltas the event left behind.
Then & now
The world the event landed in vs. the one it left behind.
UK unemployment rate
4.9%
2016
3.7%
2024
July 2016 vs. September 2024
FTSE 100 index
6,338
2016
8,157
2024
13 July 2016 (May's first day) vs. January 2024
Sterling to US Dollar exchange rate
1.34
2016
1.27
2024
July 2016 vs. December 2024
UK government debt as % of GDP
87.5%
2016
97.8%
2023
Post-referendum; pre-pandemic vs. latest available
Number of Conservative MPs
330
2016
121
2024
After May took office vs. December 2024
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
en.wikipedia.org