--- title: "Theresa May Becomes UK Prime Minister" year: 2016 country: "United Kingdom" canonical: "https://recap.at/2016/may-prime-minister" slug: "may-prime-minister" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "2016-01-01" --- # Theresa May Becomes UK Prime Minister > May assumed office in the wake of the Brexit referendum, tasked with negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union. 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. ## Summary 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. ## Key facts - **Date of appointment**: July 13, 2016 - **Order in British history**: 76th Prime Minister - **Gender milestone**: Second woman to hold office - **Predecessor**: David Cameron - **Party**: Conservative Party - **Days in office**: 1,036 (until July 24, 2019) - **Cabinet position before PM**: Home Secretary - **Years as Home Secretary**: 6 (2010-2016) ## Timeline - **2016-06-23** - Brexit referendum UK votes 52% to 48% to leave the European Union; David Cameron announces he will step down. - **2016-07-11** - Conservative leadership race narrows Theresa May emerges as frontrunner after rival Andrea Leadsom withdraws from the contest. - **2016-07-13** - May appointed Prime Minister Theresa May becomes Prime Minister after meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. She forms her first Cabinet. - **2016-07-14** - First statements as PM May delivers her first speech outside 10 Downing Street, pledging to make Britain work for ordinary working people. - **2016-10-02** - Conservative Party Conference speech May delivers keynote address signaling hard Brexit stance and 'Great Repeal Bill' to end EU law supremacy. - **2017-03-29** - Article 50 triggered May formally initiates Brexit negotiations with the European Union, setting a two-year departure clock. ## Consequences - **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. - **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 - 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. - **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. ## Then vs now - **UK unemployment rate**: 2016: 4.9% → 2024: 3.7% - July 2016 vs. September 2024 - **FTSE 100 index**: 2016: 6,338 → 2024: 8,157 - 13 July 2016 (May's first day) vs. January 2024 - **Sterling to US Dollar exchange rate**: 2016: 1.34 → 2024: 1.27 - July 2016 vs. December 2024 - **UK government debt as % of GDP**: 2016: 87.5% → 2023: 97.8% - Post-referendum; pre-pandemic vs. latest available - **Number of Conservative MPs**: 2016: 330 → 2024: 121 - After May took office vs. December 2024 ## Media coverage - **The Guardian** (2016-07-13): [Theresa May becomes Prime Minister after David Cameron's resignation](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/13/theresa-may-confirmed-as-new-prime-minister) > 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. - **The Telegraph** (2016-07-13): [Theresa May is new Prime Minister - 'Brexit means Brexit'](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/13/theresa-may-becomes-prime-minister/) > 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. - **BBC News** (2016-07-13): [Theresa May appointed UK Prime Minister after Cameron steps down](bbc.co.uk/news) > 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. - **The New York Times** (2016-07-13): [Theresa May Becomes Prime Minister of Britain, Vowing to Lead Brexit Negotiations](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/14/world/europe/theresa-may-becomes-prime-minister-of-britain.html) > 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. - **Der Spiegel** (2016-07-13): [Theresa May - Britanniens neue Premierministerin](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable) > 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. ## Impact May's ascension marked a pivot point for British politics. She inherited the immediate task of managing Brexit negotiations while holding together a party with irreconcilable positions on Europe, a challenge that would ultimately consume her premiership and reshape UK governance for years to come. ## Sources - [Prime Minister of the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/2016/may-prime-minister