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| British Conservative party leadership candidate Theresa May Photo |
The uncertainty and backlash that followed Brexit may have hurt the United Kindgom’s economy and ruined the careers of orchestrators of Britain’s looming exit from the European Union, but it is also set to give a confused nation its second female Prime Minister.
Home Secretary, Theresa May, is now the Prime Minister-in-waiting and is expected to take over from David Cameron on Wednesday next week.
But who exactly is Theresa May? Here are 10 things you need to know about the woman chosen to lead the UK post-Brexit?
- She was born in 1956 to a Church of England Vicar, Rev. Hubert Braiser, who was not known to hold strong political views.
- She was born without a silver spoon; her father was a chaplain at the time of her birth, her grandmothers were domestic workers at some point. Further down the line were builders, carpenters, stewards, clerks, and soldiers.
- May, who would become 60 on October 1, 2016, had wanted to become Britain’s Prime Minister since she was 12. According to family history expert Roy Stockdill her mother, Zaidee Barnes, who died of multiple sclerosis in 1982, encouraged her to pursue her dream.
- Her education did not reflect her political dreams as she went to a convent for school for girls before going on to study Geography at Oxford University. She also started her career with the Bank of England.
- Her foray into politics was turbulent. After becoming Councilor of London Borough in 1986, she failed in her first two attempts to get into parliament in 1992 and 1994, respectively before succeeding in 1997.
- She has been a Member of Parliament representing Maidenhead since 1997 and Home Secretary since 2010.
- Although a member of the Conservative Party, which inspired Brexit, she supported the ‘Remain’ campaign.
- She has been likened to Britain’s first female PM, Margaret Thatcher and is considered a tough-talker and negotiator, who can unite the country after the bitter, divisive campaign leading up to Brexit.
- She supports same-sex marriage.
- She has been married to investment banker Phillip May since 1980 but the couple were unable to have children for health reasons.
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