How old is British Prime Minister Theresa May? Theresa May is the “lead lady” who will have to unite Britain

On July 13, 2016, Queen Elizabeth II officially accepted David Cameron's resignation as Prime Minister and proposed the formation of a new government to Theresa May, who became the second woman after Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of Great Britain. NTV talks about how her career developed and why she was entrusted with leading the country out of the European Union.

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Who is Theresa May?

Theresa May was born in 1956 in Great Britain (East Sussex). She received a BA in Geography from Oxford University. In addition, she worked at the Bank of England and London self-government bodies.

In 1992, she participated in the parliamentary elections in the constituency of North West Durham and in the 1994 early elections in the constituency of Barking, but Theresa May was then unable to gain a sufficient number of votes.

However, a few years later she was elected from the new constituency of Maidenhead. Since the same year he has been constantly re-elected.

From 1997 to 2002, she held various minor positions in the shadow Conservative government.

In 2002, she became the first female chairman of the Conservative Party. She was engaged, unlike the party leader, technical issues ensuring the functioning of conservatives.

From 2003 to 2005 she was Shadow Minister for Transport and Shadow Minister for Food and Environment.

From May to December 2005 she was Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport.

From 2009 to 2010 she served as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

After the 2010 elections, she was appointed Home Secretary, while also receiving the portfolio of Minister for Women and Equalities. In this position, she campaigned for equal rights for same-sex couples, becoming one of the first senior UK politicians to publicly express her support for legalizing same-sex marriage.

In the House of Commons, May voted for the invasion of Iraq, for the adoption of laws to combat climate change, against further integration of Great Britain into the European Union, and against the smoking ban in public places, is against allowing gay couples to adopt children.

Why did she become the new prime minister?

It should be noted that during the campaign before the referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union, Theresa May supported Prime Minister David Cameron, who was against Brexit. However, after summing up the results of the general vote, her opinion changed quite dramatically. After the victory of Brexit supporters and Prime Minister David Cameron's announcement of his resignation, she unexpectedly announced her candidacy for the post of head of the Conservative Party. This automatically means nomination for the post of prime minister of the country.

In the first stage of the election by Conservative MPs, Theresa May became the leader of the race. On July 7, 2016, two women became the final contenders for the post of Prime Minister of the country: Theresa May (she received 199 votes from parliamentarians) and Andrea Leads (received 84 votes). Thus, it was May who became the most likely contender for the post of head of the Conservative Party.

Photo: Reuters/Neil Hall

Already on July 11, 2016, Theresa May became the only candidate for this position. Andrea Leads ended her campaign early. After some time, May was declared leader of the party, and David Cameron resigned.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain took over as Prime Minister. Theresa May was officially appointed head of government.

David Cameron: “It was not an easy path, but we got through it, not all decisions were right, but our country has become much stronger than before.”

Let us recall that Theresa May became the second owner of the Downing Street residence in British history (the first woman to serve as prime minister was Margaret Thatcher).

New British Prime Minister: who is Theresa May

59-year-old Theresa May will officially become the new Prime Minister of Great Britain on July 13. She is the second woman in the country's history after Margaret Thatcher to occupy this high post. May graduated from Oxford and worked in banking and government in her youth. In politics - since the mid-90s. In 2010, she became Home Secretary and Minister for Women's Rights and Equality. the site tells you what you need to know about the new heroine of modern politics.

Theresa May

Women's victory

Regardless of whether Theresa May won this election, women would still have won. The second candidate for the country's top job was 53-year-old Andrea Leadsom, deputy minister of the economy. But Theresa May immediately became the leader of the race, and on July 11, her opponent ended the campaign, turning May into the only contender for the post. May supported David Cameron's policies and was against Brexit. Now she is the leader of the Conservative Party and on July 13 Cameron will transfer his powers to her.

new and former prime minister: Theresa May and David Cameron

Theresa May is often compared to Angela Merkel. One of the similarities in the lives of these women is very unusual - they were both born into families of theologians. And while Merkel's father studied theology and was for some time a Lutheran pastor, May's father was a Protestant minister and served as vicar at Wheatley Church near Oxford. Theresa May herself is also an obedient parishioner and attends church every Sunday. At the same time, she supports gender equality and is a supporter of same-sex marriage.

Theresa May got married in 1980. Their marriage to Philip John May will mark 36 years this September. The Prime Minister's husband is an investment banker and is now an employee of the American trust company Capital Group Companies. This couple has no children. Theresa May does not hide that the reason for her childlessness is her health and very much regrets that she was never able to know the joy of motherhood.

Theresa May with her husband Philip John May

Health

In addition to the fact that Theresa May cannot have children, four years ago she learned about another problem. In 2012 she was diagnosed diabetes mellitus 1st type. Therefore, she constantly needs to take insulin and be under medical supervision.

Theresa May

Theresa May's relationship with fashion is not the easiest. Although in Britain it is believed that she loves to dress beautifully and fashionably, the politician has several rather major mistakes that the whole world remembers. May is especially partial to bright and even eccentric shoes. So, at a party conference she once appeared in leopard-print pumps, which caused heated discussions among colleagues and in the press. And later she appeared at a reception with Queen Elizabeth II in a strange look, including high patent leather boots.

Elizabeth II and Theresa May in those same boots

Elizabeth II and Theresa May

Theresa May's favorite pumps

But still, at serious party congresses, Theresa May prefers strict black or gray suits, and for cocktail and informal events she chooses jackets with geometric prints, and sometimes bright red dresses. The editors of the site invite you to consider the most vivid images the woman who will be in charge of UK politics for the next few years.

Theresa May, despite the fact that even before her sensational appointment her career was going uphill, people started talking about relatively recently. Under gaze The world community was affected not only by the career achievements of the new prime minister, but also by personal ones. The press actively writes about complex nature and Lady May’s impeccable restraint, for which one of her colleagues even called her a marble woman. And her extravagant style of clothing and love for original shoes immediately became the object of independent discussion. However, May herself rarely allows herself to be mocked - after all, it’s not for nothing that she is called the second Margaret Thatcher.

Job

2000

Teresa was born into a religious family, raised in strict Puritan traditions and, it seems, from childhood she probably knew what she wanted. A specific upbringing and an excellent education at Oxford did their job - throughout her career in politics, May always made decisions based not on ideology, but on personal morality: this woman clearly understands what is good and what is bad. Iron integrity allowed Teresa to make a dizzying career in, I must say, quite short term. Theresa May began to be interested in politics back in the late 80s. Then she took her first post - she became the head of one of the London districts. But May always dreamed of more, namely, to be the first woman prime minister. Thatcher, of course, was ahead of her (simply because she was born much earlier), but May was still disappointed - she never liked being second. Then May suffered several more crushing defeats - she tried to run for high positions, but, alas, nothing good came of it. Another would have given up long ago, but not Teresa.

In 2002, Teresa managed to become the first female chairman of the Conservative Party. Actually, it was in this position that she showed her love for categorical and direct statements. It is easy to assume that she practiced this style of communication before, but from now on almost every statement Teresa made became public knowledge. For example, in 2002, speaking to delegates at the party congress, she said: “You know what people say about us - they call us an evil party.” The words of the future prime minister, oddly enough, did not cause condemnation, but, on the contrary, forced respect for the future Iron Lady No. 2 is even bigger. For sharp tongue Fellow members of the Conservative Party use the epithet bloody difficult in relation to her. Well, she can really speak out harshly, but Teresa has a principle that she never violates - not to use swear words in her speech.

Following the 2010 election, Theresa May was appointed Home Secretary (a post she held longer than any of her predecessors) and was given the portfolio of Women and Equalities Minister at the same time. In the remaining 6 years before her triumph, May voted with one hand for the legalization of same-sex marriage, and with the other for a ban on gay couples adopting children; opposed leaving the European Union and at the same time opposed further integration of Great Britain into the EU. May's ambiguity as a politician was also expressed in the fact that, being a supporter of Cameron on Brexit, she immediately nominated herself for the post of head of the ruling Conservative Party as soon as it became clear that Cameron was resigning. “Brexit means Brexit,” Theresa May said then. Obviously, despite her personal beliefs, she could not miss her, perhaps, the first and last chance to realize her lifelong dream. Let it be as the second female prime minister in British history.

Personal life

Theresa May with her husband Philip

The Prime Minister's colleagues say that it is absolutely impossible to make friends with Teresa. She is a typical introvert, has a hard time getting along with people and hates public speaking, preferring to do it only when absolutely necessary (perhaps the whole point is that she is simply bad at speaking, read: “How to fail a public speaking: a visual aid from Teresa May"). Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said May was “made of marble”. However, her relatives do not agree with this definition and note that if you manage to win her trust, you will get a truly loyal friend who will never weave intrigues behind your back. One of those who managed to win over the unapproachable Teresa was her husband, Philip May, whom the woman now calls her most true friend and a stone wall.

Theresa May - happy wife. They met their husband Philip back in 1976, at the Oxford Union discussion club, from which many political leaders countries. There is a legend that the couple was introduced at a Conservative Party dance party by the future Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. Three years later, in 1980, the lovers got married, and since then they have been living in perfect harmony for thirty-six years. True, Teresa and Philip have no children. To all questions, the new British Prime Minister evasively answers that every family has its own difficulties, but this does not mean that life cannot go on.

There is another problem in the May family - several years ago doctors gave Teresa an unpleasant diagnosis: diabetes. The disease forces her to constantly be under the supervision of doctors and also take insulin injections twice a day. However, according to Teresa, she has already gotten used to this annoying nuisance, and the disease has not affected her work for a long time.

For her beloved husband, Teresa is not at all a politician who has reached the peak of her career. At home, the unbending May becomes an affectionate wife and, moreover, a real queen kitchens. Yes, yes, the newly-crowned Prime Minister loves to cook. As she admitted in one of the interviews that May now gives regularly, she has about a hundred cookbooks at home. And in her free time from politics and cooking, Teresa prefers to go to the mountains, throwing her backpack over her shoulders, preferably to the songs of ABBA and the music of Mozart.

Style

Theresa May's style is already legendary. Some call its taste impeccable, others close their eyes in horror. One way or another, the inimitable and highly original style of the new prime minister undoubtedly deserves attention. Especially her love for shoes. In the fall, the new British Prime Minister turned 61, but age did not at all affect the beauty of her slender legs, which Teresa emphasizes in every possible way with unusual shoes. There are no forbidden models for her: leopard-print pumps, snakeskin over-the-knee boots, shoes with large rhinestones and prints, even multi-colored rubber boots.

The reason for new conversations was the audience scheduled for Teresa with Elizabeth II, where May appeared in an elegant black and yellow suit and those same leopard-print pumps. However, the queen took this calmly, probably because Teresa had previously appeared in her apartment in patent leather boots.

What's today

Mrs. May has held her enviable post for a year and a half, and during this time she has managed to become as frequent a guest on the pages of the world press as Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron or Angela Merkel. It’s not surprising: the new prime minister inherited not only the ambiguous legacy of Cameron’s rule, but also the new global political situation - first of all, the election of the freak Trump as US President, the overt ambitions to gain leadership in the EU on the part of the French leader Macron, and, of course, the suddenly discovered “Russian trace” "in the Brexit referendum.

How does Teresa cope with these challenges? Well, the British themselves are not yet too impressed with the successes of their new leader. London has already cleared its main streets several times for protesters against May, who do not stop scolding the prime minister for tightening tax levies, for abolishing tax benefits for a third child (which looks a little strange, given that the national pride of the British, the Duchess of Cambridge, is currently expecting a third child), for job cuts and for other internal decisions of her cabinet. The dissatisfaction of the population logically resulted in the fact that Mrs. May was re-elected for her second term, to put it mildly, with difficulty - she had to make a deal with an outside party. Moreover, negotiations with the Democratic Unionist Party also did not go very smoothly: they say that Teresa even had to lie to Her Majesty that she had everything ready in order to receive her cherished mandate.

Protests in London against the Tory government, July 1, 2017. The inscription on the poster: “Thatcher did not die - this witch simply went through reincarnation.”

"Meet the new Prime Minister." A protester in front of Theresa May's residence, July 1, 2017

However, it seems that all these difficulties in her post are just a test of time. After all, even the legendary Thatcher at one time had to face powerful protests from both ordinary Britons and her fellow party members. Well, we can only hope that Teresa will not, following her example, regain her popularity through military actions in the distant overseas British territories.

Cameron will go to Buckingham Palace, where he will ask the queen for her resignationThe British Prime Minister completed his speech in Parliament and arrived at his residence on Downing Street, from where after some time he will go to Buckingham Palace.

On Wednesday 13 July, British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives at Buckingham Palace to formally notify Queen Elizabeth II of his resignation. He announced the name of his successor on Monday: 59-year-old Theresa May, who holds the post of Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, becomes the head of Her Majesty's government.

All the necessary procedures for this have been followed: the day before, May replaced Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party, and according to the unbreakable British tradition, it was the head ruling party becomes prime minister. The monarch's acceptance of the resignation of the previous one and the appointment of a new head of government look in this case only as a ceremonial rite. One way or another, the new prime minister will now have to determine the personal composition of his cabinet literally in a matter of days.

It is Theresa May, the second female prime minister in the entire history of the country after Margaret Thatcher, who will have to complete a truly historic and unprecedentedly complex task. She needs to implement Britain's exit from European Union in accordance with the results of a popular referendum in which the majority of the kingdom's citizens voted for Brexit.

But we're talking about not about “divorce” - the severance of Britain’s allied relations with a united Europe. In their place should be erected new system relations, taking into account centuries-old traditions and existing connections - political, economic, financial, humanitarian.

An equally heavy burden falls on its shoulders in the task of overcoming the crisis phenomena that have arisen in the country, including as a result of the referendum.
Brexit has split not only the British political elite, but also the entire population: some believe that Foggy Albion should determine for itself how to live and build its policy, while others fear that a break with the European community will be too expensive. Collecting, reconciling and uniting the country is perhaps the main thing that the new prime minister has to do.

Pragmatism and morality

Expert: change of prime minister and Brexit will not affect relations between Britain and the Russian FederationAny prime minister will continue to pursue an anti-Russian policy; the government areas of London are historically saturated with Russophobia, says the editor of Politics First magazine.

A comparison of Theresa May with Baroness Margaret Thatcher, also a Conservative Prime Minister who held this post throughout the 1980s, the “Iron Lady,” whose consistent strong-willed policies allowed Great Britain to cope with a severe political and economic crisis, is the first thing that comes to the minds of many journalists and political scientists.

Theresa May's fight against the flow of migrants to the UK was tough and uncompromising. David Cameron has resisted EU calls for Britain to accept as many migrants as possible. While Europe was trying to accommodate millions of refugees, London decided to accept only 20 thousand people, and only those it chooses, and in the period until 2020. The Prime Minister received significant support in this regard from the Minister of Internal Affairs.

May also insisted on tough government measures in the fight against radicals: those heading to fight in Syria were deprived of British passports or expelled from the country.

These are just a few of the facts that allow us to speak of the new prime minister as an experienced and strong-willed politician. However, the fact that Theresa May will now lead the UK government came as a surprise to many in the country. If only because of the three potential candidates for this post (except for her, different stages ex-Mayor of London Boris Johnson and female Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom were candidates for it) she was the only one who was a clear, albeit moderate, opponent of Brexit.

As a result, it turns out that Britain, which voted against this exit, will have to carry out the long, difficult and far from unambiguous process of Britain’s exit from the European Union.

There is no contradiction in this - moreover, of all the possible candidates, the choice fell on the most optimal one - both for the party, and for the government, and for the whole country, says Fyodor Lukyanov, chairman of the presidium of the NGO Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.

According to him, a very difficult situation has developed in Great Britain - there is paralysis of the entire political machine. The losing side of the referendum is in shock, but, what is even more surprising, the winning side is also in a state of shock and does not know what to do with its victory.

“Both major parties are split, the whole society is split. And in this situation, we need a well-known and fairly authoritative person, critical of Brussels, but who did not support the campaign to leave the EU, and finally, a tough and experienced lady. If anyone can stabilize all this and to begin difficult negotiations with the European Union on a new model of coexistence, then it is she, Theresa May,” says Fyodor Lukyanov.

"Britain needs a tough businessman"

Theresa May is sometimes accused of superficiality and lack of competence - for example, when giving one of her fiery speeches against the EU migration policy, she was unable to answer the question about exact number immigrants in the country, although the British Border Force is part of the Home Office.

But a much more serious reproach is her lack of sufficient experience in international affairs. This is also evident from her streamlined statements regarding international problems - for example, she spoke very streamlinedly about relations with Russia, repeating the now banal words that “Moscow must be contained,” but at the same time, “a dialogue must be conducted with Moscow.” .

International topics will not be the main one on the prime minister’s agenda, Dmitry Abzalov, president of the Center for Strategic Communications, is convinced.

“Now Great Britain does not need a prime minister who delves into all international affairs, like Tony Blair or David Cameron, but needs a head of government who will closely deal with internal problems- domestic violence, migrants, crime. We need a tough business executive who can restore order in the country. Perhaps using harsh methods, but this is the real situation now,” says the analyst.

Illustration copyright Getty Images Image caption

Britain's home secretary and new Conservative Party leader Theresa May will officially become prime minister on Wednesday, leading the country through one of the most turbulent periods in its history.

May, 59, has long built the image of a reliable and cool-headed politician who right moment helped convince her party colleagues that she was suitable for the role of prime minister, while the political careers of her potential rivals fell victim to the fallout from the Brexit referendum.

And although her prime ministerial ambitions have been known for a long time - her university friends say that already as a student she dreamed of becoming the first female prime minister of Britain - until recently she could not even hope that she would be able to nominate her candidacy before 2018.

But the referendum on EU membership that David Cameron called and lost turned British politics on its head. While other Tory leadership candidates dropped out of the race one by one, Theresa May positioned herself as someone around whom all factions of the party could unite.

The fact that the party has rallied around her at such an uncertain time indicates not only that she is respected among her party members, but also that in a world where political reputations can be destroyed in a matter of seconds, Theresa May is better than others understands how to survive in the political jungle.

Image caption Theresa May has been part of the party leadership since the end of the last century (photo of the shadow cabinet in 1999)

Early in her political career, May became famous for her extravagant shoes. She even once said that desert island she would take with her only a subscription to Vogue magazine.

But her main political trait was inflexibility. She has been one of the few women in the leadership of the Conservative Party for 17 years, and she has always been known for her direct and hard-hitting statements about her fellow party members. In 2002, speaking to delegates at the party congress, she told them: “You know what people say about us - they call us the “evil party.”

Who is Theresa May?

Illustration copyright Fawcett Society Image caption Theresa May in 2006

Date of birth: October 1, 1956
Job: Member of Parliament for Maidenhead since 1997, Home Secretary since 2010
Education: state high school then Oxford University
Family: husband Philip May, no children
Hobby: cooking - May says she has 100 cookbooks. From time to time she likes to go hiking in the mountains. When asked to choose her favorite music in a BBC interview, she named the song ABBA Dancing Queen, as well as works by Mozart and British composer Elgar
What she thinks about the future of the party:"It is our party's patriotic duty to unite and lead the country in the interests of all its people. We need a bold, new, positive vision for the future of our country - a country that will benefit not only the privileged, but everyone without exception," she said. May also said that the people want more than just a “Brexiter prime minister” and promised to unite supporters and opponents of leaving the EU within the ranks of the party

Theresa May has already gone down in history as the person who has served as Home Secretary longer than any of her predecessors in the last 100 years.

Her father, a Church of England minister, died in a car accident when she was just 25 years old. Like Margaret Thatcher (and unlike David Cameron), she comes from a middle class background.

Image caption The wedding of Theresa and Philip May in 1980

May was born in Sussex but grew up primarily in Oxfordshire. As far as we know, both of her grandmothers worked as servants.

Like Thatcher, Teresa Brazier (her maiden name) studied at Oxford, and, as was often the case with people of her generation, her personal and political life turned out to be closely related.

She met her future husband Philip in 1976 at the Oxford Union debating society, which produced many future political leaders. The couple are said to have been introduced at a Conservative Party dance party by future Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Teresa and Philip married in 1980.

Illustration copyright Theresa May Image caption Young Theresa May (left)

Pat Frankland, a university friend of Theresa May, says she always had political ambitions. According to her, May wanted to become the first female prime minister, and was very upset when Margaret Thatcher beat her to it.

Image caption Theresa May with her parents Hubert and Zaidi

By this time, Theresa May, who was studying geography at Oxford, had already begun successful career in the City of London, where she first worked at the Bank of England and then headed the European department of the Interbank Settlement Systems Association.

Already at that time it was clear that she wanted to get involved in politics. May was elected as a local councilor for the borough of Merton in south London. Over 10 years of work, she rose to the position of deputy head of the council, but soon began to think about promoting her political career at the national level.

May, who became role model for all women dreaming of being elected to parliament, told potential candidates in 2015 that “there will always be a place with your name on it.”

Illustration copyright PA Image caption Unlike her predecessors as Home Secretary, Theresa May was not afraid to introduce police reforms

However, as with Margaret Thatcher, May herself took some time before she found her place. She first tried her hand at running in North West Durham in 1992 and was soundly defeated.

Two years later she became the Conservative Party candidate in the east London constituency of Barking in a by-election. At that time, the Conservative Party was extremely unpopular, and fewer than 2,000 people voted for May. But soon she got lucky.

The Conservatives' unpopularity peaked in 1997, when they suffered a crushing defeat. But it was in this election that Theresa May was elected in Maidenhead, in Barkshire. She still represents this district.

Illustration copyright Andrew Parsons/i-images Image caption Theresa May first ran for election in 1992 Illustration copyright PA Image caption Theresa May calls her husband Philip her main support Image caption Theresa May with rock star Alice Cooper outside the BBC studios in 2010

Theresa May has been a champion of modernizing the Conservative Party from the very beginning. In 1999, she joined the shadow cabinet headed by William Hague, becoming shadow education secretary.

While Michael Howard was leader, she held a number of shadow cabinet posts but was not close to the so-called Notting Hill Group of David Cameron and George Osborne, which took control of the party after another Conservative defeat in the 2005 election.

This is probably why she was initially given a minor and rather formal administrative post in the shadow cabinet, but gradually she moved forward and by 2009 she was already the shadow secretary for work and pensions.

However, her appointment as home secretary after the Conservative and Liberal Democratic parties formed a coalition government in 2010 came as a surprise to many.

For decades, the Ministry of the Interior was a kind of cemetery political careers for many ministers. But Theresa May was determined that this would not happen to her. She studied the work of her ministry, as they say, down to microscopic detail, and in addition, if necessary, she did not hesitate to enter into conflict with other ministers.

Illustration copyright PA Image caption Theresa May played a minor role in David Cameron's first shadow cabinet

Although some in the government feared that the Home Office might become Theresa May's personal fiefdom, she had the full support of her deputies and it was believed that it would be impossible to remove her from her post, as her - often harsh - statements were popular with voters, despite the fact that her achievements ministries were not always impressive.

Image caption Theresa May at the party convention in 2010

On the one hand, the crime rate in the country has fallen, since 2010 there has not been a single large-scale terrorist attack in the UK, and Theresa May managed to deport the radical preacher Abu Qatada from the country.

She was not afraid to fight powerful organizations and groups. In 2014, speaking to the Police Federation, she shocked those present by declaring that police corruption scandals were not just the work of individual “black sheep”. She also threatened to ban police officers from automatically joining the union.

On the other hand, during her leadership of the ministry, chaos reigned in the passport department. May has also come under constant criticism for her department's failure to reduce immigration to 100,000 people a year, as the government promised before the election.

There was also a public spat between her and minister Michael Gove over how best to combat Islamic extremism. The episode ended with Gove having to apologize to the prime minister and May having to sack one of her closest advisers. They say that after this incident she became cooler towards David Cameron.

The main points of her policy:

"Brexit": Theresa May insists that "Brexit" means "Brexit" and that there will not be a second referendum on the issue. According to her, negotiations on leaving the EU, which can begin only after London invokes Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, will begin no earlier than the end of 2016. She says the status of EU citizens living in the UK will not change until a new deal is reached on the issue, but May refuses to guarantee that these people will be allowed to remain in the country. She also argues that an optimal treaty would leave free access to the European market for British goods and services, but would also allow Britain to exercise greater control over immigration.

Other suggestions: Theresa May promises to reform the principles of the work and composition of the boards of directors of large companies and ensure that such boards will include employees of the company itself, and decisions of shareholders on the level of salaries of top managers will be binding.

What the press says:"For political party Having struggled to shake off her elitist image, May represents a new type of politician. She is akin to the calm headmistress of a private school, sitting in a hall with overexcited schoolchildren. She stays away from them... her persistence sometimes draws harsh criticism. Some say that while she is careful to avoid personally stabbing opponents in the back, she sends members of her team to make harsh statements against them,” writes the Guardian.

Theresa May has never been an overly sociable politician and prefers not to appear in the tea room of the House of Commons, although it is there that parliamentarians spread both rumors and information.

She very rarely talks about her personal life, but in 2013 she revealed that she has diabetes and needs insulin injections twice a day. According to her, she is used to it, and it cannot in any way affect her work.

Illustration copyright Getty Images Image caption Mae's extravagant shoes have been of interest to photographers for many years.

May has traditional Conservative views on the economy or policing, but she is also willing to go against the grain. She criticized the police, which is unusual for Conservatives, and called for an investigation into whether some communities in Britain were under Sharia law.

She expressed a desire to remove Britain from the jurisdiction of the European Convention on Human Rights, but later said that she would not pursue this goal as the majority of MPs opposed it. Many believe that by doing so she demonstrated her pragmatism.

Her position on social issues difficult to determine. She advocated for the legalization of same-sex marriage. In 2012, she said it would be a good idea to lower the maximum gestational age for abortion from 24 to 20 weeks. Like most Conservatives in Parliament, she voted against the fox hunting ban.

Theresa May will be the oldest prime minister since James Callahan was elected in 1976 and the first childless prime minister since Ted Heath.

Illustration copyright PA Image caption Theresa May was one of David Cameron's closest allies Illustration copyright PA Image caption Theresa May was elected to Parliament more than 20 years ago

She is one of the smartest and most experienced politicians in parliament. She advocated Britain's continued membership of the EU, but did so very quietly, talking only about the security benefits of the EU. This position served her well after the referendum, when the Conservative Party, like the whole country, was split by the decision taken.

In announcing her candidacy for party leadership, May emphasized her experience, common sense and ability to make decisions in a crisis.

While her first few years as prime minister will be largely focused on negotiations with the European Union and formulating a new deal with Europe, she insists she cannot be seen simply as a leader who will bring stability.

“Brexit” will not be the main or even the only theme of her premiership, she says. Theresa May promises to carry out a series of radical social reforms, provide social mobility and help the less affluent sections of the population.

But the Conservative Party has only a small majority in parliament - just 17 votes. The country remains divided over Brexit and faces fears about the future.

Theresa May has a hard and difficult job ahead of her. More complex, many say, than most of her Downing Street predecessors.