Conservative lawmakers chose Home Secretary Theresa May and Energy
Minister Andrea Leadsom on Thursday July 07,2016 to fight a runoff contest for
leadership of Britain’s governing party. The winner will become the
country’s second female prime minister.
Home Secretary Theresa May received 199 votes in a ballot of Conservative members of
Parliament, while Energy
Minister Andrea Leadsom received 84. Justice Secretary Michael Gove
got 46 votes and was eliminated from the race.
Some 150,000 Conservative Party members will now vote by postal ballot, with the result announced September 9,2016
The winner will replace Prime Minister David Cameron, who announced his
resignation after Britain voted last month to leave the European Union.
Britain’s first female prime minister was Margaret Thatcher, a Conservative who governed from 1979 to 1990.
The new leader will be responsible for leading Britain’s exit
negotiations with the 28-nation EU as well as helping to steady the
country’s government and economy, which has been deeply shaken by
markets’ reaction to the EU vote.
Energy
Minister Andrea Leadsom, who entered Parliament in 2010 after a career in financial
services, has less political experience than May, and has faced
allegations from rivals that she exaggerated her experience in the
financial sector.
Energy
Minister Andrea Leadsom’s plainspoken, common-sense style and strong opposition to the
European Union have made her popular with the party’s grassroots
membership, which is older and more euroskeptic than the British
average.
Home Secretary Theresa May, Britain’s interior minister for the past six years, is the runaway
favourite among lawmakers but the Conservatives have a history of not
choosing the favourite.
Home Secretary Theresa May has drawn criticism for failing to guarantee that citizens of EU
countries who live in Britain will be able to remain after Brexit. That
has led to accusations she is using European citizens as pawns in the EU
divorce talks.
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