Theresa May Is the Next Prime Minister of Great Britain

Originally appeared at A-specto, translated by Valentina Tzoneva exclusively for SouthFront

Theresa May will inherit the post of David Cameron, who resigned due to the results of the referendum for leaving the EU. Andrea Leadsom today withdrew from the competition for the leading post in the Conservative Party. The last opponent of May took the second position, after the primaries of the parliamentary party as she quickly realized that she has the support of less than 25% of the MPs.

Leadsom announced that the interest of her country inspired her to compete for the leading post, as well as her expectations for a bright future for Great Britain after the withdrawal from the EU. She underlined that the results from the referendum demonstrate the clear will for a change. Leadsom added that now the country needs a strong leadership which is able to make quick decisions and start negotiations for Brexit, which will guarantee stability for business and follow the clear instructions deriving from the results of the referendum. In this way, Leadsom gave her full support for Theresa May, who received 60% of the votes of the MPs.

By giving up the competition, Leadsom cleared the road for Theresa May not only for the leading position with the Conservatives, but for the post of Prime Minister. The Home Office Minister announced that if she becomes Prime Minister, two major principles would be leading in the negotiations for exiting the EU: to protect the interests of the British business and enforce the control on the borders of the country.

There are a few possible scenarios after the withdrawal of Leadsom. The analysts think that it is quite possible for the Home Office Minister to be approved as the leader of the Conservative Party, and David Cameron to retire from his post within weeks, and not in October as he previously planned.

According to other experts, we must not exclude the option in which the supreme body of the Tories proposes another contender for the post. Michael Gove appears as an alternative candidate, who came third in the second round of the primaries in the Conservative Party. This will mean that on the 9^th of September, when by rules the successor of Cameron should have been elected, they will either vote for May or Gove. Keeping in mind that Gove already gave his support to May, this is less likely to happen.

At the same time, Angela Eagle, announced the she will face Jeremy Corbin in the battle for leadership in the Labour Party. Some media joked that she has chosen the worst possible moment to announce this, due to the dramatic announcement of Leadsom.

“I would not have done it if I did not believe that I have something to give for the unification of the Party and the country, too,” commented Eagle and declared that she would also become a candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Hours after Angela Eagle made this statement, it became clear that she could follow the fate of Jeremy Corbin and also face a no-confidence vote by the Labourists.

This point was reached after 172 MPs of the British opposition party voted for the removal of their leader from his post. Before the no-confidence vote, some Labour-members had already consulted with their lawyers. The cause that has been discussed was whether the leader has an automatic right for a second round in the election of a leader, as they have faced ambiguous wording in the rules of the party. Corbin himself said that he will oppose any attempt to take him out of the competition for a new leader of the Labour, although the rules of the party do not say whether his name can be included in the voting list automatically.