Theresa Mary, Lady May (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabinet as Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016, and has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidenhead in Berkshire since 1997. May was the UK's second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, and the first woman to hold two of the Great Offices of State. Ideologically, May identifies herself as a one-nation conservative. May grew up in Oxfordshire and attended St Hugh's College, Oxford. After graduating in 1977, she worked at the Bank of England and the Association for Payment Clearing Services. She also served as a councillor for Durnsford in Merton. After two unsuccessful attempts to be elected to the House of Commons, she was elected as the MP for Maidenhead at the 1997 general election. From 1999 to 2010, May held several roles in shadow cabinets. She was Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2003. Following the formation of the coalition government after the 2010 general election, May was appointed Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, giving up the latter role in 2012. Reappointed after the Conservative success in the 2015 general election, she became the longest-serving Home Secretary in over 60 years. During her tenure she pursued reform of the Police Federation, implemented a harder line on drugs policy including banning khat and brought in further restrictions on immigration. She oversaw the introduction of elected police and crime commissioners, the deportation of Abu Qatada and the creation of the College of Policing and the National Crime Agency. May supported the unsuccessful Britain Stronger in Europe campaign for the UK to remain in the European Union (EU). She stood in the Conservative Party leadership election to succeed Cameron, who resigned on the outcome of the 2016 referendum; she was elected and appointed Prime Minister after Andrea Leadsom withdrew from the contest. She began the process of withdrawing the UK from the EU, triggering Article 50 in March 2017. In April she announced a snap general election, with the aims of strengthening her hand in Brexit negotiations and highlighting her "strong and stable" leadership.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“I hope that we all agree that the aim is to provide the right education for every child. For some children, that will be an education that is firmly based in learning practical and vocational skills. For others, it will be an education based on academic excellence.”
— Maiden speech to Parliament (2 June 1997).
“I want us to be the party that represents the whole of Britain and not merely some mythical place called "Middle England", but the truth is that as our country has become more diverse, our party has remained the same. We should not underestimate the extent of this problem. Ask yourselves: how can we truly claim to be the party of Britain, when we don't truly represent Britain in our party?”
— Speech to the Conservative Party conference (7 October 2002).
“If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere.”
— Speech at the Conservative Party Conference (October 2016).
“[In relation to the Conservatives' policy on social care costs] Nothing has changed.”
— During the 2017 general election campaign, BBC News
“I enjoy cooking, which has a benefit, you get to eat it as well as make it.”
— Q&A with factory workers in Gateshead (23 July 2018).
“It is important to emphasise that disruption increases teacher's workloads and wastes lesson time that teachers have carefully prepared for.”
— On climate change marches (15 February 2019).

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Notable quotes

“I hope that we all agree that the aim is to provide the right education for every child. For some children, that will be an education that is firmly based in learning practical and vocational skills. For others, it will be an education based on academic excellence.”
— Maiden speech to Parliament (2 June 1997).
“I want us to be the party that represents the whole of Britain and not merely some mythical place called "Middle England", but the truth is that as our country has become more diverse, our party has remained the same. We should not underestimate the extent of this problem. Ask yourselves: how can we truly claim to be the party of Britain, when we don't truly represent Britain in our party?”
— Speech to the Conservative Party conference (7 October 2002).
“If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere.”
— Speech at the Conservative Party Conference (October 2016).
“[In relation to the Conservatives' policy on social care costs] Nothing has changed.”
— During the 2017 general election campaign, BBC News
“I enjoy cooking, which has a benefit, you get to eat it as well as make it.”
— Q&A with factory workers in Gateshead (23 July 2018).
“It is important to emphasise that disruption increases teacher's workloads and wastes lesson time that teachers have carefully prepared for.”
— On climate change marches (15 February 2019).

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Overview

Theresa Mary, Lady May (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabinet as Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016, and has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidenhead in Berkshire since 1997. May was the UK's second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, and the first woman to hold two of the Great Offices of State. Ideologically, May identifies herself as a one-nation conservative. May grew up in Oxfordshire and attended St Hugh's College, Oxford. After graduating in 1977, she worked at the Bank of England and the Association for Payment Clearing Services. She also served as a councillor for Durnsford in Merton. After two unsuccessful attempts to be elected to the House of Commons, she was elected as the MP for Maidenhead at the 1997 general election. From 1999 to 2010, May held several roles in shadow cabinets. She was Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2003. Following the formation of the coalition government after the 2010 general election, May was appointed Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, giving up the latter role in 2012. Reappointed after the Conservative success in the 2015 general election, she became the longest-serving Home Secretary in over 60 years. During her tenure she pursued reform of the Police Federation, implemented a harder line on drugs policy including banning khat and brought in further restrictions on immigration. She oversaw the introduction of elected police and crime commissioners, the deportation of Abu Qatada and the creation of the College of Policing and the National Crime Agency. May supported the unsuccessful Britain Stronger in Europe campaign for the UK to remain in the European Union (EU). She stood in the Conservative Party leadership election to succeed Cameron, who resigned on the outcome of the 2016 referendum; she was elected and appointed Prime Minister after Andrea Leadsom withdrew from the contest. She began the process of withdrawing the UK from the EU, triggering Article 50 in March 2017. In April she announced a snap general election, with the aims of strengthening her hand in Brexit negotiations and highlighting her "strong and stable" leadership.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Theresa Mary, Lady May (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabinet as Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016, and has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidenhead in Berkshire since 1997. May was the UK's second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, and the first woman to hold two of the Great Offices of State. Ideologically, May identifies herself as a one-nation conservative.