A PM for beleaguered times

Theresa May says there will be no change in stance and the referendum decision will be considered final

It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good and one which drove Britain to opt out of the European Union, resulting in the success of Theresa May’s campaign to become the next prime minister of the UK. The political turmoil which followed Brexit has resulted in withdrawal from key positions by several lead actors in this saga. The political careers of David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage appear to have bit the dust while May’s star is in the ascent. She has outlasted all the other candidates vying for the newly vacated post of Prime Minister and is now set to lead her country towards a new and for many, somewhat frightening future. May, an Oxford graduate, formally worked in finance and joined politics as a Tory Member of Parliament in 1997. She has been described as “steady” and “tough” — qualities that she has promised to fully utilise in the negotiations that will take place before Britain’s formal exit from the EU.

Despite the many calls to reconsider the Leave vote, Theresa May has stated that there will be no change in stance and the referendum decision will be considered final. She intends to commence negotiations with the EU by the end of the year even though there is mounting pressure from European leaders for Britain to follow through with its decision at the earliest in order to end economic and political uncertainty. Though May has promised a tough stance, she may find it hard going once at the negotiation table with her European counterparts. Extricating Britain from the EU while ensuring the best possible trade deals with each individual member country is a huge challenge fraught with risk for her political career. If May does not succeed in achieving all that has been promised by Brexit champions during the referendum campaign, she is likely to suffer the blowback. But for now, May is the new face of the Tory party, a tenacious woman who speaks out in favour of working people and is tough on immigration. How well her personality and policies work for the country remains to be seen.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2016.

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