Britain set to welcome Theresa May as PM

MNA International Desk: Britain is all set to welcome Theresa May as their new PM. Britain may be going to welcome its second woman prime minister in spite of a silent touch of sexism in their politics.

Theresa May was performing her roles as Interior Minister and is now set to become the prime minister on Wednesday, succeeding David Cameron, who announced he was stepping down after Britons unexpectedly voted last month to quit the European Union (EU).

She will be Britain’s first woman prime minister since Margaret Thatcher, after her only rival Andrea Leadsom abruptly terminated her leadership campaign on Monday. Only 29% of Britain’s members of parliament are women.

May’s appointment is a big step forward; attaining true equality for female politicians remains a challenge, Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said.

“While they’re all being objectified and undermined and ridiculed in that way, they’re never going to be heard in the same way as men – they’re always going to be battling for their right to be there (in politics),” Smethers said.

The focus on May’s shoes has attracted widespread criticism on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Cameron chairs last cabinet before leaving it for Theresa

On the other hand, David Cameron chaired his final cabinet meeting on Tuesday after six years as Britain’s prime minister, as incoming premier Theresa May prepared to form a new government to deliver Brexit.

May led tributes to Cameron at the meeting, which was described by ministers as “emotional”, and posed for photographers on the steps of the premier’s 10 Downing Street residence afterwards.

Cameron’s end has come sooner than expected after dramatic twists in the contest to replace him led to his swift exit from power less than three weeks after the nation’s seismic vote to quit the European Union.

“That’s what I think a lot of people expect and hope and call for,” the European Commission’s economy chief Pierre Moscovici said in Brussels.

On a visit to the headquarters of the governing Centre-right Conservative Party she now leads, May issued an appeal for unity following a referendum campaign that divided the country.

The opposition Labour party is currently in no state to contest an election, as its leader Jeremy Corbyn battles a revolt by MPs.

In a major boost to his efforts to keep his job, the party’s National Executive Committee ruled late Tuesday that he would automatically be included on a leadership ballot, setting up a contest with rival MP Angela Eagle.