Home Secretary, Theresa May will be announced as Britain’s Prime Minister (PM) later this evening, replacing David Cameron. In light of this development, she will be faced with the mammoth task of uniting a divided Britain and negotiating the country’s exit from the European Union.

David Cameron will take part in his last weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQ), before heading over to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to the Queen of England. May is expected to move into 10 Downing as the new Prime Minister by the end of the day.

David Cameron, who has been serving as Prime Minister since 2010, announced his impending resignation the morning after the June 23rd ‘Brexit’ referendum. This set off a contest within the ruling conservative party for the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and new leader of the party. Mrs. May, who served as the Interior Minister for 6 years, was set to become the next PM when Junior Energy Minister and her last remaining rival, Andrea Leadsom, abruptly pulled out of the contest that was expected to last until September. She bowed out of the race following other high profile exits including former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and fellow Brexit campaigner, Micheal Gove.

Although she was a campaigner to remain within the European Union (EU), May has the extraordinary task of executing the British exit and uniting a nation where many feel left behind by the political elite and the forces of globalisation, as revealed by the referendum vote. Since the vote, she has affirmed her commitment to ensuring that the will of the public be respected repeatedly stating, “Brexit is Brexit,” and is now trusted by her peers with the task of making a success of the decision. “(It is) nothing less than the patriotic duty of our party to unite and to govern in the best interests of the whole country. We need a bold, new positive vision for the future of our country – a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us,” said May, acknowledging the current divide and frustration of many in the country.

Although the financial markets responded favourably to the news with the British Pound making strong gains against the Dollar and the Euro, the mitigated uncertainty that comes with filling up the vacant position of Prime Minister leaves us none the wiser as to the future of the UK in light of the June 23rd vote. There are a variety of ways in which Britain could negotiate to leave the European Union. They could opt for a moderate option, such as that of Norway which gains access to the largest single market and contributes to the EU budget, allowing the free movement of EU members in exchange. Alternatively, it could completely opt out of the EU accounts for 50 percent of its trade. The deal struck with the EU will not only have economic repercussions, but also political consequences as Scottish nationalists will push to leave the British Union if the UK fails to negotiate favourable access to the EU. Mrs. May has the unenviable task of navigating through this quagmire and uniting a divided nation.

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