David Cameron out, Theresa May in as new British PM

David Cameron out, Theresa May in as new British PM

PanARMENIAN.Net - David Cameron entertained parliament with a series of farewell quips on Wednesday, July 13, in his last appearance as prime minister before making way for Theresa May to lead the monumental task of extricating Britain from the European Union, Reuters reports.

He was due to present his resignation to the queen at Buckingham Palace at around 1600 GMT. Then May will pay her own visit to the monarch to be formally entrusted with the job, before entering 10 Downing Street to become Britain's second woman prime minister after Margaret Thatcher.

Cameron stepped down after Britons rejected his entreaties and voted in a June 23 referendum to quit the EU, weakening the 28-nation bloc and creating huge economic uncertainty because of the likely damage to trade and investment.

Apart from the task of executing “Brexit,” May must try to unite a divided party and a nation in which many, on the evidence of the vote, feel angry with the political elite and left behind by the forces of globalization, Reuters says.

Cameron took the opportunity to trumpet his government's achievements in generating one of the fastest growth rates among western economies, chopping the budget deficit, creating 2.5 million jobs and legalizing gay marriage.

May, who has been interior minister for six years, is seen by her supporters as a safe pair of hands to steer the country through the disruptive Brexit process.

The new British leader is expected to immediately start putting together a new cabinet, a complex political balancing act in which she will try to satisfy opposing camps in her party.

May has said she plans to set up a new government department to lead the process of quitting the EU which would be headed by someone who had campaigned for Brexit.

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