Last Woman Standing, Theresa May Offers Calm on Brexit Road
- New British leader not seen in hurry to trigger EU exit clause
- May will take up job with pound at lowest since Thatcher
Who Is the U.K.'s New Prime Minister?
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Theresa May was headed back to London from the English Midlands when she learned of her impending appointment as Britain’s next prime minister. She had just delivered the first and, as it turned out, only speech of her campaign to land the job.
That moment -- winning the race to lead the governing Conservative Party after her remaining opponent unexpectedly dropped out -- summed up much of the 59-year-old Home Secretary’s journey to the top of U.K. politics: Focusing on competence while her rivals imploded around her. Hers was one of the main offices of state, responsible for immigration, policing and national security.