Image copyright Getty Images Image caption

On Wednesday the British Home Secretary and new leader Of the Conservative Party, Theresa May will officially become prime minister, leading the country through one of the most turbulent periods in its history.

May, 59, has long carved out an image as a credible and cool-headed politician who, at just the right time, helped convince her party associates that she was a fit prime minister, while the political careers of her potential rivals fell victim to the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. .

And although her premier ambitions have long been known - her university friends say that already as a student she dreamed of becoming Britain's first female prime minister - until recently she could not even hope that she would be able to nominate her candidacy before 2018.

But the EU membership referendum announced by David Cameron, which he lost, turned all British politics on its head. While other candidates for the leadership of the conservatives dropped out of the race one by one, Theresa May positioned herself as a person around whom all factions of the party could unite.

The fact that the party has rallied around her at such a volatile time indicates not only that she is respected in the ranks of her fellow party members, but also that in a world where political reputation can be destroyed in a matter of seconds, Theresa May is better than others. understands how to survive in the political jungle.

Image caption Theresa May has been in the leadership of the party since the end of the last century (photo of the shadow cabinet of ministers in 1999)

Early in her political career, Mei rose to prominence for her extravagant shoes. She even once said that desert island she would take with her only a subscription to Vogue magazine.

But her main political trait became relentless. For 17 years now, she has been one of the few women in the leadership of the Conservative Party, and she has always been known for her direct and hard-hitting remarks about her fellow party members. In 2002, speaking to the delegates of the party congress, she told them: "You know what people say about us - they call us the "evil party."

Who is Theresa May?

Image copyright Fawcett Society Image caption Theresa May in 2006
  • Date of Birth: October 1, 1956
  • Job: Member of Parliament for Maidenhead since 1997, Home Secretary since 2010
  • Education: state high school, then Oxford University
  • Family: husband Philip May, no children
  • Hobby: cooking - according to Mei, she has 100 cookbooks. From time to time she likes to go hiking in the mountains. When asked in a BBC interview to pick her favorite music, she named the song ABBA groups Dancing Queen, as well as works by Mozart and British composer Elgar
  • What does she think about the future of the party:"The patriotic duty of our party is to unite and lead the country in the interests of all its inhabitants. We need a bold, new, positive vision of the future of our country - a country that will be good not only for the privileged strata, but for everyone without exception," she said. May also said that the people want more than just a "Brexiter Prime Minister" and vowed to unite supporters and opponents of leaving the EU in the ranks of the party.

Theresa May has already gone down in history as the person who has lasted longer than any of her predecessors in the past 100 years.

Her father, an Anglican priest, died in a car accident when she was only 25 years old. Like Margaret Thatcher (and unlike David Cameron), she comes from the middle class.

Image caption Teresa and Philip May's wedding in 1980

May was born in Sussex but grew up primarily in Oxfordshire. As far as is known, both of her grandmothers worked as servants.

Like Thatcher, Teresa Brazier (her maiden name) studied at Oxford, and, as so often happened with people of her generation, her personal and political life turned out to be closely related.

She met her future husband, Philip, in 1976 at the Oxford Union debating club, from which many future political leaders came. The couple is said to have been introduced at a Conservative Party dance party by future Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Teresa and Philip married in 1980.

Image copyright Theresa May Image caption Young Theresa May (left)

Pat Frankland, Theresa May's college friend, says May has always had political ambitions. According to her, May wanted to become the first woman prime minister, and was very upset when she was ahead of Margaret Thatcher.

Image caption Theresa May with her parents Hubert and Zaidi

By this time, Theresa May, who had studied geography at Oxford, had already begun successful career in the City of London, where she first worked for the Bank of England and later became head of the European department of the Interbank Settlement Systems Association.

Already at that time it was clear that she wanted to go into politics. May was elected local councilor for the Merton Borough in south London. In 10 years of work, she has grown to the position of deputy head of the council, but soon began to think about advancing her political career at the national level.

May, who has become a role model for all women who dream of being elected to parliament, told potential candidates in 2015 that "there will always be a place that says your name."

Image copyright PA Image caption Unlike her predecessors as home secretary, Theresa May was not afraid to reform the police.

However, as with Margaret Thatcher, May herself took some time before she could find her place. She first tried her hand in 1992, putting forward her candidacy in the constituency of North West Durham - and suffered crushing defeat.

Two years later, she became the Conservative candidate for Barking, east London, in a by-election. During this period, the Conservative Party was highly unpopular, with fewer than 2,000 people voting for May. But soon she got lucky.

The peak of the unpopularity of the conservatives came in 1997, when they suffered a crushing defeat. But it was in this election that Theresa May was elected in Maidenhead, in Barkshire. She represents the county to this day.

Image copyright Andrew Parsons/i-images Image caption The first time Theresa May ran for office was in 1992. Image copyright PA Image caption Theresa May calls her husband Philip her main support Image caption Theresa May with rock star Alice Cooper outside the BBC Studios in 2010

Theresa May has been a supporter of the modernization of the Conservative Party from the very beginning. In 1999, she joined the Shadow Cabinet led by William Hague, becoming the Shadow Minister for Education.

While Michael Howard was the leader, she held a number of positions in the shadow cabinet, but was not close to the so-called Nottinghill group of David Cameron and George Osborne, who took control of the party after another defeat of the Conservatives in the 2005 elections.

This is probably why she initially received a small and rather formal administrative post in the shadow cabinet, but gradually she moved forward and by 2009 was already a shadow minister of labor and pensions.

However, her appointment to the post of Minister of the Interior, after the Conservative and Liberal Democratic parties formed in 2010 coalition government came as a surprise to many.

For decades, the Home Office has been a political career graveyard for many ministers. But Theresa May was determined that this would not happen to her. She studied the work of her ministry, as they say, to microscopic details, and besides, if necessary, she did not hesitate to enter into conflict with other ministers.

Image copyright PA Image caption Theresa May played a minor role in David Cameron's first shadow cabinet

Although some in government feared that the Home Office might become Theresa May's personal fiefdom, she had the full support of her deputies, and it was believed that it was impossible to remove her from her post, since her - often tough - statements were popular with voters, despite the fact that the achievements ministries were not always imposing.

Image caption Theresa May at a party convention in 2010

On the one hand, the crime rate in the country has fallen, since 2010 there has not been a single large-scale terrorist attack in the UK, and Theresa May managed to deport the radical preacher Abu Qatada from the country.

She was not afraid to fight with influential organizations and groups. In 2014, speaking to the Federation of Police Officers, she shocked those present by declaring that corruption scandals in the police - the work of not only individual " black sheep She also threatened to ban police officers from automatically joining this union.

On the other hand, during her leadership of the ministry, chaos reigned in the passport department. May has also been under constant criticism for her agency's failure to bring immigration levels down to 100,000 a year, as promised by the government ahead of the election.

In addition, a public skirmish broke out between her and Minister Michael Gove over how best to deal with Islamic extremism. The episode ended with Gove having to apologize to the Prime Minister and May having to fire one of her closest advisers. It is said that after this incident, she became cooler towards David Cameron.

The main points of her policy:

"Brexit": Theresa May insists that "brexit" means "brexit" and that there will be no second referendum on this issue. According to her, negotiations on leaving the EU, which can begin only after London activates Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, will not begin until the end of 2016. She says that the status of EU citizens living in the UK will not change until a new agreement on this issue is reached, but May refuses to guarantee that these people will be allowed to stay in the country. She also argues that an optimal treaty would leave free access to the European market for British goods and services, while allowing Britain greater control over immigration.

Other offers: Theresa May promises to reform the principles of work and composition of boards of directors large companies and to ensure that the company's own employees are represented on such boards, and shareholders' decisions on the level of salaries of top managers will be binding.

What the press says:"For a political party that finds it difficult to shed its elitist image, Mei represents a new type of politician. She is akin to a calm headmistress private school, located in the hall with overexcited schoolchildren. She stays away from them... her stubbornness is sometimes criticized. Some say that while she is careful to avoid personal backstabs, she sends members of her team to make the most brutal statements against them.

Theresa May has never been a very sociable politician and prefers not to appear in the tea room of the House of Commons, although this is where parliamentarians spread both rumors and information.

She very rarely talks about her personal life, but in 2013 she revealed that she has diabetes and needs insulin injections twice a day. According to her, she is used to it, and this cannot affect her work in any way.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mei's extravagant shoes have been intriguing photographers for years.

May holds traditional Tory views when it comes to the economy or policing, but she's also willing to go against the grain. She criticized the police, which is unusual for conservatives, and called for an investigation into whether certain communities in the UK were subject to Sharia law.

She expressed a desire to remove Britain from the jurisdiction of the European Convention on Human Rights, but later said that she would not pursue this goal, since a majority of MPs opposed this. Many believe that by doing so she demonstrated her pragmatism.

Her position on social issues is difficult to determine. She advocated legalization same-sex marriage. She said in 2012 that it would be a good idea to lower the maximum gestation period for abortion from 24 weeks to 20 weeks. Like most Conservatives in Parliament, she voted against the fox-hunting ban.

Theresa May will be the oldest prime minister since James Callahan, who was elected in 1976, and will be the first childless prime minister since Ted Heath.

Image copyright PA Image caption Theresa May was one of David Cameron's closest associates. Image copyright PA Image caption Theresa May was elected MP for over 20 years

She is one of the smartest and most experienced politicians in parliament. She advocated the continuation of Britain's membership in the EU, but at the same time she did it very quietly, speaking only about the benefits of the EU in the field of security. This position came in handy after the referendum, when the Conservative Party, like the whole country, was split by the decision.

In nominating her candidacy for party leader, May emphasized her experience, common sense and the ability to make decisions in times of crisis.

Although her first few years of premiership will be primarily occupied with negotiations with the European Union and formulating a new treaty with Europe, she insists that she cannot be seen only as a leader who will bring stability.

"Brexit" will not be the main or even the only keynote of her premiership, she says. Theresa May promises to hold a series of radical social reforms, ensure social mobility and help the less well-off segments of the population.

But the Conservative Party has only a small majority in parliament - only 17 votes. The country remains divided over Brexit and looks to the future with apprehension.

Theresa May is going to have a tough and hard work. More complex, many say, than most of her Downing Street predecessors.

For Theresa May, there are no forbidden models: leopard pumps, snakeskin over the knee boots, shoes with large rhinestones and prints, even multi-colored rubber boots. The new British prime minister will turn sixty this autumn. Age did not affect the beauty of her slender legs. That is why Theresa May can afford a lot.

One of the most famous photos- Mei in leopard pumps in the background british flag. Dshoe designer Alexei Skripnikov notes - "leopard and rhinestones - this is typical for English fashion."

The new prime minister skillfully combines catchy shoes and protocol suits. She was able to disenchant the post of head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which had a black mark: no one could stay there for more than five years and leave without a scandal. Mei headed the department for 6 years and eventually got promoted. Perhaps the extravagant shoes are a kind of talisman for Mei from a political fiasco.

What do the experts think about it?

Stylist Vita Araksia emphasizes that animal prints should be treated with caution, otherwise the image may turn out to be ridiculous. So Theresa May skillfullydilutes them with monophonic things and does not overdo it.

Animal print is both a beautiful and dangerous accent in the wardrobe, says Vita Araksia.

The expert also endorsed how new prime minister combinesunisex loafers with flared trousers.

It turns out the image of a modern and stylish business woman, she emphasizes.

Image coach, personal stylist and image analyst Kira Feklisova noted that Theresa May is a bright and outrageous image for a politician.

She prefers active colors, large jewelry, thin, piercing heels and aggressive animal prints. Patent leather, which Theresa May loves so much, carries a lot of drama and outrageousness, draws attention to the image and serves as a protective mirror, as it has good reflective properties.

The expert also notes that over the knee boots are related to the image of a rider, popular in the UK, and a leopard in clothes testifies to the ability to control oneself and one's animal nature.

Mei's hairpins do refer to the image of an Amazon woman who knows how to stand up for herself and be on a par with men.

Strict lacquered men's shoes, the only glamorous detail of which are rhinestones on the heels, are a strong argument in favor of the fact that any jokes are bad with such a woman, says the head of the Glavstylist Academy, Yulia Dzyublyuk.

Only an army-hardened man can withstand her pressure, she says, adding that the animal print combined with formal clothing betrays the new prime minister. decisive and unpredictable personality.

0 11 July 2016, 22:38


July 13, the current British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns, which he announced after the referendum on the United Kingdom from the European Union. Recall that the majority of citizens voted in favor of the exclusion of Foggy Albion from the European Union. David Cameron kept opposite position, so I decided to give way to another politician. And today he named the name of his successor, who became the current British Home Secretary Theresa May. What do we know about her?

The second woman in the history of the country

Theresa May, 59, will become the second woman in British history to serve as prime minister. Before her, this chair was occupied only by Margather Thatcher. In addition, Cameron's successor in 2002 became the nation's first female Conservative Party chairman. Often found in the media and Teresa's comparison with another prominent representative of European politics - German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Both women are credited with a merciless stance towards migrant workers.

Minister's daughter and Oxford student

Like Angela Merkel's father, Theresa May's parent was well-versed in matters of theology. The future prime minister of Great Britain was born in the family of a Protestant priest in the seaside town of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. She was educated at Oxford University, where she studied geography. Alma mater gave Teresa a meeting with her future husband. At a modest student disco, she met Philip John May. This year marks their 36th wedding anniversary. The couple has no children.


Philip and Theresa May

Obedient parishioner and supporter of same-sex marriage

Theresa May considers herself a liberal conservative. She supports gender equality and is a supporter of same-sex marriage, although she voted against expanding gay rights in 2002.

Leopard shoes and patent leather over the knee boots to meet the queen

The future prime minister of Great Britain is known for her daring choice of shoes for formal occasions. So, colleagues in the Conservative Party remembered her leopard pumps, in which Theresa May was at one of the annual party conferences. And once she had to curtsey to Queen Elizabeth II and meet the President of Mexico in patent leather over the knee boots. She responds to the ironic comments of journalists with a smile:

I don't regret my choice of shoes. Good boots should also be able to handle the role of an icebreaker.


Queen Elizabeth II and Theresa May

Living in the shadow

Theresa May has held various minor positions in the Tory shadow government for many years: she was the shadow secretary of transport, food, the environment, culture, labor and pensions.

Smokers' rights

Photo gettyimages.com

Theresa May is the new "iron lady" of Great Britain, who went down in history as the second woman to hold the post of prime minister of the country after. She is known for her cold-blooded and tough politics, which allowed her to build a successful political career and enlist the support of the British at a time of national change in the country associated with Britain's exit from the EU.

Theresa Mary May (nee Bryzer) was born on October 1, 1956 in Eastbourne, Sussex, in the family of the priest Hubert Bryzer. Elementary education she received at once in two schools - in the state and parochial, which she graduated with honors. After graduation future politician She entered Oxford at the Faculty of Geography, from which she graduated in 1977 with a bachelor's degree.

Theresa May's career path began with the Bank of England, where she worked as a financial consultant. After almost 10 years, the career of the future politician started up - she went to work at the APACS clearing company, where she rose from a simple analyst to a senior adviser in the international direction.

Policy

The political biography of Theresa May began in the early 80s. In a few years, the future Prime Minister of Great Britain managed to create an initial image of a politician and become a member of the self-government bodies of the Merton Borough Council. There she headed the commission on education.


Since 1992, Theresa May began to make her way into the British Parliament - she took part in the elections several times unsuccessfully, but was elected to the House of Commons only in 1997. She has since held various minor positions in the Conservative government, and in 2002 became the first female chairman of the Conservative Party.

Pursuing technical support functioning of the Conservatives, the future prime minister of Britain was at the same time the shadow minister of transport and food, and also headed the ministries of sports, media, culture, pensions and labor. May was elected Shadow Leader of the House of Commons in 2005, which she held until 2010.


With the advent of former British Prime Minister Theresa May, she was appointed head of the country's interior ministry and received the portfolio of Minister for Equality and Women. In these high positions, she proved herself to be a tough and cold-blooded politician, advocating the invasion of Iraq, granting equal rights to same-sex couples.

In addition, Theresa May was one of the few political opponents of the adoption of laws on the further integration of the UK into the EU, to combat climate change, and also opposed the ban on smoking in public places.

British Prime Minister

Theresa May reached political Olympus after the referendum in Britain on the country's withdrawal from the EU. She opposed Brexit and supported Cameron, who opposed national changes in the country. Nevertheless, after the resignation of Cameron, she put forward her candidacy for the post of head of the Conservative Party and, accordingly, for the post of Prime Minister of Britain.


In the first stage of the election of the new leader of the Conservative Party, May became the favorite of the race and scored 165 votes of parliamentarians. As a result, on July 11, 2016, she was elected head of the Conservative Party and became the only candidate for the premiership.

On July 13, 2016, Queen Theresa May is appointed prime minister. At the post entrusted to her, the politician promised to continue the policy of David Cameron in the country and preserve the unity of the British, restoring social justice.


During her own election campaign, which took place before the famous Brexit referendum (withdrawal of the UK from the European Union), and after the referendum, the victory in it went to the Euroskeptics, Theresa May submitted to the people's will and the procedure for leaving the EU.

On March 29, 2017, President of the European Council Donald Tusk received official letter, in which the UK notified the European Union that it was no longer part of it. In addition, the British demanded to return, according to various estimates, from $9 billion to $10 billion stored in the European investment bank British assets.

Personal life

Theresa May's personal life is no less successful than hers political career. Back in 1980, she met the love of her life, Philip John May. The new Prime Minister of Great Britain has been married to her husband for more than 35 years, however, the couple has no children.


It is known that Theresa May has certain health problems - in 2012 she was diagnosed with diabetes Type I, which provides for regular support of the body with insulin.

Theresa May is dubbed the most glamorous politician in the House of Commons by the British media because of her love of designer clothes and shoes. fashion images This petite woman (the prime minister's height is 172 cm) has been repeatedly criticized, as society considers it unacceptable for a politician to appear at business events in inappropriate outfits with a deep neckline.

Theresa May now

In April 2017, Theresa May announced that early parliamentary elections would be held in the UK in June of that year. The prime minister justified this decision by saying that the upcoming UK exit from the European Union is a complex procedure that will require the country to have a strong and coherent government that adheres to a single opinion on Brexit.


In a special speech on this occasion, the British Prime Minister reminded residents that the country will have to fight not just for names and nominal agreements, but for control of its own borders, currency, laws and economic elections.

As a result of the re-election, Theresa May was re-elected to parliament, in addition, the Conservative Party was in the lead in the struggle for the absolute majority of seats in parliament, but in the end, not a single party received an impressive majority, and the conservatives gained only a little more than 50%.


Because of this, a situation has arisen that is called a "hung" parliament. Theresa May had to ask permission to form a new cabinet, which turned out to be difficult creation party coalitions. Because of this, rumors about the imminent resignation of the prime minister appeared in 2017, but this information was not confirmed.

After confirming its exit from the European Union, the UK began to build relationships both with former comrades in the Union and with foreign countries. The prime minister became the first foreign leader to pay an official visit to the United States since taking office.


In February 2018, Theresa May visited China and met with. The prime minister told the press that a “golden era” had begun in relations between China and the UK.

Also in February 2018, May met with the German chancellor. main theme negotiations became interesting for the Europeans and the British exit of Great Britain from the EU countries. But, in addition, the leaders also discussed security issues, as well as trade deals.

Awards and achievements

  • 2002 - became the first female chairman of the Conservative Party
  • 2010 - received the position of Minister of the Interior and Minister for Women and Equality
  • 2017 - ranked second in the list of the most powerful women world according to Forbes magazine
  • 2017 - became the most popular British Prime Minister for 40 years

Theresa May, 59, has become British Prime Minister. How is the biography and personal life of Theresa May, who has already been dubbed the "new iron lady"?

Iron Lady 2 Theresa May is often compared to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Both are involved in politics and have no children.

Theresa May, like Angela Merkel, was born in the family of a theologian.

And if Father Merkel studied theology and for some time was a pastor of the Lutheran church, then Pope May was a Protestant priest and served as a curate at Whitley Church near Oxford.

Theresa May herself is also an obedient parishioner and attends church every Sunday. At the same time, she supports gender equality and is a supporter of same-sex marriage.

As home secretary, Theresa May won grassroots popularity by calling for tolerance and defending women's rights.

By the way, with regard to Russia, May had a fundamentally different approach: she preferred not to aggravate the already difficult political relations.

Theresa May's personal life

Theresa May got married in 1980. Their marriage to Philip John May turns 36 this September.

Theresa May's husband is an investment banker, now an employee of an American trust company. Capital Group companies.

Theresa May and her husband have no children. Theresa May does not hide the fact that the reason for childlessness is her health, and she is very sorry that she could not know the joy of motherhood.

In addition to the fact that Theresa May cannot have children, she learned about another problem four years ago.

In 2012, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Therefore, she constantly needs to take insulin and be under medical supervision.

Biography of Theresa May

She is a British politician, Home Secretary (2010-2016) and Minister for Women and Equality (2010-2012), member of the House of Commons (1997-present), member of the Conservative Party. Leader of the Conservative Party since 11 July 2016 and 76th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 13 July 2016.

She graduated from Oxford University with a BA in Geography. Worked at the Bank of England.

From 1986-1994 she was a member of the local council of the London Borough of Merton. Ran in the 1992 parliamentary elections in the constituency of North West Durham and in the early elections of 1994 in the constituency of Barking, but unsuccessfully.

In the 1997 elections, she was first elected to the House of Commons of the British Parliament from the newly formed constituency of Maidenhead in Berkshire and has since been re-elected.

From 1997-2002, she held various minor positions in the Conservative shadow government. In 2002, she became the first female chairman of the Conservative Party and, unlike the leader of the party, dealt with the technical issues of ensuring the functioning of the Conservatives.

In 2003-2005 she was the shadow minister of transport and, at the same time, the shadow minister of food and the environment.

From May to December 2005 she was the shadow minister of culture, media and sports. On December 6, 2005, she was appointed shadow leader of the House of Commons. In 2009-2010, she served as the shadow minister of labor and pensions.

After the 2010 elections, she was appointed Minister of the Interior, while receiving the portfolio of Minister for Women and Equality.

In this position, she advocated equal rights for same-sex couples, becoming one of the first high-profile politicians in the UK to publicly express her support for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

The post of secretary of labor and pensions, which she could count on because of her last position in the shadow government, was given to Ian Duncan Smith.

During the 2016 campaign leading up to the Brexit referendum, she supported Prime Minister David Cameron and opposed Brexit.

But after the referendum, which was won by Eurosceptics and the announcement of Prime Minister David Cameron about his upcoming resignation, she put forward her candidacy for the post of head of the Conservative Party and, therefore, Prime Minister of Great Britain.