New Prime Minister – Theresa May

David Cameron has tendered his resignation to the Queen after attending his final Prime Minister’s Questions this lunchtime, and Britain has a new Prime Minister – Theresa May. May is set to begin appointing new key cabinet ministers tonight, including the likes of Amber Rudd and Justine Greening as the new Prime Minister moves to create a more gender-balanced government.

The changeover comes slightly earlier than anticipated, after Leadsom pulled out of the leadership race to leave May as the only candidate. It is not entirely unexpected, as there were calls throughout the Conservative party to speed up the process of appointing a new PM; however, as a result, Cameron will no longer be able to attend his final G20 meeting, which takes place in China on the 4th and 5th of September. Cameron said in his statement to the press, “It’s not been an easy journey and of course we have not got every decision right, but I do believe that today our country is much stronger.”

Cameron’s exit was a quiet one, absent of drama and emotion – just a polite, cheerful thank you and goodbye, as he walks away from Downing Street leaving a trail of questions and confusion behind him. ‘Stronger’? How can we possibly be stronger in the wake of Brexit, amid market uncertainty and facing a crippled NHS? The responsibility of dealing with post-Brexit Britain and finding a path to move forward on (something even those in the leave camp seem at a loss to provide) falls from his shoulders, and it remains to May to pick up the pieces. Cameron’s greatest legacy will be what was arguably his greatest error – calling the referendum. The echoes of that mistake will no doubt drown out even his most resounding achievements, and the Tories were aware of this as they bade him farewell.

It remains to be seen if May is truly up to the job and it will certainly be extremely interesting to see how the changes will unfold over the coming weeks, and how a pro-remain PM will handle Brexit. Not to mention what kind of adjustments May will begin implementing immediately, such as the aforementioned changes to cabinet. Can we look forward to a stronger female presence within government for the future? The public was blindly hopeful when Margaret Thatcher became PM in 1975, but we wait with anticipation to see if our second female Prime Minister will bring about more permanent changes to gender roles within the government.

As the Tory party waves in a new leader, the future of Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour party remains unclear as NEC member Johanna Baxter has accused Corbyn of tacitly endorsing bullying by voting against a secret ballot on Wednesday night: “The leader of the Labour party voted against the proposal that we conduct our vote in private in order to protect NEC members who were receiving threats, bullying and intimidation… The only reason to vote against that is so that the intimidation can continue. It’s the most shameful act I’ve ever seen”.

Moreover, Owen Smith, former shadow work and pensions secretary, announced his bid for the Labour Leadership on the Today show this morning. Despite the fact he is technically challenging Corbyn, much of what he has said thus far has been directed at Angela Eagle, who announced her own bid on Sunday, and he has successfully managed to put himself noticeably to the left of Eagle on issues such as Iraq.

As the political chaos that has followed Brexit continues, we still face innumerable struggles and threats, but we remain optimistic that May will be able to negotiate Brexit for the safety of our country in the short term, but the long term consequences continue to be beyond our understanding. The struggle for the wheel within the Labour party only succeeds in stealing hope from the Labour supporters who have been willing for a Labour government next election, and many grow increasingly disillusioned with a leader who previously inspired them with great hope for the future. We stand on the cusp of great change within Britain, and I wait with baited breath to see if our new Prime Minister will bring about the urgent change we need.