THERESA MAY: FROM UNLIKELY BEGINNINGS TO NUMBER 10
▶ Her rise to prominence included studying at Oxford, where she was introduced to her future husband by fellow student Benazir Bhutto
Theresa May’s political career has been marked by a low-key style and dogged determination, both qualities stemming from the strong sense of duty forged in her childhood.
Oxford-educated and a lifelong Conservative, Mrs May’s early years were spent in the seaside town of Eastbourne, where she enjoyed a sheltered upbringing as the only child of a Church of England clergyman. In contrast to many of her Conservative colleagues, Mrs May went to state schools rather than the expensive private institutions steeped in history many of her predecessors attended.
Gaining a degree from the University of Oxford was more in keeping with the tradition of UK leaders, but her subject choice of geography was not the typical breeding grounds for a prime minister – even if she then spent six years working for the Bank of England.
The early 1980s were marked by tragedy when her father died in a car accident and her mother from multiple sclerosis. Aged 25 and finding her place in the world, she was now alone. Mrs May has said she was sorry her parents never saw her elected as a member of Parliament – but they did not even witness her tenure as a Conservative councillor for the London borough of Merton from 1986 to 1994.
Helping her through the tragedy was her husband Phillip, who she married in 1980 at the age of 23 after meeting him at Oxford, and who is often described as her rock. Mrs May had an eclectic group of friends while studying, including Sir Alan Duncan and Damian Green, who would later become ministers and close allies.
Benazir Bhutto, the future Pakistan prime minister and a high-profile member of the Oxford student body, introduced her friend, Theresa, to Phillip.
In her early parliamentary career, after being elected for the new constituency of Maidenhead in 1997, one of her most notable roles was as the first female chairman of the Conservatives. She famously urged the party to change, uttering the words: “You know what people call us – the Nasty Party.”
When David Cameron became prime minister in 2010, he immediately made Mrs May home secretary, the fourth woman to hold one of the great offices of state.
Arguably her biggest test was the 2011 summer riots, when a London man was shot dead by police, sparking countrywide chaos that mirrored the state of UK politics.
Elevated to the prime minister’s position in the aftermath of the June 2016 referendum, Mrs May set out a series of principles to forge Britain’s post-Brexit position that included quitting the EU’s single market and its customs union.
Those red lines made the task of coming to an agreement with Brussels much more difficult.
After calling a general election that lost the Conservative majority Mrs May inherited from Mr Cameron last year, Mrs May’s closest advisers were forced to quit.
That left the prime minister politically vulnerable to internal and external events.
The new term has been marred by instability driven by the pressures of negotiating Brexit before a deadline that expires in March next year.
Cabinet ministers have quit in regular succession and Mrs May’s government this month became the first to be held in contempt of parliament.
Comparisons are being made between Mrs May’s predicament and that of Malcom Turnbull, former Australian prime minister and another Oxford friend. He faced a leadership crisis this year in his Liberal party. Mr Turnbull survived the initial vote, but amid further pressure handed in his resignation only 10 days later.