Since he was ordered to take over from Cameron’s guo three years ago, British Prime Minister Theresa May has been living in the embarrassment and helplessness of quitting the group and having to stay in the group for a while. On May 24th, Mei Yi announced that she would resign today on June 7th, ending her turbulent three-year term as prime minister.
Many people think that Mei Yi will no longer be prime minister from today, but she is not.
Theresa May steps down as Conservative Party leader on 7 June, but not as prime minister.She will carry on governing the country and fulfilling her official duties until a successor is chosen.The Conservative lead ership contest will begin formally the week after she steps down – on 10 June.
Theresa may resigned as leader of the Conservative Party on June 7th, but not as prime minister. She will work until a new prime minister is elected. The Conservative Party leadership contest will officially begin this week on June 10th after she leaves office.
▲ Theresa May steps down as Conservative Party leader on 7 June, but not as prime minister (via Independent)
According to foreign media reports, the Conservative Party announced that it would elect a new party leader within one week starting from July 22nd to replace Theresa May’s position in the Party and the post of British Prime Minister. It is reported that the first round of voting will begin on June 13, and it is expected that the new prime minister candidate will be released on July 26.
Who are the candidates for the post of Prime Minister? There are 11 confirmed candidates, and the British media are divided into categories according to the intensity of their willingness to leave the European Union. Let’s get to know each other.
Tough brexit Extremely Brexity
1. Boris Johnson.
54-year-old, former mayor of London and British Foreign Secretary.
Figure via Xinhua
Boris, who is wearing the iconic chicken nest head, is currently the most popular candidate. He was also blessed by US President Trump a few days ago. But even so, the refusal should be refused. No, in the face of Trump’s meeting invitation, he refused on the grounds of "going to participate in the election campaign." It is no wonder that foreign media call him "Trump on the Thames".
Trump on the Thames? The voluble, mop-topped journalist–turned–London mayor–turned–foreign minister, who got an endorsement from Donald Trump this week, is currently the front-runner, according to most pundits and betting markets. He says he will try to negotiate a new withdrawal agreement with the EU before Oct. 31 but will pull Britain out of the EU on that date, with a deal or without one. As a leading campaigner for Leave during the original Brexit referendum who quit May’s Cabinet over disagreements about her withdrawal agreement, he is considered an arch Brexiteer, though his views on other social and economic issues are a bit more moderate than others in that camp.
Trump on the Thames? Boris, who has a glib tongue and a chicken nest, used to be a journalist, mayor of London and foreign minister, and this week he was supported by Trump. Most experts and gambling market participants believe that he is the front runner at present. He said that he would try to negotiate a new Brexit agreement with the EU before October 31. Once the day comes, he will lead Britain to leave the EU with or without an agreement. As the main promoter during the initial Brexit referendum, Boris recently withdrew from the cabinet due to disagreement with theresa may on the Brexit agreement. Although his views on other social and economic issues are milder than those of other Brexit parties, he is still regarded as the mainstay of Brexit.
Johnson is extremely popular with the party rank-and-file, so he will almost certainly win if he makes it to the final two. Unfortunately for him, many of his colleagues hate him.
Johnson is very popular among ordinary party member, so if he can make it to the top two, it’s almost certain. Unfortunately, many of his colleagues hate him.
▲ Who Will Replace Theresa May as Prime Minister? (via slate.com )
2. Andrea Leadsom
56-year-old, former Minister in charge of energy affairs of the British Department of Energy and Climate Change, former leader of the House of Commons and member of Parliament of Southampton County.
Figure via Times
In the Conservative election in 2016, andrea’s vote was second only to Mei Yi’s. However, her remarks at that time caused quite a lot of controversy. She used the point of "no children" to attack Mei Yi. She said that compared with Mei Yi who has no children and daughters, she has more advantages and can influence the future of the country.
The former Commons leader has said she would take Britain out of the EU on 31 October with a "managed exit". She called the current deal with Brussels "dead" but vowed to pass mini-deals keeping certain "arrangements in place". The idea has previously been vetoed by the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.
The former leader of the House of Commons said that she would take Britain out of the EU in an orderly way on October 31st. She called the current agreement with Brussels "dead" and promised to pass some small agreements to make some "arrangements in place". This idea was previously rejected by Michelle Banier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator.
▲ Tory leadership race: Who is vying to replace Theresa May – and where they stand on Brexit (via news.sky.com )
3. Dominic Rennie Raab
45-year-old, former British Brexit Minister.
Figure via Metro
Raab, who was theoretically overseeing May’s negotiations with the EU, quit in protest after May released her withdrawal agreement in November. (He confusingly later voted for it as an MP.) His current line on Brexit is similar to Johnson’s—he will try to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement but is prepared to leave without a deal if he can’t.
In theory, Rab should always supervise Mei’s negotiations with the EU, but he announced his resignation after Mei announced the Brexit agreement in November last year to show his protest. Confusingly, he voted for it again when he was a member of Congress. At present, his position on Brexit is similar to Johnson’s. He will try to renegotiate the Brexit agreement, but if it cannot be reached, there will be no agreement to leave the EU.
▲ Who Will Replace Theresa May as Prime Minister? (via slate.com )
4. Esther McVey
51 years old, former Minister of Employment and Retirement Security.
Figure via BBC
The former work and pensions secretary is the candidate most in favour of no deal. "The only way to deliver the referendum result is to actively embrac e leaving the EU without a deal, " she has said. Mrs McVey has insisted the "invisible border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would be able to be implemented by the October deadline.
The former Minister of Employment and Retirement Protection is the candidate who supports Brexit without agreement. She said: "The only way to achieve the result of the referendum is to actively accept Brexit without agreement." Mrs McVeigh insists that the "invisible border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland can be achieved before the October deadline.
▲Tory leadership race: Who is vying to replace Theresa May – and where they stand on Brexit (via news.sky.com )
Moderate Brexit Somewhat Brexity
5. Michael Gove.
51-year-old, British Minister of Environment.
Figure via Politico
The environment secretary, who was a prominent member of the Leave campaign in the lead-up to the referendum, has warned that no deal on 31 October would trigger a general election. He is prepared to delay Brexit until late 2020, according to the Telegraph.
The environment minister was an important member who advocated Brexit before the referendum. He warned that if there was no agreement to leave the EU on October 31, it would trigger an election. According to the Daily Telegraph, he is going to postpone Brexit until the end of 2020.
▲Tory leadership race: Who is vying to replace Theresa May – and where they stand on Brexit (via news.sky.com )
6. Jeremy Hunt.
52-year-old, former British Minister of Culture and Minister of Health, and now British Foreign Secretary.
Figure via BBC
This foreign minister may be no stranger to many people, because he is "China’s son-in-law". However, when he visited China, he once called his Chinese wife "Japanese", but his serious slip of the tongue offended many people.
He wants to create a new UK negotiating team made up of all sides of the Conservative Party, and its confidence-and-supply partner the DUP, to change the withdrawal agreement. The EU has so far said the deal on the table is not up for renegotiation. The foreign secretary says anyone promis ing they would take Britain out of the EU with no deal would be blocked by parliament. He has called no deal "political suicide".
He wants to reorganize a Brexit negotiating team to change the exit agreement, which will include all Conservative parties and their partner democratic unionist party. The EU has indicated that it will not renegotiate the agreement currently under discussion. The foreign secretary said that the parliament will not accept those who support no agreement to leave the European Union. He believes that leaving the EU without agreement is tantamount to "political suicide".
▲Tory leadership race: Who is vying to replace Theresa May – and where they stand on Brexit (via news.sky.com )
7. Sajid Javid
49 years old, home secretary.
Figure via The Sun
Javid was an extremely lukewarm Remainer during the referendum but is now thought of as a Brexiteer. He’s in the leave-on-Oct.-31-no-matter-what camp a nd advocates preparing for a no-deal. Javid, the son of Pakistani immigrants who would be the U.K.’s first nonwhite prime minister, was considered a top-tier candidate early on, but his star has faded. He has recently defended the decision to strip the citizenship of a teenager who traveled to Syria to marry an ISIS fighter.
At the time of the referendum, Dzhavid was a very tepid member of the European Union, but now it is considered as a Brexit. He joined the camp of "leaving the European Union on October 31st anyway" and advocated preparing for no agreement. Dzhavid, the son of Pakistani immigrants, has long been regarded as a top candidate. If elected, he will become the first non-white prime minister in Britain. But recently, his star aura has been eclipsed. Because he recently deprived a girl who went to Syria to marry an ISIS fighter of her citizenship, it caused quite a controversy.
▲Who Will Replace Theresa May as Prime Minister? (via slate.com )
8. Matt Hancock
40 years old, Minister of Health.
Figure via The Sun
Matt Hancock, who is a different person than Mark Harper, wants to get the U.K. out of the EU by Oct. 31 but is against a no-deal Brexit. He has a somewhat more detailed plan than his competitors, involving a comprehensive free-trade deal with Europe and forming an “Irish border council” to help resolve the status of the border. He’s been praise d by the Guardian for having “the seemingly basic virtues of being apparently competent and broadly similar to a normal human being.”
Unlike Mark Harper below, Matt Hancock hopes to leave the EU before October 31st, but opposes leaving without agreement. Compared with his competitors, his plan is more detailed, including reaching a comprehensive free trade agreement with Europe and setting up an "Irish Border Committee" to help solve the border problem. The Guardian praised him for "looking like a normal person with the basic virtue of being able to take on heavy responsibilities."
▲ Who Will Replace Theresa May as Prime Minister? (via slate.com )
9. Mark Harper
49, former parliamentary majority leader.
Figure via The Sun
Mark Harper, who is definitely not Matt Hancock, was not in the Cabinet during the time Brexit was negotiated. He stepped down as immigration minister in 2014 when it turned out his house cleaner did not have a valid visa, then served as disabilities minister for less than a year.The former accountant backed Remain in 2016 and hasn’t ruled out no-deal but says he will ask for a “short, focused extension” past Oct. 31, calling proposals to negotiate a new deal before then unrealistic. They are unrealistic, but it seems like no one really wants to hear that right now.
Mark Harper is definitely not Matt Hancock. He was not in the cabinet during the Brexit negotiations. In 2014, he resigned as Minister of Immigration because his cleaner was found to have no valid visa, and then served as Minister of Disability Affairs for less than a year. Once an accountant, he stayed in Europe in 2016. At present, he has not ruled out the possibility of no agreement. He said that he would ask for a "short-term concentrated extension period" after October 31, and called for a new agreement to be negotiated before that. It is unrealistic. It’s really unrealistic, but no one seems to want to hear it at present.
▲ Who Will Replace Theresa May as Prime Minister? (via slate.com )
Reluctant to leave the European Union Not very Brexity
10. Rory Stewart
46 years old, Minister of International Development.
Figure via Telegraph
He was given his first Cabinet role in May and almost immediately began campaigning for prime minister. He was a Remainer in 2016 who then became an en thusiastic public advocate (sometimes too enthusiastic) for May’s withdrawal agreement. He opposes a no-deal Brexit and has said he wouldn’t work under Johnson because of the latter’s stance on the issue.
He was a new cabinet member in May this year, and then he started running for the prime minister almost immediately. In 2016, he stayed in Europe and later became an enthusiastic advocate (sometimes too enthusiastic) of Mei Yi’s Brexit agreement. He opposed leaving the EU without agreement, and made it clear that he would not work for Johnson because they had different positions.
▲ Who Will Replace Theresa May as Prime Minister? (via slate.com )
11. Sam Ji Ma
42 years old, former university minister.
Figure via Independent
Gyimah, who on Sunday became the most recent candidate to join the race, is the only one openly backing a second referendum on Brexit and says he would vote to remain. Gyimah, a former investment banker who spent much of his childhood in his parents’ native Ghana, quit May’s Cabinet in November over objections to her Brexit plan. Given that much of the party is so opposed to a second referendum that May had to step down for even suggesting one, it seems unlikely Gyimah’s candidacy is going anywhere.
Ji Ma announced his candidacy only on Sunday, and he was the only one who supported the second referendum. He said that he would vote for Europe. Previously, Ji Ma was an investment banker. He spent most of his childhood in Ghana, his parents’ native country. Last November, he withdrew from the cabinet because of his opposition to May’s Brexit plan. In view of the fact that most members of the party are so opposed to the second referendum that May, who put forward the proposal, has to step down, Ji Ma’s campaign path can be imagined.
▲ Who Will Replace Theresa May as Prime Minister? (via slate.com )
Hmmm, look at the speed of Britain’s Brexit, and I don’t know if this new prime minister can be elected on time.
Who do you think will be the next British Prime Minister?
Text: a jun