Theresa May to take over as UK PM by Wednesday

                             

Theresa May will become Britain’s next prime minister by Wednesday evening after the last of her pro-Brexit rivals pulled out of the Conservative leadership race on another day of high drama at Westminster.

The home secretary will enter 10 Downing Street in the wake of Andrea Leadsom, her last remaining rival, pulling out of the contest in emotional circumstances.

Speaking outside the Houses of Parliament, in her first public comments since becoming leader-in-waiting, she said she was honoured and humbled.

Surrounded by what are now her MPs, she pointed to the need for strong leadership in what would be “difficult times”, adding that “Brexit means Brexit and we are going to make a success of it”.

Mrs May, 59, will replace David Cameron in two days, once the formalities of the transition of power, including an audience with the Queen, have been completed. Mr Cameron is set to chair his final cabinet meeting on Tuesday and hold a last Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons on Wednesday, before offering the Queen his resignation.

Removal vans have been booked to help Mr Cameron move out of his home of six years after the leadership contest, which was scheduled to run until September 9, was abruptly halted at 12.15pm UK time on Monday.

The home secretary, the second woman to occupy Number 10 after Margaret Thatcher, declared she would govern for the whole country and “not just the privileged few”, promising a crackdown on corporate excess.

Mrs Leadsom, who was said by friends to have been in a tearful state over the weekend, emerged at Westminster to announce she was pulling out and pledged loyalty to Mrs May as prime minister.

Soon afterwards, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, the other leading Tories who campaigned to leave the EU, issued statements of support for Mrs May, who campaigned for the Remain side but now has to lead the country through the exit door.