Mrs Theresa May

Britain’s second female prime minister and the first female chairman of the Conservative Party, Theresa May identifies as a One Nation Conservative, but her premiership may well be remembered differently. Before entering government, Theresa May held a number of shadow ministerial positions including shadow secretary of state for education and employment and shadow leader of the House. Prior to becoming prime minister, May was best known amongst the public for her tenure as home secretary from 2010 to 2016, where she was seen to crack down on illegal immigration and notably fell into conflict with the Police Federation. Despite lengthy political experience, May’s divisive legacy has been irreversibly marred by her failure to deliver Brexit. May’s growing reputation of making political U-turns during her premiership made her the subject of some ridicule. Although she was not a vocal Remain figure, May spent much of her premiership convincing voters and colleagues alike that she was committed to leaving the EU. Following the three-time rejection of her Brexit bill, May resigned as PM in 2019. Since then, she has vocally criticised Boris Johnson’s government from the backbenches – unusually for a recent prime minister.