The Rise of Theresa May

The fall of the first woman prime minister of UK, Margaret Thatcher, and the sudden emergence of its second woman premier, Theresa May, can be considered milestones of British history.     

Being the first woman to head the Conservative Party, Thatcher had led the Tory to contest three consecutive general elections from 1979. She won all three elections and became the longest serving British PM since 1872. She became known as the "Iron Lady" for her ruthless handling of a mine workers' strike and other tough measures.

But she had to resign as PM in November 1990, before the completion of her third term, as she failed to receive a majority in the Conservative Party's annual vote for selection of a leader. It was a coup planned within her party to oust her. John Major, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, was chosen as the Conservative leader, who became prime minister.  

After two and a half decades since Thatcher's fall, Theresa May has been chosen as the Conservative Party leader and is the second woman PM of UK. She is replacing David Cameron who resigned in the wake of his defeat in UK's EU referendum on June 23.

David Cameron called for a referendum only a year after he returned to power for a second term, in efforts to further consolidate his position in the party and silence EU sceptics in his party by winning the referendum. He had planned to encash the popularity he had enjoyed in the 2015 elections to win the referendum.

In 2010, the Conservative Party, under the leadership of Cameron, won the polls, but failed to obtain enough seats in Parliament to form the government. This led him to form a coalition government with Liberal Democrats, something unprecedented in the last 70 years. But in 2015's election, his Conservative Party appeared as a single majority party, capable of forming the government alone. However, this strategy did not work for him in the June 23 referendum.

Taking into account the rise of May to 10 Downing Street, there have been 16 changes of prime ministers in mid-terms since 1902. And interestingly, most of the changes have taken place in the Conservative Party. 

As the country's leader, May will be faced with many challenges and must carry out the prickly job of taking UK out of the EU, according to the referendum verdict, in face of strong reactions of other EU members, particularly Germany and France to UK's referendum results. She needs to unite her Conservative Party, which was split during the referendum, as well as unite the people of UK and prevent a deteriorating economic condition.

At home, her own political words on 'unelected prime minister' are going against her. When Gordon Brown, a Labour Party leader, became prime minister after the resignation of Tony Blair in 2007, Theresa May demanded a snap general election. In a blog for the website Conservative Home, she wrote that Brown had "no democratic mandate" after taking over from Tony Blair.

In the run up to the 2010 parliamentary election, Conservative Party leader Cameron also campaigned for amending the law, introducing a provision to ensure that Parliament would be automatically dissolved six months after a change of prime minister for any other reason than a general election

Opposition parties, including Labour and Liberal Democrats, seem to have forgotten what Cameron said in 2010. They rather started using May's comments proposing a snap election after Andrea Leadsom quit the Conservative Party leadership contest on Monday, making it easier for May to become premier today. They have said the Conservative Party has now no mandate in May's words.

May has already dropped a strong hint against holding a snap election and is in favour of waiting for the election scheduled for 2020. The Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011, introduced by the Conservative Party government, may give her the legitimacy to remain in power until 2020.

Until the law was made, UK could go for a general election anytime by dissolving the Parliament. It has happened a few times in the past. Whenever a sitting prime minister felt confident about a sure election victory, he called for a general election without completion of the parliamentary term.  

But the provision of the Fixed Term Parliament Act makes it difficult for calling a snap election. Even if May agrees under pressure from the opposition camp to call for a snap election, she will bank on the MPs. If MPs do not agree to pass a resolution by a two-thirds majority to go for a snap election, May will not be required to go for a mid term election.

There is more good news for May. Her main opposition Labour camp is now in a state of disarray. The Labour Party is facing a leadership crisis with more than a dozen shadow ministers resigning, challenging the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn after the June referendum. In such a situation, the call for a snap election is facing opposition within the Labour camp, as some of their leaders think their party may not be able to do better if the polls are held now. The exit of Boris Johnson, Michael Gove - the two Conservative leaders known as anti-EU hardliners who campaigned for the leave campaign, from the leadership race has been a blessing for May. Another hardliner Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independent Party, has also resigned from the party leadership post. Conservative MPs have already rallied behind May with their overwhelming support.

After the referendum, it was said that the UK was heading for disaster. But May's rise as prime minister generates hope for overcoming the political crisis and may help to unite the country. May is known for being a tough negotiator and one of the shrewdest politicians in the current political arena. The general feeling is that May will lead the UK in the right direction. Moreover, a mature democracy and healthy politics will keep contributing to her government's efforts to overcome the ongoing political and financial crisis.

The success of her government in the remaining four years will consolidate her position in British politics and open the door for her return to the power through the general election in 2020.

The writer is Senior Reporter, The Daily Star.