Theresa May
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019
Theresa May: from Maidenhead MP to prime minister
Before Downing Street
After studying geography at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, Theresa May worked at the Bank of England and in the payments sector. She served on Merton council from 1986 to 1994, then entered Parliament as the Conservative MP for Maidenhead in 1997.
A long spell at the Home Office
May held several opposition front-bench posts before becoming home secretary in May 2010. She remained in that demanding office for more than six years, making it the main executive role of her career before she led the government.
Prime minister during Brexit
After the 2016 referendum and David Cameron’s resignation, May became Conservative leader and prime minister on 13 July 2016. Her premiership was dominated by efforts to negotiate Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. She left office on 24 July 2019.