LONDON (web Desk) – Theresa May took over as Britain’s Prime Minister on Wednesday.
The steely 59-year-old replaced David Cameron, who became the first political casualty of last month’s referendum when he announced his intention to quit hours after the result.
Theresa May is the second woman in the job, following in the steps of fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher — who was nicknamed the “Iron Lady” and whose decade-long political partnership with President Ronald Reagan helped reshape the global order in the 1980s.
A male Conservative party grandee who served under Thatcher and supports May was last week caught in a “hot mic” moment describing her as a “bloody difficult woman.” The unguarded comment likely endeared May to grassroots party members who fondly recall Thatcher’s headstrong and stubborn approach to leadership.
The backhanded compliment has since been reclaimed by many women on social media and May also later embraced it, telling The Telegraph that “politics could do with some bloody difficult women actually.”
She added: “I think that if you believe in something strongly you should go for it and if that makes me difficult … “
May has done little to discourage her reputation as a ruthless political operator, saying that the next person to find her “bloody difficult” would be President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.
