Theresa May: A Premiership in Crisis
| Date | 01 December 2017 |
| Published date | 01 December 2017 |
| Author | Graham Goodlad |
| DOI | 10.1177/2041905817744605 |
8 POLITICAL INSIGHT • DECEMBER 2017
When she came to power
in July 2016, Theresa
May seemed to occupy
a commanding position.
She entered Number 10 after a period of
intense upheaval, with the surprise result
of the EU referendum, followed by David
Cameron’s resignation as Prime Minister and
the subsequent battle for the Conservative
leadership. May was a reassuring gure,
behind whom her party could reunite to get
on with the urgent business of negotiating
Brexit. Although May had supported the
Remain side in the referendum campaign, she
had not done so as unequivocally as Cameron
– there was no suggestion of ‘Project Fear’
in her public stance on the issue. She was
thus well placed to unite the two warring
factions in the Conservative Party. Although
there were some rumblings that she lacked
her own mandate, having inherited the slim
parliamentary majority won by Cameron in
May 2015, there could be no serious political
or constitutional objections to her assumption
Theresa May: A
Premiership in Crisis
The reversal of Theresa May’s fortunes, following her catastrophic
decision to call a premature general election, demonstrates
the vulnerability of a Prime Minister who cannot command a
parliamentary majority. Despite her flaws, May remains the least
worst option for many Tories, writes Graham Goodlad.
of oce.
May brought to Number 10 the advantages
associated with a long and steady career
near the top of British politics. A succession
of shadow portfolios had been followed
by an unusually long six-year stint at the
Home Oce. Admittedly, this is not a post
which usually acts as a springboard to higher
things. In the previous half-century only
one Home Secretary, James Callaghan, had
become Prime Minister, and he did not move
directly from one oce to the other. May
was, however, viewed as a ‘safe pair of hands’,
displaying an unexciting pragmatism which
suited the needs of a moment of uncertainty.
From her time as party chairman in 2002,
when she had warned the Conservatives
about their image as the ‘nasty party’, May
had acquired a reputation as a moderniser,
© Press Association
Political Insight December 2017.indd 8 03/11/2017 10:54
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