Theresa May will become Britain's new prime minister today

Theresa May will become second female British prime minister on Wednesday
(Image credit: Carl Court/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron will tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II after a final round of sparring with the House of Commons, paving the way for Home Secretary Theresa May to take over by Wednesday evening. May, 59, won the race for leadership of the Conservative Party without a vote, after her final rival, Andrea Leadsom, bowed out on Monday. She will be Britain's second female prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher, also a Tory. Cameron has been prime minister since 2010, and he did not seem too despondent about giving up power.

Cameron, who announced his intention to step down after Britain voted to leave the European Union last month, says he will remain a member of Parliament. May, who's been home secretary since 2010 and was in Parliament for 13 years before that, also opposed Brexit, but not very vocally. She is considered a pragmatic moderate in her party, more like Germany's Angela Merkel than Thatcher. You can watch Thatcher, Cameron, and all prime ministers in between begin and end their leadership stints in the BBC News compilation video below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.