Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Who is Theresa May?
Who is Theresa May?
Dec 22, 2025 8:20 PM

A true feminist, a devout Christian, and a leader mon sense will soon move into 10 Downing Street.

As excitement—and dismay—surrounded Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, Remainer and (former) prime minister, David Cameron announced his resignation from British parliament’s highest position. Today he officially leaves office, allowing Theresa May to e the next British Prime Minister.

Originally, Cameron planned to wait until October to pass the torch to the next leader, but on Monday he stated that, “we now don’t need to have a prolonged period of transition. And so tomorrow I will chair my last Cabinet meeting. On Wednesday I will attend the House of Commons for Prime Minister’s questions.”

The background on May’s rise to this office may be a plicated to Americans, pared to our current messy presidential election. Rather than a national vote for a new prime minister, in the British parliamentary system the ruling party’s leader (in this case, the Conservatives) automatically es prime minister.

Two candidates vying to take over the Conservative Party, and ultimately the prime minister’s seat, were May and Andrea Leadsom. But the two never went to election as Leadsom decided to drop out after people took offense to her suggestions that she’d make a better leader than May because she is a mother and May is not. ments were particularly unacceptable, as May has been open about her desire to have a family with her husband of 35 years, Phillip John May, and that not having children is an “ultra-sensitive topic” for her. With Leadsom dropping out, May became leader of the Conservative Party and now will e the second female British prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher.

Theresa May had been the Home Secretary since 2010. There is no real American equivalent to this office, but the Secretary of Homeland Security is probably the closest. The Home Secretary reports to the prime minister and overseas British internal affairs.

While much news has focused on May’s propensity to wear eclectic and nontraditional shoes or her lack of children, more focus should be given to her faith.

She is the only child of Rev Hubert, a vicar, and Zaidee Brasier. The late reverend’s sense of duty mitment to helping those around him inspired in his daughter a desire to e a politician also with a clear sense of duty to country and her people. “You don’t think about yourself,” she said. “The emphasis is on others.” She sees her political work as a vocation rather than a “job.” A typical Brit, May has attempted to keep her private and faith life out of the public eye and does not try to evangelize using her influence, “it’s good we don’t flaunt such things in British politics,” she once said when discussing her faith.

More than just simply growing up in a devout home, May continues to practice Anglicanism. One of her favorite songs is “When I survey the wondrous cross” and when discussing religion, she said, “It is part of me, part of whom I am and how I approach things.”

She pays special attention to the vulnerable in society, and has called on other conservatives to fight against injustice in society:

If you’re born poor, you will die on average nine years earlier than others. If you’re black you will be treated much more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white. If you’re a white working class boy, you’re less likely than anybody else to go to university … If you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately. If you’re a woman you still earn less than a man. If you suffer from mental health problems, there’s too often not enough help to hand.

Also notable, since it arguably led to her ing prime minister, is May’s stance on Brexit. Before the vote, she wanted to remain in the European Union, but since the country made the decision for Brexit, May has made it clear she will not attempt to undermine the voters’ decision. “Brexit means Brexit” she assured the British people. Moving forward she seeks “unity” and will focus on “negotiat[ing] the best deal for Britain as we leave the EU and forge a new role for ourselves in the world.”

Regarding her views on trade and the market, she’s kept mum. Political editor for the Financial Times, George Parker says that she was “short on specifics” when outlining her vision for business. Echoing that sentiment though going even further, Janan Ganesh calls her a “mystery.” Also writing for the financial times, he says that “[a]ll we can do is assemble clues” when attempting to summarize her economic views.

Only the second woman to be named British Prime Minister, someone who is firmly grounded in her faith, and a leader who puts her people and her country before herself, Theresa May’s new role is one that I think we can celebrate in the United States.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Like Putting a Beret on a Cowboy
“[He] belongs more in an insane asylum than at the head of a multinational corporation.” That was the reaction by a French union official to an amusingly harsh letter by Maurice Taylor, chief executive of tire maker Titan. Taylor was initially interested in buying the French tire factory, which is facing closure following five years of unsuccessful negotiations with unions to enhance petitiveness. However, after visiting the plant three times, he wrote a letter to France’s industry minister Arnaud Montebourg,...
Radio Free Acton Podcast: Reflecting on the Legacy of Pope Benedict XVI Part 2
The latest Radio Free Acton Podcast is part 2 of “Reflecting on the Legacy of Pope Benedict.” Director of Research Samuel Gregg and Research Fellow Michael Matheson Miller discuss the ing papal conclave. They explain the process that will be used to choose Benedict XVI’s successor and what should be on the cardinals minds as they go about this process. Click the play button below to enjoy the podcast: ...
Black Marriage Matters
Brittney C. Cooper, Assistant professor of Women’s and Gender studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University, writes at Ebony that President Obama is being unfair to the munity by pointing out that many of the violence-related pathologies in inner cities are a result of fatherlessness. Cooper objects saying, Instead when the president began by suggesting that we need to “do more to promote marriage and encourage fatherhood,” I started shaking my head. Rather than empathizing with those Black families that...
Check Your Rhetoric: What Common Good?
According to Daly, Soviet government sought to dictate every aspect of life in the name of mon good, including the indexing of Soviet publications by libraries. He writes, “[I]f Soviet publications failed to end up in libraries, then, as Lenin railed, ‘we have to know precisely whom to imprison.'”In the Winter-Fall 2012 issue of Modern Age (54, nos. 1-4), Jonathan Daly contributes a helpful exploration of what happens when desire for mon good goes bad. His article, “Bolshevik Power and...
You Don’t Just Elect a President, You Elect a Regulatory Regime
“We have to pass the bill so that you find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.” Nancy Pelosi was the House Speaker when she made those remarks about Obamacare at the 2010 Legislative Conference for the National Association of Counties. At the time, Pelosi was mocked for not understanding what was in the legislation she was supporting. But the reality is that with all legislation that is considered by Congress, we almost never really...
Commentary: Is America the Federal Government?
“While president, Calvin Coolidge warned Americans that if it was thefederalgovernment that came to their mind when they thought of ‘the government,’ it would prove costly,” writes Ray Nothstine in this week’s Acton Commentary. But as Nothstine points out,everywhere we turn the federal government is increasingly visible and intrusive.The full text of his essay follows. Subscribe to the free, weekly Acton News & Commentary and other publicationshere. Is America the Federal Government? byRay Nothstine Writing about his observations of America...
‘A New, More Grudging Attitude’: More on the HHS Mandate
Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, writing on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), is reaching out to members of Congress regarding religious liberty and the HHS Mandate. In a sharply-worded letter, he reminds members of Congress that there is a clear history of protecting the rights of those with religious and/or moral objections to paying for services such as abortion. He then goes on to address the so-called “war on women”: It can hardly be said...
Work-Life Fusion: Re-Thinking Workaholism in Christian Context
During an interview in support of his new book, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, Tim Keller recently noted the importance of submitting our work as service to God rather than worshipping it as an idol. “Work is a great thing when it is a servant instead of a lord,” Keller said. When thinking about work as an “idol,” we may begin to conjure up images of the workaholic who spends above-average time and energy in all...
Papal Infallibility: It’s probably not what you think
When most folks (Catholic and non-Catholic alike) hear “papal infallibility”, they often think “Catholics have to believe everything the pope says. They have to believe he’s never wrong.” Except that sometimes he is wrong, and that idea is too. In light of all mentary we are going to hear in ing weeks as the Church prepares to elect a new pope, it’s a good time to take a look at this particular Church teaching. First, Catholics believe that Christ himself...
The Moral Elephant in Black America’s Room
One has to wonder how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would respond to the state of black America in 2013. From the nonsense that regularly spews from the mouth of rappers like Lil Wayne to the black-on-black violence that continues to plague many black urban and rural neighborhoods, we are moving further away from King’s dream. Did MLK die so that rappers like Lil Wayne could saturate their music with misogyny and materialism? Did MLK die so that young black...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved