Theresa May is set to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom after her rival candidate, Andrea Leadsom, conceded the election, citing a lack of support from the Conservative Party. In a sudden turn of events, May will assume office on Wednesday, after David Cameron officially resigns. Here are a few facts you may not have known about the new prime minister.
She studied at Oxford.
May went to a grammar school in Oxfordshire, and later went to St. Hugh's College in Oxford to study Geography. She was well-liked by her peers, and was part of the Edmund Burke Society, a university club that held satirical debates. She eventually became president of the society, and held comical debate topics such as 'Life's too short for chess'.
She met her husband through a famous mutual friend.
When attending a disco held by the student Conservative Association, May met her husband Philip, who became a banker. They were introduced to each other by none other than Benazir Bhutto, who went on to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Theresa and Philip bonded over their love of cricket, and have been married for 36 years.
She's known for her style as well as her policies.
May came under surprising scrutiny when she delivered a speech at a Conservative rally wearing a pair of leopard print heels. Much attention has thus been directed to her choice of footwear, from her patent boots when meeting the president of the Republic of Korea to the jeweled brogues she sported at a Conservative Party conference.
She's a unashamed feminist.
May pays little attention to the coverage on her shoes, her focus instead rightly being on her politics. She is the co-founder of Women2Win, an organization committed to increasing the number of Conservative women in parliament. One of her main policy tenants revolve around ensuring equal pay for equal work, and putting an end to the wage gap.
She's received accolades for her work.
In 2013, May was named Britain’s second most powerful woman by BBC Radio 4's show Women's Hour. She has also received the Freedom of the City of London, an honour bestowed upon valued members of a community to acknowledge trust and admiration.
