Theresa May was elected as MP for Maidenhead.
Theresa Mary May -LRB- nee Brasier ; born 1 October 1956 -RRB- is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2016 .. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She has been the Member of Parliament -LRB- MP -RRB- for Maidenhead since 1997 and Leader of the Conservative Party since July 2016 .. Leader of the Conservative Party. Leader of the Conservative Party ( UK ). Member of Parliament. Member of Parliament ( United Kingdom ). Maidenhead. Maidenhead ( UK Parliament constituency ). Conservative. Conservative Party ( UK ). UK general election, 1997. Leader. Leader of the Conservative Party ( UK ). Conservative Party. Conservative Party ( UK ). She is the second female Prime Minister and Conservative leader after Margaret Thatcher .. Conservative. Conservative Party ( UK ). Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher. The daughter of a vicar , May grew up in Oxfordshire .. vicar. Vicar ( Anglicanism ). Oxfordshire. Oxfordshire. From 1977 until 1983 , she worked for the Bank of England , and from 1985 until 1997 at the Association for Payment Clearing Services , also serving as a councillor for Durnsford in Merton .. UK general election, 1997. Bank of England. Bank of England. Association for Payment Clearing Services. Association for Payment Clearing Services. Merton. London Borough of Merton. After unsuccessful attempts to be elected to the House of Commons in 1992 and 1994 , she was elected as the MP for Maidenhead in the 1997 general election .. Maidenhead. Maidenhead ( UK Parliament constituency ). UK general election, 1997. House of Commons. House of Commons of the United Kingdom. 1997 general election. United Kingdom general election, 1997. From 1999 to 2010 , May held a number of roles in the Shadow Cabinets of William Hague , Iain Duncan Smith , Michael Howard and David Cameron , including Shadow Transport Secretary and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary .. David Cameron. David Cameron. Iain Duncan Smith. Iain Duncan Smith. William Hague. William Hague. Michael Howard. Michael Howard. Transport. Shadow Secretary of State for Transport. Shadow Cabinets. Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet ( United Kingdom ). Shadow Transport Secretary. Shadow Secretary of State for Transport. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary. Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. She was also Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2003 .. Chairman of the Conservative Party. Chairman of the Conservative Party. Conservative. Conservative Party ( UK ). Conservative Party. Conservative Party ( UK ). After the formation of a coalition government following the 2010 general election , May was appointed Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities , giving up the latter role in 2012 .. Home Secretary. Home Secretary. Minister for Women and Equalities. Minister for Women and Equalities. formation. 2010 United Kingdom government formation. coalition government. First Cameron ministry. 2010 general election. United Kingdom general election, 2010. Reappointed after the Conservative victory in the 2015 general election , she went on to become the longest-serving Home Secretary since James Chuter Ede over 60 years previously .. Home Secretary. Home Secretary. Conservative. Conservative Party ( UK ). 2015 general election. United Kingdom general election, 2015. James Chuter Ede. James Chuter Ede. During her tenure she pursued reform of the Police Federation , implemented a harder line on drugs policy including the banning of khat , oversaw the introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners , the deportation of Abu Qatada , the creation of the National Crime Agency and brought in additional restrictions on immigration .. Police Federation. Police Federation of England and Wales. khat. khat. Police and Crime Commissioners. Police and Crime Commissioners. Abu Qatada. Abu Qatada. National Crime Agency. National Crime Agency. Following Cameron 's resignation on 24 June 2016 , May successfully contested the Conservative leadership contest and became Prime Minister on 13 July .. Conservative. Conservative Party ( UK ). Conservative leadership contest. Conservative Party ( UK ) leadership election, 2016. As Prime Minister , May 's focus has primarily been on withdrawing the UK from the European Union .. withdrawing the UK from the European Union. Brexit. On 18 April 2017 , May announced a snap general election for 8 June .. snap general election. United Kingdom general election, 2017