Thank you everyone!
Thanks everyone that’s all we have time for today, but (as ever) it’s been an enjoyable discussion.
We will back here next week – this time on a Tuesday from 12pm-2pm. If you want to leave any final remarks or comments then please email sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
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Here’s a comment on May’s impending cabinet reshuffle.
Talking of May’s team, who do you expect to see getting the top roles?
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The environment
Theresa May should take the opportunity to lead on green issues, according to Phil in Sheffield. TheyWorkForYou gives an indication of how she has voted on environment-related legislation in the past.
She has a golden opportunity to genuinely make an immediate mark on the world stage by giving clear leadership on a coherent and green energy policy and future. The UK will need to be bold and innovative and she can achieve this by ensuring the UK catches up on other European countries already well ahead of the UK on renewable energy and reducing climate change.
She should move to a renewable energy policy, scrap and ban fracking, leave fossil fuels in the ground.
A blog post on Business Green weighs up May’s likely policies on environmental issues. Will any of the EU’s green regulations prove a sticking point in the post-Brexit negotiations?
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What have been Theresa May's policy stances so far?
What she has voted for and against in the House of commons:
For
- War in Iraq
- Libya military intervention
- Same-sex marriage
- Britain remaining in the EU
Against
- Scrapping the bedroom tax
- Hunting ban
- Raising university tuition fees
The Independent has a full article which looks at her voting record here.
Theresa May’s diary
This is useful from the BBC – full article here.
- Wednesday 13 July: Theresa May will officially become prime minister after David Cameron tenders his resignation and Mrs May is formally asked to form a government by the Queen
- Wednesday/Friday 13-15 July: Cabinet and ministerial reshuffle expected. Who will get the big jobs?
- Tuesday 19 July: She is expected to chair her first cabinet meeting
- Wednesday 20 July: She will make her debut at Prime Minister’s Questions up against Jeremy Corbyn
- 4-5 September: She will attend the G20 summit in China, expected to be her first major international conference
- 1 October: The prime minister will celebrate her 60th birthday
- 5 October: She will deliver her first leader’s speech to the Conservative Party conference
- 20 October: The first EU Council meeting of May’s leadership in Brussels
- November: The chancellor’s Autumn Statement
We’ve had a few commenters suggesting that a general election is required for May’s premiership to have proper legitimacy. An argument that was popular with May herself - when discussing Gordon Brown, at least.
So let’s put it to a poll.
So will Theresa May have "no democratic mandate" as PM, as she accused Brown back in 2007?
— James Walsh (@jamesofwalsh) July 13, 2016
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And on the subject of Brexit, what about assurances for UK citizens living abroad (and EU citizens living in the UK, for that matter)?
She needs to provide immediate assurances to UK citizens living abroad in the EU. Her recent comments suggesting that EU residents in the UK might be used as bargaining chips were deeply concerning, as this will almost certainly have direct consequences on Brits in the EU.
However, I have no confidence she will do any such thing.
What will happen with Article 50?
It’s the question on everyone’s lips but bookmakers say that with May in charge the chances of Article 50 never being triggered are higher than ever.
Sky Bet has placed odds of just 6/4 on Article 50 being triggered in “2018 or later or not at all.”
Here’s some interesting reading on this:
- Article 50: Merkel says “now”, May says “when we’re ready
- How long will Theresa May wait to trigger Article 50?
- Theresa May would abandon Brexit if elected prime minister, Ukip donor Arron Banks claims
Should this be a big priority? Does May simply need to get on with the job? Share views on this below the line
Rachel Egan, from London , has helpfully given us two lists: what May should prioritise, and what she probably actually will prioritise. Number 4. on the list is rather a topical one - there was a commuter protest at Victoria earlier this week about the Southern’s ongoing chaos. Current rail minister Claire Perry has so far resisted calls for the franchise to have its contract withdrawn.
What Theresa May should prioritise
1. Brexit
2. Saving the NHS
3. Settle the dispute with doctors and teachers
4. Remove Southern rail franchise
5. Mental health care in this countryWhat Theresa May will prioritise
1. Brexit
2. Privacy and snooping laws
3. Anti-terrorism laws
4. Housing
5. Migration
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A reader has written in on the general election point mentioned by Sarah.
Ricky Lee, from Exeter, says:
May first needs to acquire legitimacy. A general election is needed. Even with the Labour Party in disarray it is apparent that the Tories are claiming stability is the priority rather than democracy. After every setback the rallying elite recognise the need to listen to their electorate, yet after a referendum where the UK (as a whole) voted to ‘take back control’ from ‘unelected officials’ we are subject to a leader without mandate working to a crudely scrapped manifesto.
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Should a general election be her top priority?
Theresa May has ruled out an early general election, with the country “only one year into” the current parliament.
However, almost 14,000 people disagree, signing a government e-petition saying the new Prime Minister should go the country.
Here are two interesting views on the topic.
Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrat party wrote:
It is simply inconceivable that Theresa May should be crowned prime minister without even having won an election in her own party, let alone the country. I believe there must be a general election. I thought it when Gordon Brown became prime minister and I think it now. The Conservatives must not be allowed to ignore the electorate, particularly now their mandate is shattered and whatever programme May offers can’t look like the platform she stood on in 2015.
Tom Harris, former Labour MP and government minister at the Department for Transport wrote in the Telegraph:
It’s the bit about an “unelected” prime minister that infuriates constitutional pedants like myself. Why must we still have to reiterate the fact that the UK does not have a presidential system? Certainly, politics has become more presidential in nature, thanks to rolling TV news, our obsession with celebrity, even in the political sphere, and the absurd novelty of leaders’ debates at every election.
But all that is fashion, transitory, ephemeral in nature. None of it matters. What does matter is that we are governed by an executive chosen from a parliament of 650 directly-elected members of Parliament. The prime minister is not the person who led his or her party to victory at the previous general election: it is the person whom the monarch considers can command majority support in the House of Commons. At the moment that person is Theresa May.
How to proceed on Brexit?
Early contributors to our form are focusing on Brexit, and how to go about it.
“I think May is the best of a bad bunch,” says Andrew in Leeds. “I still disagree with many of her views, but she at least seems competent and to have integrity. Her priority? The UK’s withdrawal from the EU while retaining full access to the Common Market.” Andrew also suggests “greater infrastructure spending on the regions and a more geographically-balanced economy.”
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Mental health must be a priority
Theresa May will have a lot on her plate dealing with the fallout of Brexit. However, she must handle this while also making sure other important issues do not fall off the agenda.
Both adult and children’s mental health services are woefully underfunded and a leaked report this year revealed that the number of people killing themselves is soaring. It also found that three-quarters of those with psychiatric conditions are not being helped, and that sick children are being sent “almost anywhere in the country” for treatment.
It’s been claimed that by 2020, depression is set to become the second leading cause of disability in the world following cardiovascular diseases. I hope Theresa May will make mental health a priority, and in particular improve what’s currently on offer for young people.
Here’s a snapshot from Twitter on what May’s priorities should be – some more serious than others.
So what's going to be high on Theresa May's list of priorities, asks @jo_coburn #bbcdp https://t.co/QK8huML5mX
— DailySunday Politics (@daily_politics) July 12, 2016
5 priorities @theresa_may must act on #SaveOurNHS @DrRosena @sarahwollaston @HackneyAbbott @drhamedkhan @DrSdeG https://t.co/Chg7vTBMlK
— Dr Sukaina Hirji (@SukainaHirji) July 12, 2016
Theresa May’s priorities:
— Andrew Taylor (@Andrew_Taylor) July 12, 2016
1. Leave EU without damaging UK
2. Prevent encryption
3. Ban “psychoactive substances”
4. Find last digit of π
Welcome to the debate
Britain will have a new prime minister on Wednesday, once Theresa May completes the royal formalities and moves into No 10. May’s rapid ascent to the premiership comes with the country still reeling from the implications of Brexit.
The outgoing home secretary has declared she will “make a success” of Britain’s decision to leave the EU, and will set up a new government department charged with negotiating Britain’s exit. We should also expect to see a brand new Tory cabinet, marking a sharp break from the Cameron era while seeking to unify the party after a fraught leadership election.
We want to hear what you think May’s priorities should be as leader. How should the government approach the Brexit negotiations? Who would you like to see in prominent cabinet positions? What kind of leader do you think she will turn out to be?
Here’s a reading list to get you started:
- Theresa May: a one-nation Tory in a one-party state
- Elected or not, Theresa May was always the best candidate for PM
- Theresa May is no liberal – and her rise to PM is no cause for celebration
The live blog will be open for comments at 12pm BST. Don’t have a commenting account? You can sign up for one here, or, if you prefer, contribute via the form below.
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Mrs May's top priority :- getting the best team in place that she can - then making sure they each know what she wants them to do and backing them - you can't do a job like the PM 's on your own.
To do list :-
Feeling out other member states of the EU secretly to see what sort of a deal for the UK they might support and what they want in return.
+ the other usual stuff involved in changing anything ie building alliances, floating new ideas etc