Pros of electing Theresa May British Prime Minister for the United States

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Theresa May became the 76-m prime minister of Great Britain, with only second woman in this post after the legendary Margaret Thatcher. However, despite her 20 years of political experience, on this side of the ocean, May is not as well known. It is for this reason that it is still difficult to say exactly how the US-British relationship will develop under May.

If outgoing post Prime Minister David Cameron and his predecessors, Laborites Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, were well acquainted with official Washington long before the election, then the US authorities have not had any history of relations with May, who headed the interior ministry for 6 years.

May, 59, has a reputation as a modern thinker and a thoughtful workaholic, and supporters often describe her as a “safe pair of hands” because they are confident that she will help guide the state through a difficult period in history. exit from the European Union According to the results of the recent referendum.

Heather Conley, a political analyst at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, notes that May is not sophisticated in matters of diplomacy, defense, and trade between the United States and Great Britain, since she has been more involved in internal processes, including immigration.

Atlantic Council expert Francis Burwell believes that Theresa May will take a similar position to the American authorities, but “will not be particularly sentimental” in relation to the so-called “special relationship” between world powers.

Communications with US intelligence agencies

However, if political leaders are not so familiar with May, then representatives of the US intelligence community worked closely with the head of the British Interior Ministry in counter-terrorism activities.

“Our security and intelligence services have the closest working relationship possible between any two nations in the world,” Theresa May said in April. True, then she argued that this fact would keep the UK in the EU.

However, as noted, May did not allow the extradition of hacker Gary McKinnon, who was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, to the United States. McKinnon was convicted of infiltrating US government computers.

In addition, May contributed to the extradition to Jordan of a radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada, despite opposition from the European Court of Human Rights. Katada was later released from prison by the court of Amman, who had dismissed charges of involvement in terrorist activities from a preacher.

Theresa May strongly supported the participation of British aviation in the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria. For the rest, including the creation of a special British battalion in Estonia in response to Russia’s aggressive actions, May, according to experts, will continue the line of David Cameron.

Relationship with Obama and Clinton or Trump

“She is tough, unbending and pragmatic,” American political scientist Heather Conley characterizes the new British Prime Minister.

Experts find in May certain similarities with both Obama and the most likely presidential candidates from Republicans and Democrats Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Like Trump, May is known for her extremely tough stance on immigration. “There are limits to the number of migrants any country can and should accept,” May said at the 2015 Conservative Party conference.

However, despite the position taken, May did not, like Trump, call for large-scale deportations of illegal migrants.

With Clinton, she is united by a penchant for hard work with respect to any themes and strategies, as well as rhetoric about active military cooperation between countries using international organizations such as NATO and others.

As for Barack Obama, with whom May will only have to deal for a few months, they have in common their reluctance to spend time with representatives of opposition parties. “I don’t gossip at dinner and I don’t go drinking in Parliament bars,” Theresa May said at the launch of her premiership bid.

According to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, Obama and May already had at least one conversation ahead of her taking office. Obama, according to Ernest, is convinced of the “effectiveness of interaction” with the British prime minister, including after the change of power in the United States, which will not only maintain the current level, but also promote bilateral relations to a new level.

Given the negative US position on Brexit and concerns about the impact of the British referendum on international stock markets, May's appointment can be considered optimistic for the American authorities.

The withdrawal of controversial Brexit-supporting figures such as former London mayor Boris Johnson from the prime ministerial race means that the US and UK can continue their working relationship without unnecessary roughness.

At the same time, May, although she was against Brexit, intends to formalize Britain’s exit from the European Union in accordance with the will of citizens.