In Thatcher's footsteps: Theresa May a pragmatist

European Union.

 Britain's prime minister in waiting Theresa May is a pragmatist who has emerged from the chaos of the Brexit referendum unscarred, portraying herself as the one who will lead the country out of the EU.
The country's second female leader after fellow Conservative Margaret Thatcher, May was officially - but unenthusiastically - in favour of Britain staying in the European Union.
She kept a low profile throughout the campaign, and when the June 23 referendum delivered a shock "Leave" result, stepped into the political vacuum left by David Cameron's decision to quit.
She insists "Brexit means Brexit" but has said she would not trigger the formal process for Britain leaving the EU before year's end at the earliest until a negotiating strategy is clear.
Although May trounced her rivals for the premiership, she faces an uphill struggle to unite a country and a party deeply split by the referendum.
She has been labelled, in an unguarded moment, a "difficult woman" by senior Conservative Kenneth Clarke. But the 59-year-old claims this is the very quality which will stand her in good stead for the battles ahead.
"The next person to find that out will be Jean-Claude Juncker," she reportedly told MPs, referring to Brexit negotiations with the European Commission president.
May was born Theresa Brasier in the southern English seaside town of Eastbourne in 1956.
Her father Hubert was an Anglican clergyman, one of several points which has drawn comparisons between her and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Her education - at a series of little known state and private schools - has been contrasted with the elite Etonian background of Cameron and many in his "Notting Hill Set" circle.
Like Cameron, she attended Oxford University but kept a low profile. It was here that she met her husband Philip, a banker - they were reportedly introduced by Benazir Bhutto, later assassinated as Pakistani premier.