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Ex-PM May takes seat on red benches in Lords

Pa
Friday, Sep 13, 2024

LONDON: Tory former prime minister Theresa May has taken her seat in the House of Lords.Baroness May of Maidenhead, who stepped down from the Commons at the last election after 27 years, wore the traditional scarlet robes for the short introduction ceremony in the upper chamber where she swore the oath of allegiance to the King.

The 67-year-old was supported by fellow Conservative peers Lord True, shadow leader in the Lords, and Baroness Evans of Bowes Park. Among those looking on from the gallery above was Lady May’s husband Philip, who she met at Oxford and married in 1980. Her admission to the red benches was greeted with a louder than usual customary shout of approval from the Tory benches.

Lady May was first elected as MP for Maidenhead in 1997, and served as home secretary under David Cameron between 2010 and 2016 before succeeding him as prime minister. Her term in Downing Street lasted a turbulent three years and was dominated by wrangling over Brexit.