Theresa May says she is "honoured" and "humbled" to be the new Conservative leader as she prepares to take over from David Cameron as prime minister on Wednesday. At lunchtime, shortly after a key campaign speech by the Home Secretary, her only rival in the Tory leadership race, Andrea Leadsom, withdrew.Mr Cameron was then whisked back from an air show in Hampshire to Downing Street. Just before 4pm, Mr Cameron came out of Number 10 and told the waiting media that he will do a final Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday and then see the Queen to resign.
This evening, Mrs May was confirmed as leader of the Tory party and then, surrounded by her supporters at Westminster, she paid tribute to her rival candidates in the race.
The Maidenhead MP, who will be Britain's second female prime minister, said Mrs Leadsom had shown "dignity", and also expressed her gratitude to Mr Cameron.
One of her first big tasks as PM will be negotiating the UK's withdrawal from the European Union after last month's referendum. The PM designate, who backed staying in the EU, said: "Brexit means Brexit and we will make a success of it."
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And she said she wanted to reunite the nation and "give a strong new positive vision for the future of our country... that works not for the privileged view but that works for everyone of us".
She added: "We are going to give people more control over their lives. That is how, together we will build a better Britain."