The Atlantic

The Incredible Staying Power of Theresa May

The British prime minister may not be her Conservative Party’s favorite leader, but she’s all they’ve got—for now.
Source: Stefan Rousseau / Reuters

BIRMINGHAM—U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May began her speech at the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday by to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” though the Destiny’s Child hit “Survivor” would have been more fitting. In the weeks and months leading up to the party’s annual gathering this week, May had seen it all: party infighting, not-so-subtle challenges to her leadership, and the European Union’s blistering rebuff of her so-called Chequers plan for Brexit. That the blow from Brussels came just over a week ahead of her party’s gathering was no help to May. By the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic4 min read
Hayao Miyazaki’s Anti-war Fantasia
Once, in a windowless conference room, I got into an argument with a minor Japanese-government official about Hayao Miyazaki. This was in 2017, three years after the director had announced his latest retirement from filmmaking. His final project was
The Atlantic3 min readDiscrimination & Race Relations
The Legacy of Charles V. Hamilton and Black Power
This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present and surface delightful treasures. Sign up here. This week, The New York Times published news of the death of Charles V. Hamilton, the
The Atlantic6 min read
The Happy Way to Drop Your Grievances
Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out. In 15th-century Germany, there was an expression for a chronic complainer: Greiner, Zanner, which can be translated as “whiner-grumbler.” It was no

Related Books & Audiobooks