Moving day for Theresa May as she gets the keys to Number 10

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Theresa May becomes British prime minister today (July 13) succeeding David Cameron in Downing Street. But she is walking into the biggest challenge facing the country in decades, that of extricating it from the EU.

Before that can happen the new leader must choose a new cabinet from a divided Conservative Party following the EU referendum.

What could the new UK cabinet look like? Nice who's who of potential candidates by rowenamason</a>: <a href="https://t.co/CKP6MCLt5G">https://t.co/CKP6MCLt5G</a></p>&mdash; Matt Williams (MattWilliams84) July 11, 2016

Chris Grayling, leader of British lower house of parliament (House of Commons) has his own ideas:

“She’ll be mindful of the need to unite the party, and she’ll, I think, put together a team that will do the right thing for the country. Not an easy challenge, but that’s what you do if you’re prime minister and I’m confident that what we’ll see over the next 48 hours as she becomes prime minister, and of course you can’t have cabinet reshuffles until the new prime minister is indeed prime minister.”

Life after Cameron

Once David Cameron has offered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth he is handing over to May what some see as a poisoned chalice. Months of gruelling exit negotiations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders.

Speaking in Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel said:

“The task of the new prime minister, who is going to assume office very soon, will be to get clarity on the question of what kind of relationship Britain wants to build with the European Union. (…) From Germany alone we export 800,000 cars to Britain every year, but its not just us, every member state has the same goal (…) therefore we are going to lead the negotiations together, in order to keep the effects minimal for all of us.”

But May appears not to be to daunted by the prospect:

TM: “We must leave the European Union – and forge a new role for ourselves in the world.” #TM4PMpic.twitter.com/qEtjxJxBo4

— Theresa May (@theresa_may) July 11, 2016

The economic future of the UK depends on what those Brexit talks produce. But Merkel has warned that free access to the EU’s single market only comes with the freedom of movement.