Father of Canada highway murder suspect says son on 'suicide mission,' wants to die in 'blaze of glory' - Fox News

The father of one of the suspects who have spurred a nationwide manhunt in Canada after the killings of an American woman, her Australian boyfriend, and a third man said Wednesday he expects the search to end in his son's death, as former classmates have revealed he had a history of making disturbing statements in school.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Wednesday that Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were charged with second-degree murder in the death of Leonard Dyck, who was found dead on July 19 in Dease Lake, British Columbia. A burned-out vehicle recovered Monday in the remote Manitoba town of Gillam more than 2,000 miles from the region where the killings took place in British Columbia was linked to the suspects on Wednesday.

"Based on this information, we have sent a number of resources to the Gillam area. There will be a heavier police presence in the community," the RCMP said. "We have also set up an informational check-stop at the intersection of PR 280 and PR 290, the road leading into Gillam."

3RD PERSON ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY MISSING CANADIAN MEN IS IDENTIFIED AS MANHUNT GROWS

Schmegelsky's father, Alan Schmegelsky, said in an emotional interview Wednesday with the Canadian Press that his son had a troubled upbringing and is in "very serious pain." The 18-year-old had struggled through his parents' divorce in 2005 and his main influences became video games and YouTube, according to this father.

Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky are now considered suspects in the killings of three people across British Columbia. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)

"A normal child doesn't travel across the country killing people. A child in some very serious pain does," Schmegelsky told Canadian Press, adding that he expects his son will die in a confrontation with police.

"He's on a suicide mission. He wants his pain to end," he said, breaking into tears. "Basically, he's going to be dead today or tomorrow. I know that. Rest in peace, Bryer. I love you. I'm so sorry all this had to happen."

Bryer Schmegelsky (left) and Kam McLeod (right) were reported missing after their camper van was found burnt out on Friday and their families lost contact with them, according to police. (Dease Lake RCMP)

The father said he and his wife separated when their son was 5. She moved with the boy to the small Vancouver Island community of Port Alberni, where he met McLeod. They attended the same elementary school and quickly became inseparable best friends who never got into trouble.

But the elder Schmegelsky described his son as someone who had problems at home. After briefly moving to Victoria to live with him, Alan Schmegelsky said the boy returned to  Port Alberni to live with his grandmother.

When he graduated from high school earlier this year, he worked at the Port Alberni Walmart before growing disappointed with the job. He told his father he was going with McLeod to look for work in Alberta. Even if his son is caught by police, Alan Schmegelsky said his life will be over.

"He wants his hurt to end," he told the Canadian Press. "They're going to go out in a blaze of glory. Trust me on this."

CANADA MURDER SUSPECTS COULD ALREADY BE 1,800 MILES FROM SLAYINGS, DESCRIBED AS 'BEST FRIENDS' WHO WERE 'OUT ON ADVENTURE'

Former classmates of Schmegelsky said he would make troubling statements in school describing murder and suicide.

“I don’t want to be rude, but he was kind of a weird kid,” Madison Hempsted told Global News. “He didn’t really talk to anyone, super into himself. But when he did talk to people, the things he said were kind of scary. All he ever said to me was how he wanted to kill me and ways he would do it."

Another former classmate who declined to give his name described Schmegelsky to the news outlet as an “angry kid.” Hempsted, who said she thought he was just making jokes and never took his words seriously, said Schmegelsky would discuss even more gruesome situations.

“[Schmegelsky] would say things about how he would cut our heads off and then he would take a gun and put it in his mouth and shoot himself in front of us," she told Global News. "Pretty detailed stuff."

Security camera images of Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, and a Toyota RAV4 SUV are placed on display before an Royal Canadian Mounted Police news conference in Surrey, British Columbia, on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

In Port Alberni, signs with "No Trespassing" were staked outside McLeod's large waterfront family home. His father, Keith McLeod, released a written statement Wednesday.

"This is what I do know — Kam is a kind, considerate, caring young man (who) always has been concerned about other people's feelings," McLeod said. "As we are trapped in our homes due to media people, we try to wrap our heads around what is happening and hope that Kam will come home to us safely so we can all get to the bottom of this story."

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The separate discoveries of three bodies and a burning car have shaken rural northern British Columbia.

McLeod and Schmegelsky, from Port Alberni, British Columbia, also have been suspected in the killing of 23-year-old Australian man Lucas Fowler, and his American girlfriend, Chynna Deese, 24, of North Carolina. The couple was discovered shot to death on July 15 along the side of the remote Alaska Highway near Liard Hot Springs, British Columbia.

Investigators said they believed the couple had been killed the day before.

Police on Tuesday said the men left British Columbia and had been traveling in northern Saskatchewan in a gray 2011 Toyota Rav 4. The Toyota was found burning in Gillam, northern Manitoba, more than 2,000 miles from where the initial burned vehicle was found. Investigators in the neighboring province of Ontario have warned people living there about the two men. They initially had been listed as missing persons after their burning truck was discovered July 19.

The mounted police warned the public not to approach the pair, but to contact local law enforcement instead. They said the men may have been traveling on foot or separately.

Fox News' Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-07-25 12:45:14Z
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Boris Johnson’s Brutal Cabinet Reshuffle Puts Brexit Hard-Liners on Top - The New York Times

LONDON — After one of the most brutal political reshuffles in recent memory, the new cabinet appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain met on Thursday to sign up to his hard-line pledge to complete Brexit — without any agreement if necessary and whatever the cost — in less than 100 days.

Mr. Johnson’s cabinet dispenses with around half the top team of his predecessor, Theresa May — a cull that shocked many with its scope and blunt political messaging.

The prime minister told the new cabinet that it was “wonderful” to see them assembled, adding, “We have a momentous task ahead of us, at a pivotal moment in our country’s history.”

“We are now committed, all of us, to leaving the European Union on Oct. 31 or indeed earlier — no ifs, no buts,” he said.

Mr. Johnson made the same promise outside Downing Street on Wednesday, and he has insisted that all members of his cabinet are signed up to that objective whether or not it means a damaging, potentially chaotic, no-deal exit.

But the purge of the cabinet seemed to go further, dispensing even with some longtime supporters of Brexit, like Penny Mordaunt, who lost her role as defense secretary, and Liam Fox, who had supported Mr. Johnson’s leadership rival, Jeremy Hunt, and was ditched as trade secretary. Mr. Hunt, who had been foreign secretary, also left, after refusing a demotion. He was replaced by Dominic Raab, a hard-line former Brexit secretary who resigned in November in protest at Mrs. May’s proposed withdrawal agreement.

Mr. Johnson’s reshuffle seemed intended to send a clear message to the European Union that his government meant what it said when it insisted that it would quit without any agreement if necessary. Optimists hope that this show of resolve might persuade the European side to offer the sort of concessions to Mr. Johnson that it has so far steadfastly refused to contemplate.

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One of the big winners in the reshuffle was Sajid Javid, second from right, who became chancellor of the Exchequer, Britain’s finance chief.CreditChris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Some of Mr. Johnson’s allies say they have not given up hope of striking a deal in Brussels, and they express belief that an agreement is possible if both sides make concessions.

Those hopes depend on the European Union agreeing to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, and there has been no sign of that so far. On Thursday, a spokesman for the European Commission, its executive arm, said, “We will not reopen the withdrawal agreement.”

Some commentators see in the makeup of Mr. Johnson’s new team a cabinet that is battle-ready for a general election, if the prime minister is blocked by Parliament from leaving the European Union without a deal.

The new cabinet also looked like a group assembled to combat the electoral threat from Nigel Farage, the leader of the Brexit Party, which advocates a total break from the European Union.

Sajid Javid was among the big winners in Mr. Johnson’s reshuffle. Mr. Javid, whose father, a bus driver, was an immigrant from Pakistan, took charge of the country’s finances as chancellor of the Exchequer.

Mr. Javid’s old job as home secretary was taken by the Brexit supporter Priti Patel, who resigned as international development secretary in Mrs. May’s government in November 2017 because she had held meetings with officials in Israel without informing cabinet colleagues.

Some lawmakers who have been less enthusiastic about Brexit survived, including Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary. And there was a reprieve for Gavin Williamson, who was blamed for leaking information while secretary of state for defense (a charge he denied) and was subsequently fired by Mrs. May. He returned as education secretary.

But Brexit supporters are in the driving seat. Michael Gove, who, together with Mr. Johnson, led the pro-Brexit referendum campaign in 2016, will be in charge of preparations for a no-deal exit.

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Priti Patel, a Brexit backer, returned to the cabinet as home secretary. She resigned from Prime Minister Theresa May’s government in 2017.CreditTolga Akmen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

And Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led the most hard-line group of Conservative lawmakers pushing for the European Union withdrawal, became leader of the House of Commons. Stephen Barclay remained as Brexit secretary.

Perhaps nothing illustrated Mr. Johnson’s desire to shake up the system as much as his decision to bring Dominic Cummings into Downing Street as an adviser. Mr. Cummings is the divisive strategist who helped plan the official Leave campaign’s tactics in the 2016 referendum.

Famously sharp-tongued, Mr. Cummings has described Mrs. May’s pursuit of Brexit as a “train wreck,” and he once called a former Brexit secretary, David Davis, “thick as mince and lazy as a toad.”

After three years during which Mrs. May tried to balance the diversity of opinion on Brexit among Conservatives, juggling hard-liners and those determined to stop a “no deal” withdrawal, Mr. Johnson’s change in tack was blunt and has horrified some in the party.

Though Parliament rejected Mrs. May’s Brexit deal three times, the legislature has also voted in nonbinding motions against a no-deal Brexit and a clash over the issue is certain.

By ejecting so many of Mrs. May’s team, Mr. Johnson has freed many of them to oppose a no-deal exit.

That has increased speculation about a general election, possibly as soon as the fall. There is also growing talk of a second referendum, fueled in part by statements from Mr. Cummings that the outcome of any repeat would mirror the first vote and reinforce the decision to leave.

Asked on Sky News what he thought about the new government, Nicholas Soames, a veteran Conservative lawmaker who is a grandson of one of Mr. Johnson’s heroes, Winston Churchill, replied, “Not a lot.”

“I won’t support a no-deal Brexit and nor will a very large number of people on my side in the House of Commons,” Mr. Soames said. “By firing a lot of very good senior cabinet ministers yesterday, he has created a whole wall of opposition.”

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/world/europe/boris-johnson-uk-cabinet.html

2019-07-25 11:58:05Z
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Father of one of 2 teens wanted in 3 killings in Canada says son plans to go out 'in blaze of glory' - CNN

The comments came the same day authorities charged Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, with one count of second degree murder in the death of Leonard "Len" Dyck of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Dyck's body was found Friday, though authorities were unable to identify him and released a composite sketch of the man.

"As a result of the charges, Canada-wide warrants have been issued," the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Department said in a news release. "... RCMP investigators across the country continue to share information with other law enforcement agencies as the suspects remain at large."

There are concurrent investigations underway in Saskatchewan and Manitoba into reported sightings of the two teens, the news release said.

Authorities have been searching for McLeod and Schmegelsky since last week. Initially, the two were believed to be missing. Now, the RCMP say they are suspects in the shooting deaths of Dyck, as well as Chynna Noelle Deese, a 24-year-old American, and Lucas Robertson Fowler, her 23-year-old Australian boyfriend.

Go out in a 'blaze of glory'

In an emotionally charged interview with CNN news partner CTV News, Alan Schmegelsky said his son has been dealing with mental anguish and plans to go out in "a blaze of glory."

"A normal child doesn't travel across the country, killing people. A child in some very serious pain does," he said.

Schmegelsky described his son as an introvert, saying he played a lot of video games.

He said McLeod and his son were good friends, who hung out a lot together.

Both had jobs at Walmart, but said they weren't making enough money and decided to go to Alberta to look for work, he said.

"I believed that's what they were going to do, and I was absolutely flabbergasted to learn that two days later, and I found this out from the paper," he said.

Schmegelsky said he believes the RCMP will "shoot first and ask questions later."

"Basically, he's going to be dead today or tomorrow. I know that," he told CTV. "Rest in peace, Bryer. I love you. I'm so sorry all this had to happen. I'm so sorry that I couldn't rescue you."

Police say the two are 'armed and dangerous'

McLeod and Schmegelsky are considered armed and dangerous, and members of the public should not approach them, authorities said. They were last seen in northern Saskatchewan — about a day's drive east of where the bodies were found — driving a gray 2011 Toyota RAV4, authorities said. The pair may now be in Manitoba, east of Saskatchewan, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

The Manitoba RCMP confirmed Wednesday they had recovered the Toyota the suspects had used. They found it near the town of Gillam.

"The two may being using a different vehicle, on foot or even traveling separately. If they are spotted, do not approach, call 9-1-1 or your local police immediately," the RCMP said.

The RCMP have dispatched more officers to the area and set up an informational checkpoint at the road leading into town, RCMP Cpl. Julie Courchaine said.

McLeod is 6 feet, 4 inches tall, 169 pounds and has dark hair, facial hair and brown eyes. Schmegelsky is 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 169 pounds with sandy hair, police said.

They are suspected in the shooting deaths of Deese and Fowler, whose bodies were found on July 15 about 12 miles south of Liard Hot Springs in northern British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

Fowler was living in British Columbia, and they were exploring the area while Deese was visiting him, RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said. Deese's mother, Sheila Deese, said the couple had been on a road trip through Canada up to Alaska.

'His death has created unthinkable grief'

Police found Dyck's body several days later about a mile from where a vehicle and camper belonging to McLeod and Schmegelsky were found burning on the side of Highway 37.

Authorities declined to say what new information led them to name the two as suspects. But it came just a day after the RCMP said it was a "possible" that their disappearance was related to the couple's death.

The teens, both from Port Alberni, were traveling through British Columbia to the Yukon Territory to look for work, the RCMP had said.

The RCMP did not say how Dyck was identified, but his family has been notified.

"We are truly heart broken by the sudden and tragic loss of Len," a statement from his family said. "His death has created unthinkable grief and we are struggling to understand what has happened. While we understand there will be interest in knowing more about him and the impact he had during his life, we are asking for the public and the media to please respect our privacy during this difficult time."

CNN's Patrick Cornell, Eric Levenson, Emanuella Grinberg and Chuck Johnston contributed to this report.

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2019-07-25 10:20:00Z
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UK weather heats up as Europe smashes records: Live updates - CNN International

While temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit might not seem high to hotter regions, they are way above seasonal averages for much of Europe.

Many European cities are not designed to deal with such temperatures. Air conditioning is less common and public transportation systems often struggle.

But this could be the new normal: climate scientists warn that these extreme heat waves are becoming more frequent and increasingly severe because of the climate crisis. 

Climate scientists predicted that rising global temperatures caused by increases in greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal, oil and gas would contribute to more heat waves, according to Stefan Rahmstorf, a climatologist and professor at Germany's Potsdam University.

People cool off in fountains at Toldbod Plads in Aalborg, Denmark, on Wednesday.

France's meteorological body Météo-France echoed this link in June -- and warned that the number of extreme heat waves is expected to double by 2050. 

Meanwhile, a group of European scientists concluded that the June heat wave had been made at least five times more likely because of climate change.

"It's important to stress the 'at least'. It's likely to be much higher but this is hard to quantify. Our best estimate is that it's 100 times more. We give the most conservative estimate," said Friederike Otto of Oxford University, who contributed to the research.

It's not just heat waves, and it's not just Europe.

Countries around the world are experiencing extreme weather catastrophes that threaten to render entire regions unliveable -- India is swinging between extreme drought and fatal flooding, 157 million Americans were gripped by a stifling heat wave last week, and the Arctic is facing "unprecedented' wildfires.

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2019-07-25 09:26:55Z
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North Korean Missile Test Seen As Pressure Tactic Aimed At US - NPR

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A man watches a television showing file footage of a North Korean missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul on Thursday after North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images

North Korea has fired two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan, the first such test since a high-profile meeting last month between President Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Official North Korean media on Thursday described the test of "projectiles," but Western experts quickly noted that the range, about 270 miles, and flight path of at least one of the missiles pointed strongly to it being a KN-23 SRBM, which was previously tested in May, a month before Trump and Kim met at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

However, an unnamed South Korean defense official was quoted by Reuters as saying one of the missiles appeared to be of a new, longer-range design, flying about 430 miles.

The move by Pyongyang is seen as tactic to pressure the U.S. as it tries to get nuclear negotiations with Korea back on track. Even so, it is considered less provocative than 2017 tests of North Korea's ICBMs, which are capable of reaching the U.S.

It comes close on the heels of National Security Adviser John Bolton, a hardliner on relations with North Korea, meeting with South Korean officials in Seoul to discuss strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

It also follows a warning less than a week ago from North Korea that exercises planned between the U.S. and South Korea could jeopardize further denuclearization talks.

After a historic summit last June between Trump and Kim in Singapore, the president boasted that he had persuaded North Korea to denuclearize. But a follow up summit in Hanoi earlier this year quickly fell apart and the North Korean regime has shown few, if any, signs of taking concrete steps to end its nuclear or ballistic missile programs.

“North Korea recommits to denuclearization - we’ve come a long way.” @FoxNews

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2018

The White House did not immediately respond to the news, but South Korea's Defense Ministry spokesman Choi Hyun-soo called the test "not helpful" in reducing tensions between the Koreas. Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo that "If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the U.N. sanctions, and I find it extremely regrettable."

A South Korean defense official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the missiles were launched from mobile platforms at a site near Wonsan on North Korea's coast.

North Korea has also been working on submarine-launched ballistic missiles and earlier this week, North Korea's Central News Agency released photographs of leader Kim inspecting a newly built submarine. Although there were no details released, Kim was quoted as expressing "great satisfaction over the fact that the submarine was designed and built to be capable of fully implementing the military strategic intention" of North Korea.

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2019-07-25 06:22:00Z
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Boris Johnson becomes UK's new prime minister - BBC News

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Boris Johnson said he wanted to "change the country for the better" after he became the UK's new prime minister.

Speaking outside Downing Street, he said the UK would leave the EU on 31 October "no ifs, no buts", adding: "The buck stops with me."

"The doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters" who said it could not be done were "wrong", the new PM added.

He also promised to sort out care for the elderly "once and for all", and invest in transport and education.

Reforms to the social care sector have eluded previous governments because of their cost and complexity.

"We will fix it once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared to give every older person the dignity and security they deserve," he insisted.

Mr Johnson listed a wide range of domestic ambitions, including improving infrastructure, recruiting 20,000 new police officers and "levelling up" school spending. He also promised reforms to ensure the £20bn in extra funding earmarked for the NHS "really gets to the front line".

He pledged to boost the UK's biotech and space science sectors, change the tax rules to provide incentives for investment, and do more to promote the welfare of animals.

Cabinet changes

The new PM will shortly begin announcing some senior cabinet appointments - and ahead of that, other ministers are making way.

In a surprise move, Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt, a leading Brexiteer who backed Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in the Tory leadership contest, announced she was returning to the backbenches.

She was joined moments later by another Brexiteer, Liam Fox.

On Wednesday, there was speculation that Mr Hunt, whose own future is uncertain, had been offered Ms Mordaunt's job and turned it down.

It is believed Mr Johnson is about to meet ministers who he is planning to dismiss in his offices in Parliament.

Among those who could leave include the Business Secretary Greg Clark and Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley, both close allies of Mrs May.

Sweeping changes are expected after Chancellor Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke and Cabinet Office minister David Lidington all quit in the past few hours.

Setting out his priorities for office, the former London mayor hit out at the "pessimists" who did not believe Brexit could be delivered and called for an end to three years of indecision.

"The people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts because we are going to restore trust in our democracy," he said.

"The time has come to act, to take decisions and change this country for the better."

He said he had "every confidence" the UK would leave the EU in 99 days time with a deal, but preparations for the "remote possibility" of a no-deal Brexit would be accelerated.

'Personal responsibility'

Mr Johnson vowed to bring all four nations of the United Kingdom - or what he described as the "awesome foursome" - together in the task of strengthening a post-Brexit country.

"Though I am today building a great team of men and women, I will take personal responsibility for the change I want to see," he concluded.

"Never mind the backstop, the buck stops with me."

The BBC's Vicki Young said she was struck by the ambition of Mr Johnson's objectives beyond Brexit and the fact that he would take personal responsibility for his success or failure in achieving them.

Labour's Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson's speech was "all rhetoric" and the new PM needed to show leadership rather than the "glib" answers he had become known for.

The new Lib Dem leader, Jo Swinson, said she would welcome a cross-party push to find a solution on social care, but attacked Mr Johnson's "bluster and bravado" over Brexit.

Mr Johnson took over after Theresa May handed in her resignation to the Queen. A number of her senior ministers have also already resigned, saying they could not serve under her successor.

Earlier, as she relinquished power after three years, Mrs May said being prime minister had been "the greatest honour" and wished her successor well.

In a farewell speech outside No 10, she said his government's "successes will be our country's successes".

Mr Johnson's audience with Queen Elizabeth II lasted more than half an hour.

During his journey to Buckingham Palace, his car was briefly held up by protesters from Greenpeace, who formed a human chain across The Mall.

Mr Johnson's partner, Carrie Symonds, and key members of his staff were awaiting the new prime minister's arrival in Downing Street.

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2019-07-24 15:45:00Z
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Theresa May to step down, Boris Johnson to become U.K. prime minister, in elaborate transition of power - The Washington Post

British Prime Minister Theresa May takes questions for the last time in parliament before traveling to Buckingham Palace to formally submit her resignation.

The British government is in transition on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Theresa May steps down and Boris Johnson takes her place. Here’s how the day will unfold:

●May hosted her last session of Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament and will soon deliver farewell remarks at 10 Downing Street.

●May will then submit her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

●Johnson will formally become prime minister following his own audience with the queen.

●Johnson will deliver his first speech at Downing Street and begin to form his cabinet.

LONDON — The transition of power in Britain’s parliamentary democracy is brutal —and lightning quick. The United Kingdom is not without a premier for more than an hour. Outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May will curtsy to the Queen Wednesday afternoon and resign. Boris Johnson will bow and be asked to form a new government.

When Johnson walks through the black enameled door of 10 Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon, he will fulfill what his biographers describe as his relentless “blond ambition” to follow his hero, Winston Churchill, into Britain’s top job.

He will immediately face the buzz saw of Brexit. And although his supporters hope the charismatic Johnson will rally a divided Parliament and a divided country in a way that Theresa May failed to do, he comes into office as a controversial leader, not especially well-liked by most Brits.

Johnson — a bombastic, Latin-quoting Oxford classicist with a mop of intentionally mussed yellow hair — made his name as an over-the-top journalist and a colorful London mayor. He then galvanized the successful Brexit campaign in 2016, which won him many fans and many enemies. 

[Who is Boris Johnson? Everything you need to know about Britain’s next prime minister.]

On Wednesday, the transition began when May appeared in the House of Commons for her last session of prime minister’s questions, a weekly exchange between the ruling government and the opposition, as tradition dictates, “two sword lengths apart.”

Lawmakers thanked May for her term and her 33 years in public service. The harshest lines were reserved for Johnson, whom opposition rivals called “flagrant” and “reckless,” a usurper with no mandate, and someone who is prepared to “sell our country out to Donald Trump and his friends.”

May offered tepid support for her successor, said she was “pleased” to hand over to Johnson, whom “I worked with when he was in my cabinet,” and who is committed to delivering Brexit. Johnson notably quit May’s Cabinet over her handling of Brexit.

When May herself came under attack, she gave as good as she got.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn laid into her — saying that under her tenure, child poverty was up, pensioner poverty was up, school class size was up, food bank use was up. May retorted that she was proud of her record. She then lowered her head, eyeballed Corbyn and poked him with her horns: “As a party leader who has accepted when her time was up, perhaps the time is now for him to do the same.”

Theresa May tells Jeremy Corbyn to quit during her last exchange in Parliament as prime minister with the Labour leader.

Jo Swinson, the new leader of the ascendent Liberal Democrats party, asked May if she had any advice for “women across the country on how to deal with those men who think they could do a better job but are not prepared to do the actual work.”

May smiled but didn’t take the bait — if that’s what it was — to make any references to Johnson. Instead, she offered: “Be true to yourself, persevere and keep going.”

Harriet Harman, the longest-serving female member of the House, honored May as Britain’s second female prime minister. But Harman added a sly reference to May’s rocky relationship with President Trump: “Sometimes you just have to be a bit more careful when a man wants to hold your hand.”

Although May had a relatively short tenure for a British prime minister, she noted that she had answered more than 4,500 questions over the course of 140 hours in the House of Commons.

After she steps down as leader, May will return to the back benches of Parliament as an ordinary and not very influential lawmaker. This is far different than the tradition in the United States, where a former president scoots offstage to write memoirs, deliver speeches and build a library. In May’s case, she will back in the House of Commons after the summer recess, asking questions of Johnson.

Outside the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday, Fleet Street was in a tizzy over possible picks for Johnson’s team — including the “great offices of state” — the chancellor, foreign secretary and home secretary — and what they could mean for Brexit and his style of governing. Johnson has just 99 days to find a Brexit solution. Otherwise, he has warned that Britain might accept the economic risk of leaving the bloc without a withdrawal agreement or transition period.

Will Johnson lean towards compromise? Or tilt towards a ‘no deal’ Brexit? The line-up of his top team could also signal whether he intends to govern, as he suggested on the campaign trail, like he did as mayor of London, where he was known as a liberal Conservative.

Johnson awoke Wednesday to a pile of British newspapers on his doorstep announcing his victory — some celebratory, some not. The Metro tabloid went with “Don’t Panic!” as an all-caps headline. The Express front page read, “Hang Onto Your Hats. Here Comes Boris!”

Britain’s newspapers heralded former London Mayor Boris Johnson as he prepared to take over as prime minister, July 24.

Next on the schedule: May will deliver farewell remarks at Downing Street and then travel to Buckingham Palace — probably under the watchful eye of hovering media helicopters — where she will tender her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II and recommend Johnson as the person who can command the confidence of the House of Commons. 

After May’s car leaves the palace, one carrying Johnson will arrive for a ceremony known as “kissing hands.”

In the movie “The Queen,” starring Helen Mirren, the actor playing Tony Blair kissed the hand of the monarch, but in reality, there’s more likely to be shaking hands. Theresa May shook hands and curtseyed — deeply — during her meeting with the queen when she became prime minister.

Adrian Dennis

AFP/Getty Images

Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband, Philip, stand outside 10 Downing Street on July 13, 2016.

Johnson will be the queen’s 14th prime minister. Over the course of her long reign, Elizabeth II has seen them come and go: Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and now Johnson.

Much attention today will focus on his remarks after he leaves the palace. The first speech a prime minister delivers is heavily scrutinized and often long remembered. 

For her first speech as prime minister, May talked of tackling “burning injustices” in society and leading a government that worked for everyone, not the “privileged few.” Those promises for a Tory-led “social justice” program were often thrown back in her face, when May mostly failed to address those issues. She was consumed with Brexit. The same could happen to her successor.

Matt Hancock, a Conservative politician who has been helping with Johnson’s campaign, told the BBC he expected Johnson’s speech to include “a surprising amount of detail, especially on the domestic agenda.” He said that, at the same time as delivering Brexit, Johnson wanted to focus on domestic issues and pointed out that on the campaign trail Johnson spoke about education, social care and policing.

Once prime minister, Johnson is expected to start naming his new team and new cabinet. Johnson has said he wants a cabinet rich with pro-Brexit voices — with each chair filled by someone who is okay with the incoming prime minister’s vow, that if he does not get the Brexit deal he wants from Europe, then Britain will crash out with no deal.

Johnson handily won the leadership contest on Tuesday. The former foreign secretary Johnson captured 92,153 votes to current foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt’s 46,656 — a decisive victory. 

Tolga Akmen

AFP/Getty Images

New Conservative Party leader and incoming prime minister Boris Johnsonleaves his campaign office in central London on Tuesday.

But the vote involved only dues-paying members of the Conservative Party. A mere 139,000 people cast ballots in a country of 66 million. A lot of Britons feel left out at a pivotal moment. On social media, #NotMyPM was one of the many Johnson-related hashtags trending. A YouGov survey found that 58 percent of Brits have a negative opinion of Johnson — a wicked-high number for a first day on the job.

The 55-year-old Johnson will take up residence at Downing Street. His 31-year-old girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, a former Conservative Party communications official and a top Tory spinner, may move in over the weekend, according to British news reports. Expect a lot of tabloid interest in this unprecedented arrangement.

When Johnson clocks in, he will face an overflowing in-tray of items that need urgent attention, including a showdown in the Persian Gulf with a belligerent Iran. The two countries have been in a tense standoff since Britain impounded an Iranian tanker suspected of sending oil to Syria, and Iran retaliated by seizing a British-flagged oil tanker last week.

Politics watchers are keen to see whether Johnson continues Britain’s effort to salvage the 2015 deal designed to discourage Iran from developing nuclear weapons, or whether he bends to U.S. pressure to impose sanctions on Iran.

[Want to understand Boris Johnson, Britain’s probable next prime minister? Read his incendiary journalism.]

But Johnson’s main challenge will be getting Britain out of the European Union.

May’s failure to deliver Brexit on time was the reason her Tory lawmakers ousted her.

Read more

Who is Boris Johnson? His life in photos.

Boris Johnson wins vote to be U.K. prime minister

Theresa May packs her bags, her legacy dominated by failure

Want to understand Boris Johnson? Read his journalism.

What Boris Johnson said about Trump when he wasn’t being so diplomatic

Boris Johnson says he’s prepared for a no-deal Brexit. Critics say he’s reckless.

Boris Johnson’s rise could be a preamble to his fall

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/boris-johnson-uk-prime-minister/2019/07/24/42bce126-ac93-11e9-9411-a608f9d0c2d3_story.html

2019-07-24 12:52:23Z
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