Days away Leon Neal/AFP/Getty

The UK is set to get a new prime minister in a matter of days, with Theresa May claiming victory in the Conservative leadership election after her opponent Andrea Leadsom dropped out of the race. Current prime minister David Cameron has just announced he plans to vacate his office by Wednesday evening.

As prime minister, May’s top priority will be tackling the fallout from the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, but what will a May premiership mean for science and technology issues in the UK?

May has been home secretary for the past six years, where she has overseen two bills that demand the scientifically impossible. Earlier this year, MPs voted the Psychoactive Substances Act into law, essentially banning almost anything with the potential to alter your mental state – a definition researchers have warned is scientifically meaningless and potentially harmful.


And she is currently attempting to get the Investigatory Powers Bill through parliament. The bill is an update to the UK’s surveillance laws and has been widely criticised for introducing new powers, such as retaining internet users’ 12-month browsing histories. The bill also appears to ask online service providers to reveal encrypted messages for which they do not have the key – a mathematical impossibility. With May as prime minister, it seems very likely the bill will pass unhindered.

The prime minister-in-waiting’s voting record reveals her likely stance on other important issues. May voted against plans to legalise assisted dying and against a ban on smoking in public places, which has been shown to improve public health.

May also has a negative approach to environmental issues. She has generally voted against measures to fight climate change and was in favour of the UK’s recent failed attempt to combat the spread of tuberculosis by culling badgers. She is also against environmental regulation for fracking in the UK.