Following the appointment of Theresa May as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, S&D Group President Gianni Pittella said:
 
“The UK finally has a new Prime minister. Goodbye Mr. Cameron, nobody will miss you. Now Theresa May should promptly trigger article 50 in order to begin creating a new relationship with the EU. It must be clear that no negotiations will begin before this is done. The new UK Prime minister needs to make clear to her own party, and to many leave voters, that a lot of what was promised in the referendum campaign is neither feasible nor desirable. If you want to have full access to the single market then you will have to accept the principle of free movement and will have to follow the rules that govern it.
 
“Theresa May must also show greater responsibility than many of those on the Leave side of the debate. The cowardice that Mr Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson etc have shown following the referendum is a disgrace. They have shown once again that populists are only interested in dividing and destroying and have no interest in putting forward credible solutions or being part of a responsible government.”