Theresa May served as a councillor in England.
Theresa Mary May ( née Brasier ; born 1 October 1956 ) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2016 . From 1977 until 1983 , she worked for the Bank of England , and from 1985 until 1997 at the Association for Payment Clearing Services , also serving as a councillor for Durnsford in Merton . After unsuccessful attempts to be elected to the House of Commons in 1992 and 1994 , she was elected as the MP for Maidenhead in the 1997 general election . From 1999 to 2010 , May held a number of roles in the Shadow Cabinets of William Hague , Iain Duncan Smith , Michael Howard and David Cameron , including Shadow Transport Secretary and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary .