Theresa May calls on Leave voters to ‘have faith’ in her and help ‘get Brexit right’ – and she is confident of Britain’s bright future outside the EU
THERESA MAY has made a personal appeal to Leave voters to back her in next week’s election as she asks them to “have faith” in her to get Brexit right.
With just seven days to go until voters go to the poll, the PM is stepping up the campaign rhetoric today to focus on our EU exit – and her firm belief in Britain’s bright future.
The PM delivered an upbeat speech focusing on our future “free from the shackles of EU control”.
With EU talks set to begin within days of the election, Mrs May said that the opportunities outside the bloc are “enormous”.
But only the Conservatives can deliver what Leavers voted for, Mrs May insisted.
Tory election chiefs believe the 52% of Brits who voted Leave in the landmark referendum 12 months ago are key to the general election’s outcome.
As she spoke in the North East this afternoon – which voted overwhelmingly for Brexit – the PM told leavers it is time for politicians to “deliver their will” of the referendum result.
And she said: “People can have faith in me because I have faith in them. I believe in the British people.”
She said: “Brexit is not a process, but an opportunity. It is this generation’s chance to shape a brighter future for our country.
“So I want us to work together to fulfil the promise of Brexit too. Because if we get Brexit right, then together we can do great things.
“We can be a confident, self-governing country once again. A country that takes the decisions that matter to Britain here in Britain.
“We will be able to control our own borders, ensuring that we continue to attract the brightest and the best to work or study in this country, but ensuring we have control over that process so that it is managed properly and that our immigration system genuinely serves the national interest.”
In an uplifting message, she said she would “look forward with optimism and hope – and to believe in the enduring power of the British spirit”.
She went on: “I choose to believe in Britain and that our best days lie ahead.”
And she hit out at Jeremy Corbyn too, saying that his plans for Britain “won’t command the confidence of investors at home or abroad”.
Mrs May said: “A government that knows that if you can’t manage your money properly, investment will dry up, taxes will rise and businesses – and the jobs they provide – will flee from our shores.
“And ordinary working people will pay the price.”
She made her patriotic speech focused on believing in Britain – which she claimed the Labour leader and his team could not do.
She said of Mr Corbyn: “What we know in this election is that the only other person that can be Prime Minister in seven days’ time is simply not up to the job.
“He doesn’t believe in Britain. He doesn’t have a plan. He doesn’t have what it takes.”
Mr Corbyn will be giving his own speech on Brexit later this afternoon.
Theresa May on Brexit
“If we don’t get Brexit right – if we don’t make a success of the next five years – our economic prosperity will suffer, jobs and livelihoods will be put at risk, and with them the security and peace of mind of working families.
“We won’t have the opportunities we want for our children.
“We won’t have the high-skilled, high-paid jobs of the future.
“We won’t have the financial means to fund the public services upon which we all rely.
“And the brighter future people here in the North East – and across the country – voted for 12 months ago will slip from our grasp.
“But if we do, the opportunities before us are great.
“That’s why I make this commitment to you. And this commitment to Britain.
“If we stand together, and you vote to back me and strengthen my hand, I’ll fight to get the best Brexit deal for Britain.
“I’ll stand up for Britain, and fight for Britain, to guarantee our economic security, to deliver better-paying jobs, a good school place for every child, real technical education – and extra funding, every year, for our schools and a strong NHS.
“And I’ll stand up for Britain to ensure we control and reduce immigration when we leave the EU.”
But the Prime Minister faced tough questioning from journalists this afternoon as the polls showed Labour closing in on the Tories.
One survey from YouGov today showed Labour just three points behind – but the PM insisted that the “only poll that matters” is next week on June 8.
She dodged questions on whether she watched last night’s TV debate, but praised her stand-in Amber Rudd for doing an “absolutely excellent job” – just days after she lost her elderly father.
Last night saw seven senior politicians go head-to-head in Cambridge, but the PM skipped out on it.
Today she denied her campaign was in “panic” after a u-turn on social care and a drop in support in the polls – and insisted there was a “clear choice” next Thursday.
She also refused to say where extra money from the NHS would come from – insisting that voters should back her party for a strong economy to fund the health service.