If I was the PM I’d have gone by now

But Mrs May can hang on

Theresa May’s speech at Manchester this week was interrupted by her own coughing and by the actions of a prankster (right) IF I was Theresa May, I would have packed it in by now.

She knew last week’s conference speech was her chance to prove she has what it takes to be Prime Minister.

Mrs May wanted to tell us that she had more to offer than just overseeing Brexit - that she is determined to make Britain fairer, for example by helping people buy a home or find somewhere to rent where the landlord doesn’t rip them off.

And she wanted to show her party that she was capable of explaining all this to voters.

But wrong.

A so-called c o m e d i a n waved a piece of paper in front of her. The Prime Minister had been handed her P45.

Her words were punctuated by ugly coughing fits.

Finally, letters fell off the display behind her, the carefully-designed Conservative Party conference backdrop literally falling to pieces as she spoke.

None of it was her fault. Still, if I was her I’d have got on the next plane to somewhere hot - or at least gone down the pub - and allowed someone else to run the country.

It’s not just Mrs May who takes humiliation in her stride. Many of us would quit if our colleagues stated publicly that we weren’t up to the job, as Labour MPs did with it went Jeremy Corbyn last year. But he soldiered on.

Mr Corbyn, of course, made something of a comeback, winning a second Labour leadership contest and losing the general election less badly than expected - something his supporters have spun into a triumph.

Could Mrs May also bounce back?

It’s clear she wants to stay, on at least until Brexit takes place in March 2019.

And she’s said she could lead the Tories into the next general election. Maybe she means it. But her party doesn’t want more elections with Mrs May at the helm. They tried it once and it was a disaster.

Some Tory critics say that the sooner she goes, the sooner the Conservative Party can start fixing its problems.

But don’t underestimate the nervousness of the archBrexiteers. They believe there are people who would like to stop Brexit happening.

Mrs May campaigned for “remain” in the EU referendum, but she’s staked her reputation on accepting the result and getting us out of the EU.

Brexiteers believe Mrs May is going to make their dreams come true at last. And they see attempts to remove her as a threat to Brexit.

So they’re backing her - at least, for now.