The Daily Telegraph

MPS’ loud show of support as May pledges to rectify her blunders

- By Kate Mccann and Christophe­r Hope

‘The easiest thing for her to do would be to have stood down but that is not in the nature of her’

THERESA MAY last night told her MPS she would serve as Prime Minister for “as long as you want me to” as senior Tories said they would be prepared to keep her in Downing Street until 2019.

Pledging to get the Conservati­ve Party out of the “mess” she created after losing her Commons majority, Mrs May was met by loud applause and MPS hammered on desks for 25 seconds in a show of support.

At a meeting last night, facing her own MPS for the first time since Thursday’s election, Mrs May offered her apologies to those who lost their seats and admitted that mistakes were made during the campaign as she pledged to put things right.

In an effort to see off calls for her resignatio­n, Mrs May told the committee that she had served the party since she was 12 and would not give up despite a bruising election campaign in which the party lost 13 seats overall. Tory MPS described her as “bold and brave” for facing up to the errors of the campaign, which have led to both her senior aides resigning and ministers being dispatched to Northern Ireland to thrash out a power-sharing deal with the Democratic Unionist Party.

The loud show of support came despite rumbling disquiet about the way the campaign was handled, leading to Jeremy Corbyn and Labour gaining seats and the Tories losing their majority on the green benches.

In what was described as a speech that “struck the right tone”, the Prime Minister told her MPS: “I got us into this mess and I’ll get us out of it.” To loud cheers, she added that she had served the party since the age of 12 when she started “stuffing envelopes” for her local associatio­n.

She added that she would serve for “as long as you want me to”, after earlier in the week failing to confirm that she would stay on in Downing Street for the full five-year term.

Last night, one Cabinet minister said that Mrs May was likely to be in power until at least March 2019, when the country leaves the European Union as it would not make sense to trigger a leadership election with such crucial talks ongoing.

One MP said: “She came across as contrite and genuine, but not on her knees. The easiest thing for her to do would be to have stood down but that is not in the nature of her.”

Mrs May answered more than 20 questions in the hour-long meeting. She suggested the party would try to financiall­y support Tory MPS who lost their seats.

One MP challenged her on the announceme­nt of the social care cap in the party’s election manifesto without any warning. The Prime Minister reportedly accepted that mistakes were made during the campaign and vowed to make up for the errors. She admitted that “the manifesto was not the place to start the conversati­on”.

Mrs May said she “called the election and will take responsibi­lity for that”, another MP said.

Other issues raised were better targeting of voters and how to look at localised campaignin­g areas.

Another MP said: “Once she had made that confession that I am taking responsibi­lity the room really warmed up. It was heartfelt. She was her usual formal self for five minutes and then she spilt it out – we didn’t get there, I am sorry, it is my fault and I take responsibi­lity.”

Another said: “She was very, very humble – she did recognise that the social care policy had not worked. It was a very emollient Theresa May. She has bought herself a good deal of time.

“There is a warmer, more open side to her, which is very appealing.”

Mrs May told the meeting that she recognised relations had not been as good as they should between Downing Street and the party.

On Brexit, Mrs May said she “wants to try to bring the country with her, and the whole Conservati­ve Party with her”, according to one MP.

Gavin Barwell, Mrs May’s new chief of staff, received a huge cheer when he was introduced.

It came as David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, failed to rule out running as a leader himself after being touted as a possible replacemen­t for Mrs May if she is forced to stand aside.

Asked about a potential leadership race, Mr Davis said talk of a battle is “self-indulgent” but he did not rule out a future bid. He previously put himself forward to lead the party against David Cameron. Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, is also said to be considerin­g a leadership bid, although he has played down suggestion­s and is said to want to bide his time until Mrs May decides to leave of her own accord.

He said on Twitter after the meeting: “Stonking performanc­e by the PM at 1922. One team going forward together

‘Stonking performanc­e by the PM at 1922. One team going forward together for the UK’

for the UK.”

Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, called on colleagues to “respect” the Prime Minister for refusing to take the easy way out and quitting after the election result. He said: “There is no desire amongst Conservati­ve colleagues for a leadership election – and the public would be appalled if instead of getting back to the business of responsibl­e government after the election, we started yet another Tory beauty parade.

“Secondly, the whole Conservati­ve family must now rally to the colours, there isn’t time for blame or recriminat­ion, there is a job to do and that job falls to us.”

He called for an end to “tight and exclusive circles” making the party’s policy.

Mrs May last night sacked an ally of George Osborne as she continued to reshuffle her ministeria­l team. Robert Halfon, the apprentice­ships minister, who had previously served as the former chancellor’s parliament­ary private secretary, said he “wasn’t really given a reason” for his departure.

Mr Osborne has been publicly critical of the Prime Minister since the election, describing her on Sunday as a “dead woman walking”.

 ??  ?? Top left, Michael Gove (first on the left) attends cabinet yesterday after Theresa May (above) brought him back from the backbenche­s in her reshuffle
Top left, Michael Gove (first on the left) attends cabinet yesterday after Theresa May (above) brought him back from the backbenche­s in her reshuffle
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