New ‘Iron Lady’ starts with a long pause

KATE DEVLIN ON Tuesday Theresa May was hailed by some as the next Margaret Thatcher.

The “new Iron lady” following her “deal or no deal” threat to the European Union.

And so it was a surprise 24 hours later to hear the Prime Minister appear to sound horrified by her own policy.

That moment came during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Mrs May’s body language suggested that she would take no nonsense.

After all, as she warned yesterday, noises off could get the UK a worse deal from Europe.

She was not impressed when the SNP’s Angus Robertson asked her if she believed that the forecasted average £2,000 income drop and loss of 80,000 jobs in Scotland was a “price worth paying for her “Little Britain” Brexit?”

The SNP, she told MPs, in a tone that can only be described as appalled “is dedicated to taking Scotland out of the single market”. She appeared horrified. After a long pause, the Conservative leader added: “By taking it [Scotland] out of the United Kingdom”.

Ah, Tory MPs nodded. That is the difference.

The Prime Minister’s charge against the SNP appeared to be hypocrisy, though viewers at home could have been forgiven for getting confused in the heat of the moment.

And, of course, SNP MPs reacted furiously, pointing out that the party’s position is for an independent Scotland to be an EU member and therefore a member of the single market.

So there you have it. In the Prime Minister’s own words – “clarity” around Brexit. As long as she does not take any more pauses in the middle of her sentences.