The meaning behind the message in her emotional resignation speech...
WHAT SHE SAID: ‘I have striven to make the United Kingdom a country that works not just for a privileged few, but for everyone. And to honour the result of the EU referendum. I negotiated the terms of our exit ... I have done everything I can to convince MPs to back that deal. Sadly, I have not been able to do so.’
ANALYSIS: Mrs May is defending her good intentions and effort, while acknowledging she has failed and that Brexit has destroyed her premiership. She repeatedly defends trying to get the deal she negotiated – and believes in – passed by MPs.
WHAT SHE SAID: ‘It will be for my successor to seek a way forward that honours the result of the referendum. To succeed, he or she will have to find consensus in Parliament where I have not. Such a consensus can only be reached if those on all sides of the debate are willing to compromise.’
ANALYSIS: This is a clear rebuke both to the 30 Tory diehards who refused to back her deal, and to Jeremy Corbyn and Labour for refusing to agree to a compromise. It’s also a warning to whoever succeeds her about the grim situation they inherit.
WHAT SHE SAID: ‘The referendum was not just a call to leave the EU but for profound change in our country. A call to make the United Kingdom a country that truly works for everyone. I am proud of the progress we have made over the last three years.’
ANALYSIS: Mrs May is arguing she has achieved a great deal in No10. Effectively clearing the deficit, ending austerity, an enviable jobs record, a massive cash injection into the NHS and huge progress on protecting the environment – particularly on plastics. The tragedy is that Brexit overshadowed all her successes, which were not inconsiderable.
WHAT SHE SAID: ‘This is what a decent, moderate and patriotic Conservative government, on the common ground of British politics, can achieve – even as we tackle the biggest peacetime challenge any government has faced. The unique privilege of this office is to use this platform to give a voice to the voiceless,
to fight the burning injustices that still scar our society.
ANALYSIS: Entering No10 three years ago, Mrs May pledged to fight ‘burning injustices’ in society. Here she lists her proudest achievements: mental health funding, domestic abuse, an audit of racial discrimination and gender pay gap reporting. She urges her successor not just to focus on traditional Tory values – such as security, freedom, and opportunity – but to continue to battle for the underprivileged.
WHAT SHE SAID: ‘Our politics may be under strain, but there is so much that is good about this country. So much to be proud of and optimistic about. I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold – the second female prime minister, but certainly not the last. I do so with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love.’
ANALYSIS: Her voice cracking, Mrs May displayed – finally – the emotion her critics accused her of lacking. She is proud of being a female PM in a male-dominated Westminster and of serving her country. She did her duty even though it ended painfully. What a contrast with David Cameron’s flippant whistle as he left No10 in 2016.