‘Classy’ exclusive to the ’Tiser

Theresa May said her resignation statement was foremost ‘about the constituency’ – which prompted her decision to exclusively share the news with her local paper.

The former Prime Minister announced her decision to stand down as a Conservative Member of Parliament at the next election in a statement shared with the Advertiser last week.

She said: “Some people when they’ve decided to step down have tweeted it out or told the national press but no, it’s right. This is about the locality, it’s about the constituency and therefore it was right that it was done through the Adver tiser.

“If I’m honest, I thought some people might say ‘Why didn’t you do it through the national press?’ so it was interesting – I think one Labour MP, Jess Phillips, said it was ‘classy’ to do it through the Advertiser.

“People in this Westminster bubble were probably a bit taken aback but anybody who’s a Member of Parliament recognises the link with your constituency.

“The Advertiser has been there throughout my time as a Mem ber of Parliament, I know it’s been in Maidenhead for a lot longer than that, and I think it’s really important because it’s a trusted source of news for people locally and I wanted it to be done in that way.”

She acknowledged the pressures faced by the local press and hoped she had promoted ‘the concept of local newspapers’.

She said: “It has been increasingly hard for local papers with so many people getting news via social media, with advertisers often falling away because they’re going online.

“It’s been tough and I think the Advertiser and everybody involved in it deserves a huge congratulations for keeping what’s been an important part of Maidenhead life going through what have been some really difficult times.”