May pins victory hopes on Brexit

THERESA May has insisted voters can have “faith” in her as the nation’s leader as she sought to put impetus back into a flagging Tory campaign by concentrating on her main strategy for re-election: Brexit.

With the fallout from her no-show on BBC1’s live debate still reverberating, the Prime Minister praised Home SecretaryAmber Rudd for her performance. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had earlier said it had been “absolutely heroic”.

Speaking in the Labour heartland of Teesside, Mrs May said her Cabinet colleague had done “an absolutely excellent job”.

But the criticism about her absence on the programme continued, with Gina Miller, the pro-EU campaigner, branding it “totally scandalous” and implying it did not bode well for her negotiations in Europe over Brexit.

“She’s the one who called the election, she should be engaging in debate and going out on the doorstep, talking to ordinary people,” declared Ms Miller.

“[The PM should] not be doing invitation-only events around the country and refusing to turn up and debate other leaders.

“What does that say about her negotiating with 20 other leaders, if she can’t even negotiate with domestic leaders?”

The criticism of Mrs May, who was described as a coward by some of her opponents, is likely to continue today as she will not appear on the election interview on Woman’s Hour. Education Secretary Justine Greening will answer questions instead.

Mrs May’s no-show on the Radio 4 programme follows a car crash interview for Jeremy Corbyn on the same show on