LONDON: Theresa May used her final speech as prime minister to urge Boris Johnson to secure a Brexit deal and move the nation on from the “current impasse”.Before tendering her resignation to the Queen on Wednesday, May said her successor’s priority must be a Brexit “that works for the whole United Kingdom”. The outgoing leader, stalked by the “Maybot” nickname over her apparent stiltedness and rigidity for the script through much of her tenure, managed to slip into spontaneity during the valedictory address.Flanked by her husband Philip, she was interrupted by a cry of “stop Brexit” from a heckler outside Downing Street. May quipped: “That wasn’t me,” and May replied: “I think the answer to that is, I think not.” She repeated her congratulations to Johnson and wished him “every good fortune”.May told the new leader and his government that their “successes will be our country’s successes” — perhaps implying that so too could be their failures.“Of course, much remains to be done — the immediate priority being to complete our exit from the European Union in a way that works for the whole United Kingdom,” she continued. “With success in that task can come a new beginning for our country — a national renewal that can move us beyond the current impasse into the bright future the British people deserve.”For a leader who has tried and failed to get her hard-negotiated deal through a Parliament hostile to her plans, she said the “heavy responsibilities” of leadership “are outweighed by the huge potential to serve your country”.May, who is only the second woman to serve as PM, also said she hopes her tenure inspires girls to believe their achievements can be limitless. “This is a country of aspiration and opportunity and I hope that every young girl who has seen a woman prime minister now knows for sure that there are no limits to what they can achieve,” she said.In the Commons, May fought back tears in her final Prime Minister’s Questions. Her voice cracked with emotion as she concluded her 64-minute finale by insisting her “greatest motivation” will be her duty to her Maidenhead constituents. May, who was watched by her husband Philip, received a standing ovation from Tory MPs, the DUP and the Liberal Democrats.Some Labour backbench MPs also applauded, but leader Corbyn did not. Opening PMQs, May told MPs she will continue with her duties from the backbenches and faced several questions about advising her successor Boris Johnson.She said: “I am pleased to hand over to an incoming leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister who I worked with when he was in my cabinet, and who is committed as a Conservative, who stood on a Conservative manifesto in 2017 to delivering on the vote of the British people in 2016 and to delivering a bright future for this country.”Corbyn paid tribute to May’s “sense of public duty” and asked whether she will join outgoing Chancellor Philip Hammond in helping him “oppose the reckless plans of her successor”. As MPs laughed, Corbyn noted the Tories were in “such good heart”, adding: “For tomorrow they won’t be.”He then used his questions to highlight government failures and asked if she has any regrets. Before defending her record in power, May said: “It’s very good to see the Conservative Party in good heart, which is more than I can say for the Labour Party.” Corbyn called for Johnson to call a general election upon entering Number 10 to “let the people decide their future”.May disagreed with the election suggestion, adding: “Perhaps I could just finish my exchange with him by saying this: As a party leader who has accepted when her time was up, perhaps the time is now for him to do the same?”In her final remarks at the despatch box, May said she believes there will be another woman prime minister among the current cohort of MPs. She said: “I’m sure that amongst the women in this House today there is a future prime minister, maybe more than one. Later today I will return to the backbenches and it will be my first time in 21 years so it’s going to be quite a change from standing here at the despatch box.May also said that she had been told she had answered 4,500 questions over 140 hours in the House, “more than I might have expected”. She went on: “We are living through extraordinary political times. This House of Commons is rightly at the centre of those events.“That’s because of the vital link between every single member of this House and the communities, the Commons that we represent. That’s the bedrock of our parliamentary democracy and of our liberty. And each of us, wherever we sit and whatever we stand for, can take pride in that.” Her voice faltered as she made her final remarks: “That duty to my constituents will remain my greatest motivation.”
07-25-2019, 11:02 PM
May urges Boris to secure deal in farewell address
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