Theresa May Election 2017

Thank you. Thanks, Karen. Thank you very much for that wonderful

Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire welcome, everybody,

and it's great to be with you here today, as Karen said, as we come to

the closing stages of what is a critical general election for our

country. Because the question that people will face on Thursday is

about the sort of country we want to be in the future. It's about who has

the leadership to take us through the Brexit negotiations and build a

stronger future for our country. And I believe absolutely passionately

that we can build a Briton but is stronger, fairer and more prosperous

than it is today. The opportunities before us are enormous. The promise

of Brexit is great. But we do have to make sure that we get those

Brexit negotiations right and that we get the best deal for Britain in

Europe. But if we work together, I believe we can build the stronger,

more prosperous and fairer country. You know, I want to see a country

where it doesn't matter where you came from, it doesn't matter who

your parents were, how far you go depends on your talents and your

willingness to work hard. I want to see a country where no one and no

community is left behind. I want to see a country that is truly global

and outward looking, that is doing those trade deals around the world,

that is forging new partnerships and strengthening our partnerships with

old allies alike. A country that is confident in itself. And I believe

that together, we can do great things. Together, we can reignite

the British spirit and take this country to a stronger beach for

everybody. APPLAUSE

And as become in these closing stages, I know you have all been

working hard, it's not long to go but we need that last push, getting

out there on those doorsteps continuing the campaign, taking this

message to people and reminding people of the crucial questions at

the heart of this campaign. And the first is, who do they trust? Who do

they trust to actually ensure we get that best Brexit deal in Europe? Who

do they trust to have the strong and stable leadership to do that?

Because Brexit is the basis of everything else. Who has the will

and also who has the plan to deliver for Britain on Brexit? As Karen

says, those negotiations start 11 days after polling day, that is in

less than a fortnight. We have to be ready, we have to have the plan and

we have it. Who do they trust to maintain our economic security?

Jeremy Corbyn told people that ordinary working families would not

have their tax increased at all! Apart from the fact that he has

wrecked the economy which would mean people would pay the price, what we

see today in the small fine print of his manifesto is that he would take

away the marriage allowance and that would hit up to 4 million ordinarily

working families with a tax rise. Who do you trust to maintain your

national security? Somebody who does not -- who has boasted that he has

opposed every piece of anti-terror legislation since he came into

Parliament? Or me and the Conservatives, as Home Secretary I

put through strengthened anti-terror legislation

and there is that simple fact as Karen pointed out that if we lose

just six seats then the government loses its majority. And if we lose

just six seats we could see Jeremy Corbyn in number ten Downing St.

Diane Abbott looking after our national security! LAUGHTER

John McDonnell at the Treasury with our economy. And the strings being

pulled by Nicola Sturgeon. Every vote for Conservative candidates is

about to stop that from happening. Every vote for me and the

Conservatives is about to strengthen my hand in those Brexit

negotiations. Every vote for me and the local Conservative candidates is

about for the stronger future for our country because there is no safe

vote for Labour or the Liberal Democrats. A vote for any other

party could mean that Jeremy Corbyn is in number ten. And I say this

very simply to people, it is not about who you voted for in the past,

it is about who you trust to take this country forward into the

future. To those Brexit negotiations but through them and beyond. Because

the decision people make on Thursday will shape the future of this

country for generations to come. And my message to people is very simple

wolf that it is only the British public who can give me the mandate.

So give me your backing to lead Britain. Give me the authority to

speak for Britain. Strengthen my hand as I fight for Britain. Give me

your backing and I will deliver for Britain. CHEERING

Do we have... Ross from the BBC? Thank you. Ross Hawkins from the

Today programme. You mentioned the activists, what do you say to those

here who have had to sell your message at this campaign has faulted

over social care and your opponent has looked more and more, but it is

the weeks have gone on? First of all, there is only one poll that

counts and that is the one taken on Thursday. And secondly come all

these activists here have been out looking on the doorsteps, taking out

the message that this is about the future of our country and what this

country needs is strong and stable leadership and government to get the

Brexit negotiations right and get the best deal but take us forward.

We have the opportunity to change this country for the future, to

truly make it a country that works for everyone and not just the

privileged few and that is the message we're picking on the

doorstep and that the choice people will on Thursday. Chris. We learned

today that the third terrorist planet in London tried to get to

Syria and came back to UK. We apologise to British people for

failing to keep them safe? -- will you apologise. What we have done in

relation to national security and dealing with this terrible terrorist

threat we face is that we have ensured that police and security

services have the powers they need to be able to deal with this. We

have had three terrible, horrific attacks in the last three months in

the UK. These are attacks on our way of life. The British people have

shown their resilience and defiance in the face of the terrorists and we

will not allow our way of life to be damaged or endangered by the

terrorists and we will carry on as if this as usual. What matters for

the future is making sure that we have in place a government that is

willing to support our police when they do what they need to. I support

shoot to kill. Eight minutes and our police officers have taken those

terrorists out. APPLAUSE Jeremy Corbyn does not. As I say, we

are with the police and security services and we will look to ensure

they have the laws they need but he has opposed every piece of

anti-terror legislation since he came into Parliament. Your former

party chairman and the first Muslim woman in Cabinet Baroness Warsi said

last night that she thought Donald Trump's state visit should be kicked

into the long grass in response to his attacks on the London mayor in

recent days. Many Londoners no doubt share that view. Do you? The special

relationship we have with the United States of America is the deepest and

strongest defence and security relationship for our country. I

think Donald Trump was wrong in the things he said about Sadiq Khan. In

the aftermath of the London Bridge attack we have been working with

Sadiq Khan at a party politics are put to one side as we work together

to ensure the response of London is right. APPLAUSE

If you are re-elected, will you demand that the security services

look again at the way they try and sift out who are the really

dangerous suspects and do you bet some responsibility if there have

been failings as you were Home Secretary for six years before

becoming Prime Minister? The security services MI5 and the police

have already said after the Manchester attack that they will be

looking at that processes at how they deal with these cases and I

would expect them to do exactly the same following the London Bridge

attack. It is currently still an ongoing investigation so now we need

to let them have the time and space to get on with that investigation.

What matters in the future is that we ensure they have the laws they

need, that is what we have been doing it was what I was doing as

Home Secretary and it is what we will continue to do if we are

re-elected after Thursday. I'm from politics home. You have run a very

negative campaign against Jeremy Corbyn... Which much less time

focused on what you see as the positives of a Conservative

government. You sell yourself as a decent woman who always does the

right thing, but how guilty as it made you feel to compete by speaking

ill about others? And... In a more positive spirit can you tell us one

thing you like and respect about the Labour leader? LAUGHTER

Look, can I explain, we in a general election, people will be making a

choice and it is right that we set out that to people. What I have

done, you have heard the speech I have given, optimistic for the

future this country under a Conservative government, resolutely

determined to get the best for Brexit for this United Kingdom,

wanting to go out there with new trading relationships around the

world and that means more jobs and higher paid jobs here in the UK. Let

me tell you a story, I did a speech a few days ago and in that speech I

set out one of the policies I think will be important for young people

in this country which is a proper technical education for young people

here for the first time. And somebody from the press stood up and

said, why aren't you talking about policy? I have been talking about

policy but there is a choice for people at the election and it is a

choice about who they trust to take this country forward. Through those

Brexit note is -- negotiations but beyond into a stronger Britain.

Normally we only allow one question. CHEERING

John Stevenson from the Daily Mail. Should voters be concerned for their

safety when they go to polling stations on Thursday? No, to set the

scene, of course the National threat level is at severe which does mean a

terrorist attack is highly likely but it has been there for them

though and the police have been planning to ensure people's safety

on that basis. People should go out to vote and I want to see people

going out to vote because I think that is very important message that

our democracy will not be deterred by terrorists. APPLAUSE

I'm going to come round but can I check if we have the Stoke Sentinel

here? Yes, in 2010 Staffordshire Police at 2219 officers from last

year that was 1670 so do you agree with some of those officers who say

that those cuts have disadvantage that ability to establish an

intelligent in the community? Looking at Edwina Bone in

counterterrorism terms, we're protected counterterrorism police

budgets, ensure that funding is available for an uplift in armed

police, given the police new powers to deal with terrorists. If you look

at policing in the wider sense, as crime is changing the way we police

is changing. And I must say we have a first-class Police and Crime

Commissioners here in Staffordshire in Matthew Ellis. And deputy. But

we're protected that counterterrorism budget and ensured

the police have the powers they need. We also need to support the

police when they do the job they need to do on the streets of our

country. I support them in that shoot to kill, that is important and

we saw how important it was on Saturday night. Jeremy Corbyn does

not. Tom. We have seen again with the London Bridge attacks that the

Internet, YouTube etc has been involved in radicalising and you

have asked Internet company to do something about this and gone to

Brussels and Sicily to ask international colleagues that

nothing is happening. If now is not the time to start talking about

hefty fines on Internet companies like the Germans already do? We are

very clear and you are right that I did ask other world leaders to work

with us on this and putting pressure on companies to do more and I think

the companies should accept their responsibilities in relation to what

is being put across their platforms because frankly we seek hateful

ideology being spewed across platforms by extremists and that can

lead to terrorism and we don't want a safe space online for terrorists

to be planning attacks. We will continue to put pressure with others

on those companies but we are also very clear we do need to look at the

regulation of cyberspace because we need to ensure there is no safe

space for the terrorists online. Huffington Post, in your Article 50

let you said failure to achieve a deal with EU on Brexit would weaken

the fight against crime and terrorism so do you still stand by

that that no deal would weaken our ability to fight crime and terrorism

and if so would you take that aspect of the table of the negotiations? I

have said no deal is better than a bad deal, a bad deal, some people in

Europe talk about punishing us and there are parties here in the UK who

are clear they would take a deal at any price so they would get the

worst deal at the highest price but that is not good for the UK. What we

want to ensure is that we continue that cooperation with our European

partners in a variety of areas, including -- are dealing with

organised crime, in cooperation with matters relating to terrorists and

that'll be an important part of the negotiation and I understand that

and I have already negotiated in those areas and came back with

exactly the UK wanted. Ben glaze, daily Mirror. How

concerned are you about apparent security failings in the run-up to

the London Bridge attack? As I say, this is still an ongoing

investigation. We need to let the security services and the police

have time to carry on with that investigation but I expect they will

look at their processors. What we need to do and what Government needs

to do from Friday onwards is to be looking at how this terror threat is

revolving, the way that terrorism is breeding terrorism, the increased

tempo of attack. We've had three horrific attacks in the last three

months in the UK. At the same time, the security services and the police

have foiled five other attacks. The tempo is therein away we haven't

seen before. We need to say, how do we need to adapt in order to deal

with that evolving threat as we see it changing? Yes, sorry, I don't

know your name. If elected, will you bring forward the previously

promised extremism bill and will it have powers to ban breaches and

close mosques like the ones we saw in the Channel 4 documentary? As

Home Secretary, I published a counter extremism strategy and we

have already taken forward a number of things from that. As I said when

I gave my statement earlier this week, I think it is very important

that we call at extremism in this country. I think generally we have

been overall too tolerant of extremism. I want communities to

have the confidence of being able to come forward, to speak about

extremism in this bottle so know how to deal with it. That is why we will

set up a commission for countering extremism for the first time, the

first time any country has done this. Working with community groups

to ensure that they are able, not just to identify extremism, but able

to deal with it, to come forward so that we strengthen our bombs as a

society and we deal with these extremists -- we strengthen our

bonds as a society and we deal with these extremists. Prime Minister,

you recently visited Saudi Arabia. Did you raise directly the issue of

terror funding coming from the kingdom? We talked to Saudi Arabia

about a whole number of issues around the question of terrorism.

Saudi Arabia is a question it -- a country itself which has experienced

terrorist attacks and many lives have been lost as a result of that.

We have an important link with Saudi Arabia because actually action taken

by Saudi Arabia has saved lives here in this country. But we as

Government have ensured that we have strengthened our ability to deal

with terrorist finance through the changes we have but threw in the

criminal finances act and in dealing with terrorists, you do need to look

at every aspect of that. We talked about the Internet earlier in answer

to a question, but also the origin of financing and we do. Yes. Rowena

Mason from the Guardian. The bird named London Bridge attack was

stopped in Italy in 2015. What action did the Home Office take on

his return when he was suspected of trying to travel to Syria? Was his

passport taken away from him or was travel excluded and if not, why not?

As I have there, this is an ongoing investigation so I will not give

details. You would not expect me to. Those are powers that are exercised

by the policing in consultation with the Security service, removing a

passport and excluding travel. But this is an ongoing investigation and

we should leave people to do the job they need to do in terms of the

investigation. Henry 's men from the Times. I minister, one of the London

Bridge attackers appeared in a Channel 4 documentary last year

called, the Jakati next door. Did you watch it? I didn't, but I think

it comes back to the point that we need to make sure we are properly

calling out extremism in this country. They want to destroy our

way of life. They want to propagate hateful ideology to destroy our

society. I want to see us coming together as one United Kingdom,

raising our voices against the extremists and then there was no

place extremism, whatever sort, in our country.

APPLAUSE Alex Spence from bus speed. What

Boris Johnson right to say that MI5 had questions to answer? I think

Boris Johnson maybe by that I have answered that actually MI5 and the

police, I would expect them to look into how they have handled this case

once they have done the necessary work they need to do now and be

focusing on now which is investigating this. Of course, as

the terror threat evolves, we need to look to see how we adapt to deal

with that terrorist threat and after appalling tragedy such as those that

have taken place, we look at what has happened and what lessons need

to be learned. Emily. Emily Morgan, ITV News. Sadiq Khan south London's

police in the middle of ?1 billion worth of cuts. How is that making

anyone safer and if I may, we are less than 48 hours from polling day.

Our you nervous? -- are you nervous? The whole country has a decision

that is very important to make on Thursday. I am out and about

campaigning today as people who will be out and about campaigning around

the country for what we believe is the right result in terms of taking

this country forward for the future. You can't be a politician without

enjoying election campaigns, so I will be out enjoying it over the

next 48 hours and ensuring that we do bring that choice to people's

attention and remind them of the joys that they have, because on

Friday, there will only be one of two people as Prime Minister, either

me or Jeremy Corbyn. Cressida Dick has said that the Metropolitan

Police are well resourced and that they have very powerful

counterterrorism capabilities. They are well resourced that they do have

a powerful counterterrorism possibilities. -- capabilities. We

need to look at whether we need to introduce new laws are our police

and security services in times of them doing the job as the threat

evolves but that, my Government would be committed to doing that.

Laura, second question for the BBC. I know you can't comment on an

ongoing investigation, everyone would understand that. But we know

now that the authorities were alerted about all three of the

attackers. Do you fear, as many members of the public might do, that

there were intelligence failures in this case or do we have to accept in

2017 that no matter how hard we try, some terrorists may slip three?

That's what the Home Secretary has suggested this morning, but it is

impossible to stop every single one. As I have said, the police and

security service had done a good job in foiling an number of plots, bye

in the last three months, and a significant number in the last few

years as well. -- five in the last three months. What I think is

important though, you said yourself that you recognise we can't comment

on the ongoing investigation, we need to ensure that MI5 and the

police are able to get on with that investigation as they need to do

now. Then we will look at how the processes were followed, what they

did. They will be wanting to look at that, because they will want to

learn lessons for the future if there are lessons to be learned.

Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.