Theresa May has refused to say she would back Brexit if the referendum on quitting the European Union was held now.
Theresa May was asked three times by @IainDale if she'd vote for Brexit if there was a referendum today. This is her response. pic.twitter.com/N2SZnon2g0
— LBC (@LBC) October 10, 2017
In a move likely to anger Tory Brexiteers, the Prime Minister, who backed Remain, repeatedly sidestepped questions over which camp she would be in.
During an appearance on LBC, Mrs May insisted she was being “open and honest” when she could not give an answer.
(PA Graphic)
Asked if she had changed her mind about how to vote, she replied: “I don’t answer hypothetical questions.
“I voted Remain for good reasons at the time but circumstances move on.”
Mrs May was told Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had switched from Remain to Leave because former Chancellor George Osborne’s gloomy economic predictions had failed to materialise.
Presenter Iain Dale said: “If he says he can change his mind I don’t quite understand why you can’t seeing as you are Prime Minister leading us into Brexit.”
“Yes and I’m Prime Minister ensuring I’m going to deliver Brexit for the British people,” she replied.
The PM clearly does not believe in Brexit, which explains dither, delay and such a lack of leadership. @IainDale #MayOnLBC
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) October 10, 2017
Pressed again, Mrs May said: “I could say I would still vote Remain or I would vote Leave just to give you an answer to that question.
“I am being open and honest with you. What I did last time round was I looked at everything and I came to a judgment and I would do exactly the same this time round.
“But we are not having another referendum and that’s absolutely crucial.”
Exactly – the people should have the right to 'weigh up the evidence' when she has a deal on the table! https://t.co/feVk3VeC2f
— Lib Dem Press Office (@LibDemPress) October 10, 2017
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Jo Swinson said: “It is staggering that even the Prime Minister isn’t convinced by the Government’s approach to Brexit.
“If Theresa May doesn’t have any faith in her own Government’s policies, why is she still driving this country towards the cliff edge?
“Theresa May says she would weigh up the evidence again, she shouldn’t deny that right to the British people.
“The public must have the chance to change their mind if they want to, once the Government comes back with a deal.”
Mrs May’s de facto deputy Damian Green suggested he would stick to his Remain vote from last year’s referendum but described the question put to the PM and him as “meaningless”.
Damian Green (David Cheskin/PA)
The First Secretary of State told Channel 4 News: “Well, I was on the board of the Stronger In campaign so my views on Europe are well known and I don’t resile from anything I said during the election campaign.
“Of course, the fact is it’s a meaningless question because there’s not going to be a referendum tomorrow, so it’s a purely hypothetical question.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel