After calling a general election in April 2017 for June 8th, Theresa May felt she was going to galvanise the seemingly unassailable lead the Tories had over their Labour opponents. It turned out to be quite a different story.
PM Theresa May
A year to the day after she took office replacing David Cameron, who stepped down following his disastrous gamble on the Brexit vote, Theresa May admitted in a radio interview that she shed a tear when she was told about the loss of the Conservative majority in the Exit Polls after the recent election.
The Prime Minister wanted to show voters that they had a strong and determined leader at the helm, someone who could lead us through the difficult times ahead.
It must surely have rankled with Mrs May that even though she had become only the UK's second female leader, after Margaret Thatcher, she had not been elected to that office. Sensing that the electorate was right behind her, she made her fateful decision and was left with egg on her face as the Tories threw away a huge lead and were forced to enlist the DUP to bolster their position.
Strong and stable
Throughout the past year, Mrs May has repeatedly referred to her leadership as 'strong and stable', portraying herself as someone who would be steady in delivering the will of the people in overseeing a smooth exit from the EU. She was a 'remain' voter stating in April 2016 that staying in the EU " does make us more secure...prosperous...and influential beyond our shores." During the Brexit campaign, she sensibly kept a low profile keeping Eurosceptics within the party on her side.
After the result was announced, leading to the resignation of David Cameron, she was thrust into the limelight as PM and has become determined to deliver the will of the electorate saying in January 2017 " Brexit means Brexit, and we're going to make a success of it."
General election 2017
It is no secret that politicians from all parties were shocked when the results came in on the night of June 8th.It has been reported that Mrs May was met with a "stony silence" when she reported to the Conservative HQ after the event but the damage was done, Mrs May shed her tear, and the job had to go on.
She has admitted that there was more she could have done to tackle the concerns of voters and claimed the result was about " the balance of messages within a campaign."
As it goes, she remains in post as our Prime Minister, Article 50 has been triggered, and the wheels of Brexit have been set in motion. This is the time that Theresa May can show what a "strong and stable" leader she can be as she guides the UK out of the EU.
