Prime Minister Theresa May urged her party on Wednesday to back her to deliver bold change for Britain, but her attempt to move past Brexit splits was marred by a protest, a collapsing set and a coughing fit.
The Conservative leader used her closing speech to the party’s annual conference to call for national unity after the divisive EU vote and promise reforms including a major new programme of housebuilding.
But Ms May’s address was stopped mid-way when a prankster handed her a P45 — a form given to those leaving a job — claiming he had been sent by rebellious foreign secretary Boris Johnson.
No sooner had she resumed, than Ms May was overtaken by a prolonged coughing fit, which continued on and off throughout the rest of the speech. To make matters worse, the slogan on the wall behind her — “building a country that works for everyone” — began to collapse, with two letters falling off.
“It just couldn’t get worse than this. What a disaster. It’s a shambles, not a government,” tweeted Seema Malhotra, a lawmaker with the opposition Labour party.
But Ms May’s distress appeared to rouse the delegates, who gave her repeated standing ovations and urged her on by shouting “Come on, Prime Minister!”
Ms May said the UK wants Brexit negotiations to succeed but is preparing for a scenario in which they could fail. “I know some find the negotiations frustrating,” she said, adding: “But if we approach them in the right spirit... I am confident we will find a deal that works for Britain and for Europe too”.
