May refuses to make pledges on tax and pensions
The PM disagrees with David Cameron on Brexit, talks about the impact of not having children and gives her favourite recipe.
Thursday 11 May 2017 22:17, UK
Theresa May has refused to promise not to increase taxes during a five-year term in government if she wins the General Election.
In an interview on LBC Radio, the Prime Minister said the Conservatives had no plans to put up taxes but would not give a five-year guarantee.
She also refused to give a guarantee to maintain the so-called triple lock on pensions, which means they currently go up by the rise in earnings, prices or 2.5%, whichever is higher.
Quizzed by presenter Nick Ferrari on the triple lock, she said: "Pensions will go up under a Conservative government."
She was then asked if she would put taxes up and said: "We have no plans to increase the level of tax. That's because we are a party which believes in low tax."
But asked more than once if that promise applied to a full five-year term, the Prime Minister ignored the question, signalling the promise will not be in the Tory manifesto.
In a half-hour interview, in which she took around half a dozen calls, the PM broke with her election routine and failed to mention "strong and stable government" or "coalition of chaos".
But on Brexit she appeared to slap down her predecessor David Cameron, who said earlier that it was important that she "win well" so she can stand up to people that want an "extreme Brexit".
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Asked if that was why she called the election, she replied: "No, the reason I called the election was because we need the security, the stability for five years of greater certainty that will take us through Brexit
and beyond.
"It is about ensuring we have got a strong negotiating hand. Every vote for me and my team will strengthen the UK's hand negotiating that Brexit.
"The reason I called the election was because we need someone who can take us through Brexit."
She was also challenged by a caller who claimed that as home secretary she had failed to deliver on the Tory pledge in 2010 and 2015 to cut immigration to "tens of thousands".
"You have to keep working at it," she said.
"Once we leave the EU was can set rules on who comes. I want controlled migration.
"They are big figures. We did see net migration coming down, we did make changes. But you have to keep doing this you keep working at it. Once we are outside the EU you can control it."
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The phone-in began with personal questions, including her feelings about not having children, to which she replied: "It's been very sad, it just turned out not to be possible for us.
"Of course, we are not the only couple that finds ourselves in that situation and when you do I suppose you just get on with life. We've got nephews and nieces."
On the death of her parents in her 20s, she said: "It did have quite an impact on me. I was very fortunate in that I had been married not that long beforehand and Philip has been a fantastic support for me. He really was my rock at that time.
"I was an only child so I didn't have brothers and sisters that I could share it with. Suddenly, there I was without the two people who had brought me up and had meant so much to me throughout my life.
"It did have an impact and I think part of that impact was about reinforcing the belief in and importance of public service that I'd learned from my parents.
"I think my faith helped in just being a support there for me."
When Nick Ferrari asked the vicar's daughter PM if the loss of her parents and realising she would not become a mother made her lose her faith, she replied: "No, because, it's difficult to explain in simple words but actually the faith was there and did provide support for me through those difficult times."
Less seriously, when asked as the owner of 100 cookbooks what "signature dish" she would cook if US President Donald Trump came for dinner, she said: "I might do something like a slow-roast shoulder of lamb. It's making it really slow roast so it really falls off the bone. Absolutely gorgeous."
Mrs May also admitted that during this election campaign she was getting "a lot less" than her standard five or six hours of sleep a night but was fortunate to be able to "sleep pretty well".
And at the end of the interview, she was asked: "You've been called bloody difficult woman, delusional - by Jean-Claude Juncker - and a tough lady. Which is the closest?"
Modestly, she replied: "That's not for me to say."
And finally, on the day The Times claimed relations between the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, and No 10 have deteriorated, she was asked: "Who's the most important Philip in Downing Street?"
Instantly, she replied, : "The Philip that is in the flat that l live in… taking out the bins."