Theresa May’s legacy by Michael Cockerell - BBC Newsnight

As Theresa May announces her resignation, veteran political reporter Michael Cockerell takes a look back on her rise to political power.
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In an emotional statement, Theresa May said she had done her best to deliver Brexit and deeply regretted that she’d been unable to do so.
Mrs May said she would continue to serve as prime minister while a Conservative leadership contest takes place.
The party said it hoped a new leader could be in place by the end of July.
Newsnight is the BBC's flagship news and current affairs TV programme - with analysis, debate, exclusives, and robust interviews.
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[@peregrineslim4446]

May loved the poor so much that she decided that Britain needed many more of them, and so she set about achieving at least one thing as Alston has shown us.

[@chesshooligan1282]

I'm pretty sure she wasn't as good at creating poor as Maduro is. Give Corbyn a chance and he'll break all Western European records.

[@TheGreatPower365]

@@chesshooligan1282 yeah raising minimum wage and demanding workers rights- the poor won't know what hit 'em!

[@jameswhiteley6843]

Is that why immigration was a t record high when she was Home Secretary?

[@secondopinion6654]

How broken can someone be to simply prefer resigning as Prime Minister than to do what the voters told her to do. Think about it. That's a genuine Grade A Bitch right there. Good riddance. For the next guy, WE DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT BREXIT. YOU WORK FOR US. IT'S CALLED A PUBLIC SERVANT. FOLLOW ORDERS.

[@LittleCarol]

@stray dog7 So true, being a disabled lady in chronic pain every day. Suffering under the 'care system' or lack of it. At 61 I can't wait to be dead now.

[@StefanoLi]

My impression (solely) from this video is that she is a little too introvert and logical (i.e. not emotional enough) to be the PM, but I am not denying that she has always been very sincere and hard working.

[@forza223bowe5]

She wasn’t PM material, I am surprised she has held out so long

[@TheGreatPower365]

She was sort of the best of bad options- it was hoped she would bring the tories back together. So much for that!

[@ineedmoreflavour1955]

She was like a political limpet. Thankfully, nothing sticks forever.

[@simoncolombo6640]

Indeed. Only a testament to the poison chalice of Brexit. I wonder if Boris will try to wiggle himself out of it.

[@nigget-tv-videos4135]

​@Ian Brown - Cunts? lol May ended up annoying and frustrating everyone... she was the biggest cunt

[@elimorrey7852]

Good intentions, but weak willed.

[@adamdanilowicz4252]

8:08 That's the best impression of Theresa May I've ever heard.

[@panelledsquid9890]

She went to Wales and acted shocked when she got heckled in a generally anti conservative area. Was she really as intelligent as the tories claimed? Answer: *No*

[@raielalvaro]

Jan Ravens nailed her voice

[@thesilenthero422]

It's not just that she was introverted and shy as this piece makes it out to be. She was just not a good politician period. She spurned dialogue and consensus-building until it was too late to make a difference. Didn't budge an inch from her positions however unworkable they were. While any PM would have difficulty with the hand she was dealt, they probably wouldn't completely alienate their party and leave the job in tears, as May has done.

[@LitRollie]

Sad music for a happy day? Come on play me some heavy metal😂😂😂

[@garsm2290]

Wait till you see the next act in rhe Brexit farce .... Boris Johnson.

[@MrJayjase]

The violins? Do I feel sorry? I don't.

[@unitedwestand160]

I'm just watching because I'm bored

[@unitedwestand160]

@@HaroldTheFarmer it's always when I wake up i don't know what to do

[@bganonimouse2754]

I never liked her, but I feel sorry for her.

[@daveneh8047]

@@bganonimouse2754 I don't feel sorry for someone so useless, didn't deserve the job in the first place.

[@oixkie8169]

no offence bug Theresa may never did anything apart from saying she would "stop' knife crime

[@leeshaumark]

Give it giggsy till the end of the season

[@kobizarre2003]

That snap election backfired😂

[@pamelaberkman3864]

“Her kitten heels?” Seriously?

[@mandolinic]

Just some context: Papers such as the Daily Mail have for many years made a thing of commenting on her choice of footwear when she appears on stage at the annual Tory conference. She is well-known for favouring brightly coloured kitten heels and seems to have deliberately made this one of her few distinguishing features.

[@erzan]

@@mandolinic I don't give a damn what Right Wing sexist newspapers like to call anything. Newsnight *choose* to use that sexist phrase.

[@mandolinic]

@@erzan You are easily triggered, aren't you?

[@deirdrejulianash6295]

what twaddle!

[@tedhuges8275]

She’s in the right place now. The local Tip

[@rascalhusky8129]

She's not died!! Yet

[@AgnostosGnostos]

Thatcher and May were risen to to power during a turbulent era of the conservative party. Thatcher was lucky with the Falklands war and cemented her position. May was less lucky.

[@KillerBill1953]

She was also much less capable, as her Brexit (excuse for) negotiations have proved.

[@dollyjeanstevens]

She 'thrived, taking a hard line on immigration and the police' and what have you been smoking?

[@dollyjeanstevens]

@Ian Brown yep...

[@grahamrandazzo7696]

Is 600,000 immigrants a year taking a hard line on immigration? She oversaw the invasion and destruction of Britain.

[@dollyjeanstevens]

@@grahamrandazzo7696 well said..

[@grahamrandazzo7696]

@@terryblack1306 yes

[@fatfat1877]

@@grahamrandazzo7696 European immigrants are good.

[@QuicklyMrScott]

"taking a hard line on immigration" are you having a laugh

[@darrenmorrison4029]

i nearly crapped my pants laughing at that comment , i mean do the BBC think we are all on glue or something ?

[@ghostdog4330]

The best bit was that shambolic party conference... p45, letters falling off the back and losing her voice. Comedy gold!

[@199019852007]

Should showed the clip of her running away at grenfell towers in 2017

[@99dazemusic]

She made a disaster. The next has to contain it.

[@xqsister6112]

the next doesnt have to do anything. They can contain it or not. evil not-so-genius rees mogg could get a real kick out of blasting cocaine into this oppressive and aggressive political f**kfest. Idealism is all that can save us now, but that would take a faith i dont think we could have as a country. her bowing out could likely be the next beginning of the end

[@SkuStyle]

Not a disaster at all, all perfectly executed to plan. She was a puppet as the next PM will be, ordered to destroy UK & turn it into an open air prison.

[@williamdoyle1108]

Cameron called the referendum, I'd argue may tried to contain it but failed.

[@ElectricInevitability]

It takes real skill to make the wrong decision *every single time* She approached brexit as damage mitigation instead of focusing on making it a success. So gave away so much in the WA for nothing in return

[@andrewneve1248]

wow that's the most overly-dramatised and best-edited montage of of a shit show I've ever seen

[@poodtang2104]

Be nice 😂

[@tractorhead971]

No policy or principle just a craving for power.

[@johndublyoo9360]

Are we really supposed to feel sorry for this excuse of a PM? I had serious reservations about her when she was Home Secretary and nothing I've seen in the last 3yrs makes me well up with grief now that she's going. Good ridance, Corbyn next God willing.

[@redsquirrel1086]

Totally out of her depth as PM. That's what happens when you give someone a job simply because you think it's their "turn."

[@richardhumphreys8662]

A Prime minister with absolutely no judgement whatsoever.

[@dune102]

Promoted to her level of incompetence, if not beyond.

[@outsidein4459]

Their all incompetent. the smart people go into private sector & the duds go into politics.

[@thequintonsatyricon]

Loathed the woman, but beg to differ on her incompetence. * Rock solid record on non-EU mass immigration both as Home Secretary & PM * Unstinting support for two murderous wars in Syria and Yemen * Successfully perpetuated the Putin-villain narrative with the Skripal affair in the total absence of any supporting scientific evidence * Skilfully transitioned Brexit from a remain/leave issue to a deal/no-deal issue * Delayed it by 3 years in direct contradiction of the democratic will of the nation * Neatly prepared the way for a successor who will do the same From a Globalist's point of view, what more could one ask? 10/10.

[@David_Trowbridge]

She literally did nothing in 3 years. In 3 years I heard nothing about unemployment, homelessness, the education system or anything. All she's managed to do is ruin whatever relationship we had with Europe

[@werty21100]

She basically ruin the uk

[@godswilllaks1530]

Never an honest word on the lips of BBC nor May. Really dont know what to believe.Listening and deciding not to listen to both parties makes you both misinformed and uninformed...

[@ernestrogen4639]

We demand a vote by the peoples of the UK to see if the BBC should be sold off.

[@m4rkyboy]

She inherited a impossible task: get Brexit through Parliament.

[@davidwrighton3914]

an

[@wilverbal]

Not impossible at all. She could've changed the composition of Parliament very much to her advantage in 2017 (thereby enabling her to get her non-Brexit passed), but she lost her opportunity because she has poor judgment. She had victory in her hands but threw it away.

[@dr.ryttmastarecctm6595]

I agree that no one could have negotiated BREXIT with the EU. The EU had to punish the UK for daring to try and leave. Had they not, the queue of leaving member states would rival the daily traffic jams on the autobahn from the Channel to Berlin. Finally, comparing the current state of the UK to the English civil war is pure hyperbole on BBC's part and earns an *_“UNSUBSCRIBE.”_*

[@peregrineslim4446]

Given the fabulous support given to Theresa May by the BBC she was hardly lonely or without powerful friends.

[@abrahamdecruz5128]

She was underrated. She did her best. Brexit felled her. It was a great pity she resigned. We don't know what she could have achieved.

[@clivestraw1913]

She is a traitorlike the rest

[@ronlawrence5021]

This is what happens to all politicians when they forget they are supposed to be doing what the people expect them to do, rather than listening to the sleazy "Yes Men" who are drawn to powerful people and spend their entire careers whispering in the politician's ears. Pro Tip: You are there to press the Will of the People. We don't elect you because we're really too stupid to govern ourselves. We don't think the world is just too complicated for us to figure out. And we sure as hell don't want you making policy decisions based upon your personal desires rather than ours.

[@bganonimouse2754]

People are stupid. Look at how outraged and insecure a particular type of person gets when you tell them this truth. They become even more entrenched and emotional. Does that sound like somebody that uses their brain?

[@ronlawrence5021]

@@bganonimouse2754 What it sounds like is some people are control freaks, and believe they know what's best for everyone else. I say people should have a say in their own destinies. I don't blame the "stupidity" of people who don't see the world as you do. I blame you for your inability to effectively explain to people why your idea is better. In May's case - she failed miserably to convince others she has a better plan.

[@bganonimouse2754]

@@ronlawrence5021 If you don't want to elect people to carry out the will of the people then start a revolution. Its pretty simple. If you want mob rule then abolish democracy in the name of the people. People are stupid and I note you don't dispute this. They are easy to manipulate which is why the advertising industry is so wildly profitable. Why would you blame for not effectively selling my "idea" to others? Very strange comment when you consider the manipulation needed in order to make a sale. And even more strange considering I haven't expressed an opinion on Brexit.

[@ronlawrence5021]

@@bganonimouse2754 Of course some people are stupid. That doesn't mean they don't have the right to expect their elected representatives to press their interests. And it does not relieve those who would rule of the responsibility of convincing those they rule that their ideas are well founded - and ultimately in the best interests of the people. Oh.....and unless you're Theresa May in disguise, I couldn't give a toss what your opinion is on Brexit.

[@bganonimouse2754]

@@ronlawrence5021 That is the difference between us. I couldn't care less whether politicians are convincing or not. Ineffective project fear or effective NHS funding lies, are still bullshit. You can give a round of applause to the most effective salesman. Not me. What concerns me is the end result of any given policy, based on as much evidence as we have. Is the claim true or not? I have little confidence in the public to be able to see the wood from the trees. Well, it was interesting to see your perspective in any case. You may not give a toss about my view, but this probably says more about you than it says about me.

[@lisaf5986]

Windrush. Grenfell. Need I say more?

[@outsidein4459]

@@carlnew2829 Carly sweetheart. You couldn't be more wrong.

[@bananabanana8831]

saved Gordon Brown from the "worst Prime Minister in my lifetime" tag

[@avidgamester7640]

Yeah you just don’t like Scots

[@deanunio]

This didn’t age well… how do you feel now?

[@branchsnapper2228]

Good on ya gal, you made us the laughing stock of the world.

[@chrispoole3185]

@Jerome Lund We demand Britain is the number 1 laughing stock America will have to be a distant second. ; ' )

[@deanunio]

Hahaha, what about the three clowns since?

[@Matt-bd2qq]

She had a really tough job to do bringing a fractured country back together, which she unfortunately didn’t attempt.

[@derekwhyle1884]

“A man should know his limitations “ Clint forgot to include women

[@rikwilliams6352]

"Wants to do the very best for the people of Britain" unless you are a Northern Ireland Veteran, then she will throw you to the wolves. And when demonstrations take place such as Rolling Thunder when 22,000 Bikers many of whom were veterans themselves invaded the area of Westminster the BBC felt it wasn't worthy of reporting.

[@martinjeffery3590]

MARCH 29th "A DAY THAT WILL LAST IN INFAMY "

[@anthonytriff9167]

That was like watching a Disney production that Teresa herself edited with her 15 year old niece.

[@AlexDeLarge77]

“She took a hard line on immigration”

[@alaskagyal]

I was told it was not her fault, but the government's. I say both of them should go out!

[@jackbullen5080]

Rejoice in her departure

[@m.a998]

Legacy? Abject failure! In every and all spheres!

[@hfredydl]

I remember 2016... no one really wanted to be PM because it was a dumpster fire but May stepped up... the other conservatives knew not to seek the position ... unfortunately what is needed is a charismatic leader that can build consensus and adapt to what the people want... which is no Deal Brexit

[@paulbroderick8438]

The problems will be EXACTLY the same for the new PM with the EC not budging an inch. Enoch Powell was right all along.

[@nigget-tv-videos4135]

Not really the EU that arent the real problem,. its parliament math. even if the EU gave the UK everything, labour wouldnt vote for it, nor would the other parties, 20 tory Mps voting against any deal, means the Tory have to hope other MPS from other parties vote for it No deal or no brexit is all thats left, you forget the Torys have grieves etc who are arch remainers. MATH

[@paulafay8551]

What an appalling indictment of the British political class that allowing ordinary people a say on their own lives, is regarded as a catastrophe.

[@generalkenobi5533]

To be clear, the snap election wasn't inherently a catastrophe. It was a catastrophe specifically for May because she was totally unprepared to run a successful campaign. Nobody's saying the election itself was a bad thing.

[@DanielleKingdjdinosaur]

may did the exact opposite of tackling the burning injustices.

[@johnking5174]

I remember Wednesday 13th July 2016 when Theresa May stood at the steps of 10 Downing Street. I had a tiny bit of hope that she could command an orderly exit from the EU. I voted to remain, but I accept the majority vote in the 2016 referendum. What I can't understand is how one woman could make such a pigs breakfast of the whole EU exit? Three years she had, and she leaves as one of the worst ever British Prime Ministers ever!

[@ashleyasheel2399]

Who remembers golden brown the man who was PM for like five minutes 🤣

[@liamb8644]

Theresa May has been in power for precisely the same amount of time, 2 years 10 months

[@NuclearSavety]

You can hate May as much as you want, but does anybody realy believes that Johnson or Grove would not have created a bigger mess?

[@hujjatullahsahib380]

To say the truth, I have never been a loyal fan of the BBC, but with this decent analysis of an enigmatic May, enabling me thereby to grasp at the richness of her real character, you have sort of made me reconsider my directionless media drifts !

[@hujjatullahsahib380]

Sorry, I left out the LOL towards the end. Now you may get the real hang of it !

[@atg239]

Off course the remainer BBC is playing sad music, they are losing one of their own. When can we abolish the TV licence?

[@maclagor]

If they played cheerful, positive melodies that would be better?

[@Joe-og6br]

It’s his style he always used varied musical background sound. Watch his several full length documentaries. Not his view on Brexit.

[@andromeda5641]

Her Premiership has shown how rotten, corrupt and ineffective the political system in this country has become, and how absolute the need for reform is. If there is to be a new democratic system in this country that is accountable to the people then we must look at the failures and abuse of power that took place during her time as Prime Minister.

[@lindawarwick8643]

Why the sad music? This is surely a happy joyous time for the country

[@iichaosii]

The witch is going, Yippee! never before have we ever had a PM so out of touch with what this nation needs. Good Riddance

[@wi8shad0w]

8:18 Holy moly .. that's some skill there !!! ...

[@abcun17]

Wait...Theresa May has a legacy?!

[@wilsonm6839]

The fact she said “I should be prime minister” she letting her ego take over her so everything’s bout her For her there isn’t a legacy

[@HatRSol]

Happy to say: The frog won't be missed.

[@barbaralohmar9982]

Is it also possible to vote if you are younger than the minimum voting age? How do they want to prevent that?

[@johnmarstonlives]

History will be much kinder to her.

[@hazelbooth6844]

It’s a shame she haddend been as tough with the Eu as she had been with the police. 😡😡😡

[@edwardlafferty8796]

Hazel Booth It would have helped if the UK had had any sort if negotiating power. Brexit promises to be economically devastating for the UK, and is almost certain to cause both Scotland and NI to peel off within 10-15 years. The UK needs a good relationship with the EU, needs good ties, needs strong economic links...otherwise its economy sinks. This is why Rees Mogg is telling us it'll take fifty years to see these fictional benefits of Brexit. Because there aren't any. The EU on the other hand will be hurt, but it has ten times the size and power and economy of the UK. It can absorb ten times the damage. The 5% of trade the EU has with the UK is minute compared with the 45% of UK trade that goes to the EU. And that is without counting all the jobs and FDI that will divert from the UK into Europe. Long term, several nations of the EU will benefit. What on earth could the UK offer the EU to justify the EU killing itself? The UK has no real negotiating power with the EU. It can hurt, it can cause pain...but little more. This is not, and never will be, a negotiation between equals. And Brexiters need to stop thinking that. The UK is a middle sized economy...seventh largest in the world, and overall, that means nothing because the only economies that matter are the US, China and the EU. And neither the US nor China will go as easy on the UK as the EU are doing.

[@violinstar5948]

For the BBC this is good and fair analysis. I say that as a Brexiteer.

[@ian_b]

It wasn't a difficult task for somebody competent. She was clearly the wrong person from day 1.

[@paulafay8551]

On the positive front- Jan Raven's mimicry is a joy.

[@TyMarshall007]

Theresa May’s legacy my answer what fucking Legacy

[@marthas.4456]

She was/is a faithful servant of the elite.

[@bunkerbill]

Well in regards to that intial pitch, it looks unbelievable in hindsight.

[@tonychuter4830]

You can change the munckey but the organ grinder always stays the same...

[@anthonytriff9167]

Never put your hand up for karaoke if you can't finish the song. She grabbed the mic....

[@5hineepropertyofleetaemin]

That was an interesting and very sympathetic peice.

[@hobdecj]

Her legacy is being so awful we’ve reassessed our view of two party politics and decided it doesn’t work.

[@jbirdnelson3818]

The thumbnail pic made me think there were cracks in me phone...

[@Kwippy]

"Every nation has the government it deserves" Blame her all you want but every voter shares the blame for the current mess.

[@Don-lw4cb]

An abysmal prime minister and atrocious home secretary and that's being very kind and polite.

[@Void-uj7jd]

"legacy" hahahaha?

[@Void-uj7jd]

@Daniel Roig Ok?

[@jasonwilkes8821]

@Daniel Roig The Falklands never belonged to Argentina, and 99.8% voted to remain with the UK.

[@jasonwilkes8821]

@Daniel Roig Are you mentally deficient? Or perhaps you just like to dismiss facts in favour of "yeah well I don't believe you". On the subject of Northern Ireland, I really don't give a shit, and bringing that up just proves how little you know about the subject at hand and how you would rather alter the main point.

[@raziel3726]

Should have delivered on the referendum result!!

[@gabrieleregazzi3489]

the music is straight out of dark souls, exactly that music.

[@MarkWright1963]

The woman was a traitorous Trollop

[@mrminecraft6172]

Worse prime minister EVER! And i never thought i would say this but Edward Heath could of done a better job then her! And im a Harold Wilson supporter!

[@NaughtyusMaximus]

Listen to the wanky music what a puff piece !

[@2Sugarbears]

It limped badly.

[@ChristianIce]

It's a sad story, the strings kinda fit. Yet, Benny Hill music would fit better.

[@cecilevans9247]

What a piece of journalism. Well done.

[@jeffreytay466]

What lies !

[@dez2950]

To be honest, I no longer feel a bit bad after how many FRICKING TIMES did she mess up brexit? Like BRUHHH!!!

[@tdoggy8378]

What is the music at the start called?

[@sociobiologist5141]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqOQooSQmbNro9U - Zoe Keating - The Path.

[@michaelwhite8031]

What a load of rubish

[@theantilifeequation8150]

Maybe the worst PM in modern history!

[@husseyni244]

David Cameron says hi.

[@AarenJable]

Anthony Eden would like a word with you

[@theantilifeequation8150]

Her levels of pure incompetence put her worse than either Cameron or Eden, even worse than Chamberlain! As she's been completely ineffective!

[@theantilifeequation8150]

@Jimmy Green What Blair did going into the Iraq war was worse, but many of his domestic policies were a success. On the other hand May has been completely ineffectual, I have never seen this level of incompetence in a PM! To be so bitterly ousted by you're own party after such a short term is unbelievable. She has failed on Brexit, the NHS, the police, the Windrush scandal you name it and she has completely failed at it, she may well cry, she's been bloody useless!

[@theantilifeequation8150]

@Jimmy Green well technically George Bush is a mass murderer it was his government and Intel that started the Iraq war do you honestly think Britain would have gone in by itself? The other members of the "coalition" simply went in to carry favour with the Americans, something we should not have done! I was against it at the time and still think it was a terrible decision. But my comments on May are about the fact that she failed at everything she is certainly the most ineffectual PM in modern history, which to me means worst! Ps we shouldn't have gone into Iraq but Bush was adimant and even if the Americans went in unilaterally the same thing would have happened they didn't need us!

[@_lux_w23_5]

Truley inspirational pm

[@bookie5667]

What did she inspire in you?

[@WalkwithRoberto]

What's the name of the background song playing?

[@alexatanasof951]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqOQooSQmbNro9U

[@sociobiologist5141]

@@alexatanasof951 Thank you so much - i've been trying to find this for ages.

[@richardclark6858]

An arrogant duplicitous woman.

[@Paul_C]

And she's crying? Because she fucked up every she laid her hands on? What the hell is going on in British politics...

[@fenderek666]

She wasn’t shy to call me a “citizen of nowhere”, after I lived here for 20 years. Good riddance. Politics is an art of talking. If she couldn’t do it, she should have stuck to fields of wheat

[@pigknickers2975]

Her legacy really is that of being the worst premier ever. Possibly even destroyed the Tory Party. Staggeringly bad.

[@thembanitheone]

That's actually not a bad strategy...in hindsight at least

[@thembanitheone]

Nelson Mandela was a listen first talk last type of chairperson as well... but he made a lit of progress with reforms.

[@thembanitheone]

Not enough hours in the day 😂

[@thembanitheone]

Yes!!!

[@bangtidybird8284]

Her legacy is that she was good at lying

[@gleeart]

Don't forget she worked behind D. Davis' back, her own brexit minister, more should've been made of that. How long would a company ceo last in post working behind the backs of the directors?.

[@dianamincher6479]

With respect, 14 million children below the bread line?

[@polytv123]

how did they stretch this to 10 minutes????

[@petersz98]

The Maybot has been terminated!

[@Bienveillance-oo5bw]

What’s the soundtrack for this?

[@sociobiologist5141]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqOQooSQmbNro9U - Zoe Keating - The Path.

[@philjohnson3526]

Just one question: What have you done with Sergei and Yulia Skripal, Mrs. May?

[@Steve-bo6ht]

Good question

[@Derpaherpa123]

the fuck are you talking about