Luke Pollard MP Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Commenting on the news that Theresa May announced she will step down as Prime Minister, Luke Pollard MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport said:
“Theresa May will go down as one of the worst Prime Ministers in British history. She leaves our country more divided, more disillusioned and with a greater gap between the wealthy few and the struggling many.
“She will be remembered for being weak and shambolic on Brexit but her legacy is even worse. There are more children in poverty, more pensions in poverty, more people in work in poverty, more people using food banks, more people sleeping rough on our streets and a country where crime is rising and police numbers falling.
“She inherited a mess from David Cameron who hadn’t done any preparation for Leave winning the referendum but we are in an even bigger mess now after Theresa May’s premiership.
“A new Tory leader will not change the fact that the government does not have a Parliamentary majority, they can’t get any legislation through Parliament and they are deeply divided over Brexit. Brexit is a mess and whether it is Theresa May or anyone else, the only way to break the Brexit deadlock is to hold a public vote.
“The South West has not fared well under Theresa May. She’s kept Chris Grayling in office who’s delayed and delayed urgently needed rail investment at Dawlish. She has defended poor school funding that leaves our kids worth £300 less than the national average and for last three years we have been fighting cuts to our City’s armed forces. We won most of those fights but she sold HMS Ocean to Brazil and broke the promise to build a new superbase for the Royal Marines in Plymouth.
“Few will be sad to see her go but we now have the risk of a more right wing leader which means more austerity and more cuts to our vital public services in Plymouth. We are in the middle of a national political crisis and I fear it will continue to get worse with this government fighting like cats in a sack putting their personal ambitions ahead of the needs of the country.”