Theresa May, Coughing and Caught by a Prankster, Endures a Speech to Forget
Certainly, there was support from activists outside the hall, including one party member, Joe Porter, who said
that Mrs. May’s determination to finish her speech illustrated her “professionalism,” adding, “We are all human beings; we all get coughs.”
Another party member, Enoch Manto Lieu, said that the episode might help humanize Mrs. May, who has
been mocked by critics as “Maybot,” a reference to her robotic, scripted answers to questions.
Spare a thought for those of us still to deliver our conference speech and now fretting about all the things that could go wrong #SNP17
Professor Bale said that it was possible that, should Mrs. May keep her job for longer than expected, she might manage
to revive her image — as Mr. Corbyn did after struggling for a significant time after he won his party’s leadership.
“Before the speech, most people would have bet on her coming out of the conference season alive, although the sharks were already circling,”
said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, referring to potential rivals for Mrs. May’s job.
The Conservative Party conference in Manchester was the first since Mrs. May gambled by calling
a general election in June, a political blunder that cost her party its majority.
A prankster hands Prime Minister Theresa May a job dismissal notice during her speech a the Conservative Party’s annual conference.
MANCHESTER, England — Just when Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain needed a rousing, commanding
speech to restore authority over her warring Conservative Party, she endured a nightmare.