Theresa May has 'no regrets' about 'fantastic' time as Prime Minister
30 September 2019, 17:49
Former prime minister Theresa May said she had a "fantastic" time at No 10 and has "no regrets" about her premiership.
The MP for Maidenhead told an audience at Henley Literature Festival that her only regret was her parents not seeing her become prime minister but she hoped they would be "proud".
Mrs May's mother and father died when she was in her early twenties and "didn't even live to see [her] become a local councillor, let alone PM," she told Olympic rower Katherine Grainger in an on-stage interview.
The former PM discussed several aspects of her life in the conversation, during which she revealed she was "thinking" of writing a memoir.
Writing a memoir is not something Theresa May is rushing to do. Did she keep diaries? “there honestly wasn’t time!” #TheresaMayHLF pic.twitter.com/TMmTEeBMlw
— Henley Literary Fest (@HenleyLitFest) September 30, 2019
She said: "It has been suggested to me that people involved in significant events should write about them so historians can look back and see what those who were at the centre of events were thinking, why they took decisions and so forth."
However, she added she was not "rushing" to get it done and there "wasn't time" to keep a diary during her time in office.
Mrs May also admitted to not reading David Cameron's recently published book, saying she "genuinely does not read political books."
She added: "I probably shouldn't admit to this, but I would rather sit down with a good thriller or a detective book rather than read a political memoir."
When asked specifically about having any regrets, she replied: "No I don't think so. I have had a fantastic time. I'm still carrying on as a Member of Parliament."
The former PM rules out writing fiction, saying she’ll leave that to Anne Widdecombe & Edwina Currie - when Katherine Grainger pushes, Mrs May suggests a rowing detective on the Thames! #TheresaMayHLF #HLF2019 pic.twitter.com/a0TAqvTnzh
— Henley Literary Fest (@HenleyLitFest) September 30, 2019
Her advice to future women looking at politics as a career was to be yourself and not to try and follow a stereotype.
The former leader discussed her favourite literary villains with the Olympian, saying Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series and Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes were among her favourites.
She said: "They are proper villains. I think it's good when you have a villain who you know is a villain."
When quizzed upon her selection of Sir Geoffrey Boycott in her resignation honours list, she did not say she would change her mind.
She said: "I put my honours list together believing I put people who I thought was appropriate to have honoured in that way."
The former cricketer was convicted in 1998 of beating his then girlfriend - a charge he has always denied.
