Tory Grandee Tells LBC: Theresa May's Tears "Incidental"

25 May 2019, 17:08

Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine told LBC that Theresa May's tears were "incidental" as she announced the date for her resignation.

The Prime Minister said that she would stand down on June 7th in a speech outside 10 Downing Street, but Tory grandee Lord Heseltine described her tears as "incidental".

Speaking to Matt Frei on LBC, Lord Heseltine said there was "no surprise" to her announcement, as Mrs May's resignation had become expected over the past few months.

"This is not a matter of personal emotion or sympathy, we're talking about the transcending issue of our time and we have to face the continuing uncertainty that has paralysed the county since the referendum result," he said.

But asked whether he felt any sympathy for the outgoing Prime Minister, the Tory peer said: "This was obviously a deeply personal problem for her, and you can't avoid understanding that feeling in somebody else.

"I try to be honest, and if you say to me am I going to suddenly going to become tied up in trying to find the language to sympathise with the lady who sacked me on two occasions."

Matt said: "That's a no then?"

Lord Heseltine replied: "I understand the human trauma she went through, of course one does, but she had to go, she had lost authority.

"And so the human tears surrounding the event are of course provoke a sadness that you can understand but it's incidental in the tragedy facing this country."

Listen in the video at the top of the page.