No Regrets Over Snap Election Call And No Error Of Judgment On Care Policy - May

No Regrets Over Snap Election Call And No Error Of Judgment On Care Policy - May

Theresa May has insisted she has no regrets about calling a snap election despite plummeting poll ratings.

The Prime Minister denied she had made an error of judgment over controversial social care reforms and claimed the choice facing voters had not changed since the campaign was launched.

A shock poll put Mrs May on course to lose on June 8 and others have suggested her lead over Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has plummeted to single figures following the plans to change the way people are charged for care.

Asked if she regretted calling the election, Mrs May told ITV News: "No. The only poll that matters is the one that takes place on June 8, and when June 8 comes the choice that people will have is actually the same as it was at the beginning of the campaign."

The Press Association’s poll of polls, a seven-day rolling average of all published polls, puts the Conservatives on 44% and Labour on 35%.

Mrs May was accused of U-turning after announcing that a cap would be included in social care reforms after a weekend of negative headlines following the launch of the Conservative Party's manifesto.

Pressed on whether it had been a massive error of judgment not to have included details of a cap from the outset, she replied: "No. What we did in our manifesto was set out some key principles about a new social care policy which would mean that, unlike today, people wouldn't have to sell their homes in their lifetimes in order to pay their care bills, that there would be a higher level of savings that they could pass on to their families - £100,000 rather than £23,000 - and that those were the key principles because we want a long-term sustainable policy that actually is fair across the generations."

Mrs May denied the move means Brussels negotiators would view her now as someone who was willing to change her mind.

"No, what the people in Brussels will be looking at is how I have negotiated with them in the past where I have gone with a clear remit from the UK when I was home secretary and I came back with what I asked for," she said.

Mrs May faced tough questioning from workers at Cross Manufacturing in Bath, who pressed her on Brexit, school funding, homelessness and the NHS.

One worker quizzed Mrs May three times on the impact quitting the EU will have on the company.

When the Prime Minister insisted the Government was looking at a number of solutions for a "frictionless border", she was told: "I'm sure it's possible but it is going to be at a cost to companies like Cross.

"There are a lot of things that are obviously in your plan to do that are maybe very good but they will come at a cost to companies like Cross to implement and adhere to to achieve the same sort of frictionless movement we enjoy at the moment.

"So, that was what my question was about, how is the Government going to make sure companies like Cross are not disadvantaged in the process of reaching that agreement?"

Mrs May said: "We will be working with industry, with businesses, across the different sectors to see how we can best do this in a way that is going to cause least disruption and least impact on companies."

Another worker grilled Mrs May twice on the "crisis" in the NHS.

"There is absolutely no suggestion of the privatisation of the health service," the premier insisted.

"We believe in a National Health Service that is free at the point of use."

Other workers at the factory told the PM a headmaster in Chippenham had written to parents to explain the impact of government cuts on schools while another revealed a Tory MP had failed to give a "satisfactory" answer on how the Government would tackle homelessness.

Outside the event, around 30 protesters dressed in costumes chanted "Tories out".

Earlier, Mrs May visited the Bath Show where she ate some cheese and chatted to young farmers.

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