Theresa Might Says She’s Woke And Has At all times Supported Immigration

Theresa Might has simply made a collection of peculiar claims about her political stance which don’t fairly match up together with her historical past.

The previous prime minister – who remains to be a Tory backbencher – has been talking to interviewers to advertise her new ebook, The Abuse of Energy, and has been revisiting her time in No.10 within the course of.

In a dialogue with the previous chief of the Scottish Conservative Get together, Ruth Davidson for Occasions Radio, Might was requested if she was, actually, “woke and proud”.

She stated: “I’m, yeah!”

She laughed, including: “It’s a bit like being requested within the previous days, was I a feminist? Properly, I wore a t-shirt which stated ‘That is what a feminist appears to be like like…’”

The ex-prime minister did recognise how the phrase has been politicised, although, saying she was woke “within the phrases of that definition of someone who recognises that discrimination takes place.”

She added: “Sadly, that time period has come for use… as a part of this absolutism and polarisation of politics.”

Woke has develop into a dogwhistle phrase to criticise progressive, and often left-wing, politics.

As an illustration, present house secretary Suella Braverman not too long ago slammed some police officer for supposedly being too “woke” and taking the knee through the Black Lives Matter protests.

And final October, she blamed the “Guardian-reading, tofu-eating, wokerati” for the disruptive environmental protests.

Might does have some progressive credentials. In any case, she arrange the primary ever Race Disparity Audit in 2017, and has repeatedly criticised Braverman’s unlawful migration invoice.

However, one in every of her first acts as house secretary was to make sure public our bodies not needed to attempt to actively cut back inequality.

In 2011, she informed the Sunday Telegraph she “personally” thought the Human Rights Act had induced issues within the UK.

In 2016, she instructed the UK ought to depart the European Conference of Human Rights altogether.

And, throughout her Occasions Radio interview, Might launched into immigration insurance policies, claiming those that “really feel most” in regards to the difficulty see the “least migration of their communities”.

The Tory MP for Maidenhead famous: “I imply, you take a look at someplace like London, which is vastly numerous and it’s not the problem in London that it could be in another components of the nation.”

Seemingly forgetting that she imposed the “hostile surroundings” coverage throughout her days as house secretary, Might claimed: “I’ve at all times stated that immigration has been good for the nation.”

She continued: “However we really want to make sure that fewer individuals really feel the necessity to migrate to Western international locations just like the UK.

“And that’s about worldwide growth cash.

“It’s about how we assist international locations develop their very own economies. It’s about how we cope with local weather change, which is able to exacerbate migration.”

Might’s tightening of immigration restrictions was one of the vital distinguished insurance policies she applied whereas within the house workplace.

She rejected the EU’s proposed obligatory quota of refugees as house secretary – claiming it was key to assist individuals in war-torn international locations, however not the not the ones “who’re sturdy and wealthy sufficient to come back to Europe”.

In 2015, she stated it was “unattainable to construct a cohesive society” the place there’s a excessive fee of immigration.

In 2016, she made the minimal wage for immigrations who’ve lived within the UK for 5 years to £35,000 in the event that they needed to remain right here.

And, as PM, she vowed to carry the web migration ranges right down to lower than 100,000.

Nonetheless, she appears to be altering her tune not too long ago.

May additionally informed LBC this week that her hostile surroundings coverage was a mistake, saying it was meant for individuals who got here right here illegally – not for individuals who had a proper to remain within the UK, apparently alluding to the Windrush Scandal.