May speak of "pride and disappointment" as Prime Minister

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Theresa May told the BBC that she will feel a "mixture of pride and disappointment" when she leaves Downing Street in 12 days.

In her last televised interview with political editor Laura Kuenssberg, the prime minister spoke of "frustration" at not having understood the Brexit and underestimating how much the deputies were "entrenched".

She said that she had achieved "tremendously" in three years of work.

But she regretted having to leave when "there was more than I wanted to do".

Ms. May and her husband Philip will leave Downing Street on July 24. Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt took over as Prime Minister.

She was forced to announce her release in May, amid a revolt by conservative MPs angry at her failure to pull the UK out of the EU on March 29 and her decision to go ahead. Open negotiations on Brexit with the Labor Party.

Interviewed in 10 Downing Street, Ms. May stated that she "did not recognize herself" in the criticisms made against her personality and leadership.

But, although she had to leave earlier than she would have liked, she insisted that she had been the "right person" for the job and was "extremely proud of "what she had accomplished.

When asked if she could have done more to convince MEPs to support her agreement on Brexit with the EU – which they rejected three times – she replied: "We could always look back and say: "If I had sat down and if I had talked to people more often."

Ms. May incorrectly stated that she had mistakenly badumed that MPs would be "keen to put Brexit on the list".

"In fact, I think there is a big difference between Parliament and the public," she said. "I think the public has a very simple point of view, a decision has been made – let's move on – and they are not as polarized as Parliament on this issue."

It was "incredibly frustrating," she said, as deputies on both sides of the "leave-to-stay" division were so entrenched that they were simply not willing to make that compromise that would allow us to get the majority to get it. through".

Ms. May would not want to know if she was considering replacing Mr. Hunt or Mr. Johnson, simply saying "that they understand the responsibility that this work entails".

While wishing good luck to her successor, she added that she would continue to badert that it was essential to leave the EU "with a good agreement".

And she called for more discipline within the government after years of political leaks and disagreements in her cabinet: "Good government depends on collective responsibility and must come back."

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During the interview, Ms. May spoke about life on Downing Street and emotional tensions at work, recalling the "chilling" moment she had been told about the bombing of Manchester Arena in 2017.

She said that she did not regret having organized a quick general election in the same year, during which she lost her majority in the House of Commons.

But Ms. May acknowledged that she had made mistakes during the campaign, including not participating in a televised debate with other party leaders, in place of the Minister of the Interior. time, Amber Rudd.

"I regret running a campaign that was not really me," she said. "There are other things – I think I probably should have participated in the televised debates."

May, who will remain in Parliament as Maidenhead MP after leaving Downing Street, defended her economic record, saying unemployment was at an all-time low and austerity was coming to an end.

She also praised the progress made in combating some of the "glaring injustices" that she highlighted in her first speech after she became Prime Minister.

Ms. May said she was proud to "champion some causes that would not otherwise be out of fashion", such as the fight against modern slavery and domestic violence and support for mental health.

"Brexit has caught the attention of many people, but in reality, a lot of work has been done behind that."

She said she hoped her critics and supporters would feel that "in everything I've done, I've always done what I thought was in the national interest."

The winner of the Conservative leadership race – and the next prime minister – will be announced on July 23.

Mr. Hunt or Mr. Johnson will succeed Ms. May the next day.