Economy, negotiation solid present trends decision to withdraw from the paris climate. Change agreement. This is 90 minutes. Tonight, the Prime Minister theresa Prime Minister theresa make him a leader the conservative party in the leader of the labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, welcome to question time. Over the next 90 minutes, the leaders of the two larger parties are going to be quizzed by our audience here in new york. The audience is made up like this, just a third say they intend to vote conservative next week. The same number say the rest support other parties and make up their minds. You can comment on all of these either on twitter but alsosu facebook as usual and 3981. Press the button. The leaders, just as important, dont know the questions. Conserre going to be put to them tonight. First, to face her audience, please welcome the leader of the conservative party, the Prime Minister, theresa may. [applause] thank you. [applause] thank you. Is good evening. The first question comes from abigail e. Top. Why should the public believe anything you say or policieses that have a known track record of broken promises and back tracking your time as home secretary and now Prime Minister. Cloud by thank you, abigail. First of all, good evening tove. Everyone in thank you for being an audience tonight, which is an important part of the Election Campaign. Let me tell you about the things i did as home secretary. I said that i would ensure we were dealing with extremist hate speeches and i excluded more than any home secretary before me. I said i would do something about stopping the search because i dont make anyone should be stopped and searched on the streets of our country. I said i would be tough on crime and i said i would ensure our police and Security Services have the powers they need to be able to do their job. I gave them those in the legislation that i brought through. And i made sure that they kept the records of criminals and terrorists in the dna database and i dont think thats a good idea because that helps us catc] criminals. So no backtracking. Broken p [applause] what were you thinking of . Well, you have backtracked as Prime Minister. You backtracked when he became leader of the conservative and immediately Prime Minister after the e. U. Referendum. He said he would call an election and you did and then you are calling an election refusing to take part in debate, refusing to ask people questions, refusing to talk to Jeremy Corbyn and you backtracked on your social policy in your entire manifesto has holes in it. And when asked if they thought. [applause] well, first of all first of all, can i say im not worth using to take place in debates because inherent in questions for me this evening and thats what i think is important in an Election Campaign is notpo politicians arguing each other, but actually listening and taking questions from voters. You mentioned about saying ig wouldnt hold an election and now holding one. Youre right. We need a period of stability when i became Prime Minister. What became clear to me when we went to the article xv process that the European Union to respect the will of the british people with other parties wanted to frustrate those negotiations and wanted to frustrate outlet for people that have been expressed in a referendum vote. It wouldve been easier. It could have sent an Prime Minister another couple of years. Why dont i just cant hang on in the job. But i didnt do that. I call an election because brexit. I was going to do that because i think its an important moment for our country. Weve got to get this right. If we get it right, im optimistic for the british people because i believe in the british people, but we need to get a right. [applause] yes, the women there. Who was it that contested here . Labor has clearly issued it clearly issued a with article l being passed beside the lib dems have said they would like another referendum. I dont understand who has contested your leadership prei5 brexit. I was important. It triggered the ability for us to start these negotiations and those negotiations, by the way, start 11 days after election day next week. Whoever comes in as primee minister, whoever comes in this government has got to be ready to get the ball rolling and start those negotiations straight away. It was clear through discussions we had around that time that the other parties did want too frustrate us. You talk about liberal democrats. We have a situation at the moment where it Jeremy Corbyne was to get into number 10 he would be propped up by the liberal democrats and scottish nationalists. You have diane abbott around the cabinet table, Don Macdonald is a marxist, Nicola Sturgeon wants to break our country up and take us back into the e. U. The direct opposite of what the british people want. [applause] that being said, primewoul minister, one of the things i would like to know a secretly do you really regret calling this election . Ion, n now the polls have moved against you. But a tory, but you must feel a little bit of remorse, no . Now, ive been in politics quite a long time and ivehave w always had the only poll that matters is the one takes place on polling day. I think the british people when they are voting, people here and people watching and others have a very simple choice about who do you trust to have that leadership to take us to get the best deal, brexit in europe and whos got the will and the vision not just to take us through and get on with the job of delivering brexit, but take us beyond and build a Better Future for this country. We surprised theyve gone from a lead of 20 when you called the election . I never surprised. I am never surprised that things that happen during election time because the only poll i look at is the one that takes place on election day. All right. You, sir. You called the election for your own political gain. Nothing for your own political gain. No its not, sir. I say to you is that you said, it would have been the easiest thing in the world for me havinn become Prime Minister after the referendum when David Cameron t designed to save the next election is not 20 johnny. I enjoy doing this job. Fo in this job, i do what i believe is the best for britain. I couldve stayed doing on the job for another couple of years. Said the good of the conservative Party Company called a general election for the good of the country and its going to backfire. [applause] no, i called the general election because i believe thehe british people have a right to vote and say what they want to see leading them through the negotiations. I believe they should have a dirt who has been absolutely resolute determination to respect for their well. I party is the only party that will respect the will of the british people, get on with the job and deliver a successful brexit. [applause]om one more point from you. I think it is a very different thing to debate a studio audience as they debated the other leaders. Theres been a lot of debating through the media. Would it not give a more interesting debate how do you say these things facetoface to the other theaters and speak that way about policy than true tv and true journalists. [applause] may i i think Election Campaign should be about getting out ande about answering questions from voters, meeting people, talking to people across the u. K. In a whole variety of circumstances. E im afraid i think actually having the interaction with voters is more useful. Anybody who wants to be Prime Minister should be out and about listening to what people are thinking. I dont think seven politicians arguing amongst themselves is actually that interesting orpp that revealing. I want to go on because we talked about the election. Good evening. Tter t no deal would be better than a deal. Im confident we can get a good deal with the right plan for those negotiations because i think a good deal is in our interest in the interest of the rest of the e. U. We have to be prepared to stand up for britain. We have to be prepared to go in there, recognizing we are not willing to accept. People are very confused pretty top of the times about ideals. Explaining your mind will be a bad deal. Ia on the one hand, david, youve got politicians in europe, some of whom are punishing the u. K. For leaving the e. U. What they want to see in terms of that punishment would be at n bad deal. Secondly, politicians here in the United Kingdom who seem to be willing to accept any deal would ever do is just for the sake of getting a deal. The danger is they be expecting the worst possible deal at the highest possible price. [applause] at evening. You always say you want to search for people in britain,wh but the transfer was started by 90 . How is the whole country just 52 backed the brexit. The first thing i would say as i go around and talk to people, individuals, business representatives and others, i find that actually the glacial majority of opinion here in the u. K. Now the decision was taken, the public was given theire choice, they chose to leave theh European Union. Both have a government that gets on with it and delivers a gooddn deal. How i would respond for all those who voted to remain and i voted to remain in effect now we must make sure we get the negotiations right. We get the good free trade agreement, continued cooperation of a deep and special partnership with the e. U. , but also take this opportunity ofcan brexit, new trade deals around the rest of the world, seeing how we can build a more prosperous, stronger and fairer. We can do that because i believa in britain and i believe in the british people. [applause] just over a year ago when you were a remain are an David Cameron got this wrong and resigned. Otd you got it wrong and remade to become Prime Minister. He said remaining in tied to European Union makes us more prosperous. Yesterday you said brexit makes us more prosperous. Where you had on this . I set up very carefully before the referendum but i the. Believe that balance we should stay in the e. U. I also said the sky will not fall in if we leave the e. U. But then happen is the british people would have been the choice. T parliament decided to say its your choice. They chose bishop leave the e. U. Weve got to make sure that we can actually use the opportunity that, from brexit. Fundamentally, the thing that i think matters the most in the most indians has been willing to deliver on the will of the people. Not saying you got it wrong, lets have a second referendum,m they saying you voted, youve chosen, you want a governmentsa thats going to do it for you. If you voted for Brexit Community together but the government who will actually deliver it for you. But the people who chose made the wrong choice. Out . And then you said they will get if they stay. If they leave they will be poorer. Can you honestly say theres no difference will get richer by leaving the same as if we done if we wouldve remained or is there going to be a price to pay. It is at the time their advantages in the e. U. , that now what i believe we must do is deliver on the will of the people, but also make sure we make success of it what im doing the same of kindness opportunities that will enable us to be more prosperous in the future. Too much of me. E. The man of there. Good evening. Is increasingly likely we will have to pay the speculated anything between nothing to 100 million. Could you quantify and billions of pounds what is a good deal . Well, i am not going to give you a figure im not for two al reasons. First of all because we need to go through very carefully whether as part of theotiati negotiation, what rights and obligations the United Kingdomne has. Secondly, if i gave you a figure tonight if i am Prime Minister [applause] it is better money hes spending. Its all of our money, taxpayers could you dont go into negotiating say nothing i want out of this is ask because you can bet your Bottom Dollar the other side will make sure you dont. You think youll have to agree before they talk about trade and all the rest of it . Theyve been very clear as has the e. U. Recognizing we need to negotiate the relationship with them, which will be aboutio trade, but about other things, too. Cooperation on security and criminal justice. They want to start off by talking about the bill. I want the early discussions to be about reciprocal arrangement for u. K. Citizens. They havent said we cant negotiate the trade deal until weve agreed to build. We need to make sufficient progress and with several of them said is we need to get the trade deal quickly. One in the very back. You said you think you can negotiate a good deal, but do you think you have any real leverage of brussels . Well, yes i do. One of the reasons we can negotiate a good deal is because actually it could deal in trade terms is not just a benefit to the u. K. It is a benefit to their many businesses remaining in the European Union. It isnt just about us. If thats the relationship that matters to them as well as that matters to us. You over here on the right. The comment about the miscalculations he made a few minutes ago. Philip hammond, the chancellor of the exchequer got 20 billion a few weeks ago. [applause] well, what i will say is this. As i said earlier on comment diane abbott wants to be home secretary and she wants to wipe the records of criminals and terrorists from the dna database. That would mean they could catch fewer criminals and fewer terrorists. [applause] talk about brexit. 48 i think a 52 to 40 , you lack the confidence asking one right time because the voting was so in the middle. I think nigel farage and a big mass. And boris johnson, replaced with 350 million. Even people who voted out, perhaps they should be given the confidence to say, shall we have another vote . M can i just put it like this . Over the years in the European Union and its the European Economic community, there have been a number of occasions forla referendums have been held in countries. Northern ireland, frances example as well but they voted against what the e. U. By suggesting and basically the bureaucrats in the e. U. Turned around to those countries and said she got it wrong. Have another vote. We want you to come up with the right answer. You can come back in a minute. At that time, people here in the u. K. Said you know what, that is not the way to behave. The people have given their choice. Lets listen to the people and actually deliver on it. Om. [applause] you were given the right information to choose from. You, sir. Earlier this week he said he wanted the people of britain to trust you with regards to train for and winning the election. O how can the people trust you when your manifesto is not given the detailed figures are what you propose to do with all the things in government . [applause] well, what my manifesto youre right i use that word tries. Thats the politicians when we go out and asked people to vote for us, we are asking people to trust us and the role we are being want to be voted into. If i look at our manifesto, what our manifesto has done is to be open with people about the great challenges that we believe this country faces enemies to be addressed by whoever is in government. Weve been open about that. Ive also been opened that there will be some hard choices to be made in addressing those various challenges. You talk about the figures in our manifesto. Of course, we are to have budgets that are being sent out in the autumn statement as government and in the Spring Budget and weve added some figures in various areas like extra funding on the nhs and schools in the manifesto. I think it is important that the next government should set out for people the really big issuev that are going to have to be addressed by whoever is in government and those are in our manifesto. The one thing that was missing from your manifesto in thing to cause a panic in the conservative party is the figures on what happens to people who have to fund their care in old age. We have a question about it from derek are thin. The you kind of spend your whole life obviously working hard to build up a nest egg and have a nice little pensions savings that you can be comfortable inin your late life if you retire. But its all going to be taken away from you again. Essentially why should you even other in the first place . A reminder that your manifesto said 100,000 pounds is all youll be left with. To figure you are left with his 23,000 pounds so we are quadrupling. I thought you change that. I thought youd have an upper limit. Thats the floor. You didnt mention the cat. He didnt mention the manifesto. That the point. [inaudible] [applause] if we look at the situation at the moment, if you need care, then he took up more than 23,000 pounds in savings, you have to pay for that care. The value of your house will be taken into account. It is today that we see people having to sell their house iny order to pay those bills. What we say if the system would introduce, which is important because we need a sustainable system for the future given the aging population. If we do nothing we say that we will ensure that people are able to protect more of their savings, the 100,000 pounds. They will also not have to sell the house during a lifetime toll pay for the bills. I also wanted a system that was fair across the generations and they believe this is, too. We consult on the details. After i manifesto was published and i sat out one of the details, the aspects that wouldve been in consultation, which is about having a cap on that level. You can protect 100,000 and will consult on what would be the cop. Is rather important for people. Whether you get rid of half a million or 250,000. And then you suddenly said there will be a cat that we wont charge you more. We set out the principles in our manifesto is which are the