News about Theresa May

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: There's no sugar-coating it. The local election results were a painful and profoundly dispiriting experience for the Conservatives . They expected a thumping, and they most certainly got one. More than 400 councillors unseated, control of eight authorities lost and a near-record drubbing in the Blackpool South by-election showed the Himalayan scale of the mountain they must climb to avoid being wiped out in the general election. Yes, there were crumbs of comfort. The hugely impressive Ben Houchen retained the Tees Valley mayoralty, and Labour failed to win Harlow council in Essex, contrary to expectations. But these victories had a distinctly pyrrhic feel. The overall message was that the Tories remain firmly in the electoral doghouse.

Princess Anne, 73, travelled to Paddington train station with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, a member of the GWR Advisory Board. Anne looked regal as she sported a grey button-up blazer with a matching maxi skirt and a pair of leather boots. She put her best fashion foot forward and gave her outfit a pop of colour with a turquoise blouse, black gloves and a matching bag. The crowd applauded Anne as she unveiled the curtain to show the new Great Western Rail train that read: 'HRH The Princess Royal' on the side (inset). Speaking on the stage before the unveiling, she said: 'Thank you very much indeed for this honour, it's much appreciated.'

Queen Camilla revealed King Charles was 'thrilled' to return to royal duties this week and joked that she had been 'trying to hold him back' during his cancer treatment. The Queen (left), 76, spoke about the monarch's dedication to his work' during her reception at Buckingham Palace to relaunch the Wash Bags Project today.  The monarch, 75, returned to public duties yesterday after doctors said they were pleased with his progress following cancer diagnosis in February. On Tuesday, Charles (right), who has been a patron of Macmillan Cancer Support for over 20 years, made a trip to the London treatment centre (inset). Speaking to Teresa Tideman, chairman of In Kind Direct, the Queen said today: 'I think he was really thrilled to be out.'

Queen Camilla was joined by Theresa May, Cherie Blair and Carrie Johnson as she relaunched the Wash Bags Project at Buckingham Palace today (right inset). The royal, 76, first launched the initiative, which provides toiletries to victims of sexual abuse, back in 2013.  For the occasion, the Queen opted for an elegant blue collared dress, black suede heels and her a green Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet. During the reception, Camilla said she was inspired to start the project after speaking with rape and sexual abuse survivors during her visits to the Sexual Assault Referral Centres from 2009 onwards. The bags - which are donated by Boots - are offered at the centres after victims undergo forensic examination, as a small gesture of comfort during a difficult time. The Queen was pictured deep in conversation with Cherie Blair (left), 69, who founded her own foundation to help get women into business in 2008. Meanwhile, Camilla was also pictured seen happily chatting with Theresa May (right), who served as the UK's second female Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019. Earlier in the afternoon, Carrie Johnson (centre) shared a joke about motherhood with Queen Camilla as she was warmly greeted by the royal at a Buckingham Palace reception.

Former EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker smoked so heavily during Brexit talks with Theresa May that she lost her voice, a new book has revealed. The Luxembourgish politician, who was president of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019, is claimed to have chain-smoked his way through crunch meetings. His fondness for 'strong continental cigarettes' is said to have 'played havoc' with Mrs May's throat. The ex-PM was then left croaking when she went on to address MPs in the House of Commons shortly after her smoky encounters with Mr Juncker. The details of Mr Juncker and Mrs May's talks have been revealed in 'No Way Out', the latest book written by Sunday Times political commentator Tim Shipman.

Sir Jeffrey (left) faces 11 charges including one of rape, one of committing an act of gross indecency and nine of indecent assault on dates between 1985 and 2006. The offences relate to two alleged victims. His wife, Eleanor Mary Elizabeth Donaldson (right), 58, of Dromore, faces charges of aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences.

The 61-year-old politician, who is Northern Ireland 's longest-serving MP, was arrested and charged in relation to historical sexual allegations at the end of March.Dressed in a grey suit and wearing a blue tie, Sir Jeffrey did not speak as he arrived at the court accompanied by his solicitor on Wednesday. Police officers attempted to keep the roadway clear during the large media scrum for his arrival. A 58-year-old woman has been charged with aiding and abetting additional offences in relation to the same police investigation.

The Government first promised to send Channel migrants to Rwanda as part of a 'world-leading' partnership with the African country more than two years ago. But, despite being backed by all three Tory PMs who have occupied Downing Street since 2022, the multi-million pound scheme is still yet to get off the ground. It has been bogged down in legal challenges and parliamentary wrangling, with plenty of Westminster drama along the way. Here's the full story of the Rwanda ordeal for ministers...

Nathan Cofnas, an early career research fellow in the Faculty of Philosophy, has had his relationship with Emmanuel College ended following an investigation into his conduct. Mr Cofnas came under fire in February after he published a blog post which claimed the number of black professors at Harvard would 'approach zero' in a meritocracy, and that 'Blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment.' He also dismissed equality between people of different ethnicities as a 'thesis' that is 'based on lies'. The college's decision followed the philosopher stepping down from all student-facing duties, which included teaching and marking examinations, amid strengthening backlash.

After a calm-ish weekend during which I'd invited my team over to Chevening for a barbecue (Chequers was undergoing refurbishment), I was hit with news of turbulence in the Asian markets. There'd been no warning about an excessive market reaction from the Treasury - yet they'd known what would be in the mini-Budget. During the lead-up to the mini-Budget, both the Treasury and Kwasi himself had been talking regularly to Bank of England officials. I'd also laid out the vast majority of our plans in the Conservative leadership campaign.

I campaigned for Parliament in Hazel Grove, a North West constituency now clearly on the map thanks to one – William Wragg. He's the infamous 'honeytrap' MP at the forefront of a sexting scandal who posted pictures of his private parts with an anonymous individual he encountered on the gay dating website Grindr. If you do. Oh, and he then gave over the personal phone numbers of several MPs, Westminster workers, and journalists, fearing that his newfound Grindr pals would be exposed.

At Oxford University, a controversy has broken out over new policies that will prohibit politicians from serving as its new chancellor. At the weekend, a leaked email said that "members of legislatures or those engaged in politics" would be barred from entering the election. It sparked questions that applicants from former Tory MPs, such as Boris Johnson, and those who intend to stand down at the next election, such as Theresa May, were turned down.

Official estimates show that standing down will cost an average of £116,000 per MP. The sum includes staff redundancy, the cost of closing down an office, data destruction, and winding-up payments to MPs - akin to redundancy. Last year, the severance bill was doubled to more than £19,000, with MPs being paid for four months rather than two as they closed their office and monitor employee departures. Both MPs are eligible for the benefit if they vote in a general election.

At a locally owned discount store in Spalding, Lincolnshire, the chocolate giant, which maintains it has used the word 'East' in its marketing for more than 100 years, had a two-for-£10 sale on 'gesture eggs.' Christians who believe that "without the Easter news, there will be no reason for Easter eggs." The founders of Christian Concern, Andrea Williams, told MailOnline, "The original Cadbury family's when the company was founded were greatly inspired by their Christian faith and used the funds from their company to support charitable causes around the world.' 'It's a shame that they've forgotten their deep Christian roots'

JAMIE BLACKETT: I have a picture in my mind's eye that one part of North Wiltshire is interwoven by the Roman road, the Fosse Way, when anyone speaks about unspoilt English countryside. Both sides of the Fosse are covered in bats, and you've most likely seen the armies of several English civil wars pass by. These trees give the landscape a parkland feel, a savannah landscape stretching back to pre-history, but since the Enclosure Acts of the 18th and 19th centuries got rid of common land, it has been a patchwork of small fields bordered by thick hedges. Small family farms in the area are mainly due to a rich mosaic of pasture grazed by cattle and fields of cereals, converting from brown to gold and back again as they return to millenny as they approach millennia. Fields that are haunted by kestrels by day and barn owls by night.

Stephen Shrimpton, 40, died as the coach was driving on the northbound M53 in Wirral, Merseyside, on September 29 last year as he was taking his children to West Kirby and Calday Grange grammar schools. Jessica Baker, 15, one of around 50 people onboard, was killed in the crash just after 8 a.m. Mr Shrimpton's case had been dismissed as a natural cause of death, according to a spokeswoman for Liverpool Coroner's Office.

As she arrived at the service, Mrs May, 67, was clutching a light olive green handbag and wearing a maroon-coloured jumper and trousers as a light blue and white tartan scarf shielded her from the cold. As she stepped into the church with her groggy husband, Philip, who waved to photographers as they stepped in the cathedral, she was all smiles. It comes 24 hours after Mrs May announced that her 27 years in the Commons would come to an end after making a 'difficult decision' for her name not to appear on the ballot paper at the next election. She is one of a growing number of MPs who have chosen to leave the House of Commons by voluntary resignation.

It is only right to raise a salute when a former prime minister leaves the House of Commons. No matter how long or short a time, the occupancy of the high office is a significant undertaking. With Theresa May's resignation as an MP, propriety must therefore be observed. Let her stamina and a sense of duty be acknowledged. She has worked for her time, at the age of 67. However, public life isn't always straightforward. There is no way to stop a certain stench bomb from being produced. Lady May (as she should be officially addressed), was a dismal prime minister who left Downing Street after her husband Philip received a knighthood. She was right down in the reputational basement with Lord North (loss of the American colonies), Anthony Eden (Suez) and Liz Truss (economic meltdown). Thinking about her premiership fills one with sadness. Who can forget the drab agony of those days, the stagnation, the half-choked repetition of ' Brexit means Brexit' and 'strong and stable leadership' in that clucking-pheasant voice? She was both strong and stable as a leaky garbage. Our country has almost lost money.

Kate Kniveton, a Centrist MP, has barely slept in the past five years for anxiety over how to keep her only child safe. So much so that she spent "every single penny" to shield this 'good little soul' from her dramatically abused ex-husband, former Tory minister Andrew Griffiths. As her money ran out, family and friends stepped in to assist. Kate's legal bill now stands at £120,000, but, she says, she has "some peace" after the High Court found that Griffiths should be barred from seeing their children.

Network Rail announced plans to upgrade a 53-mile stretch of the Great Western Main Line between Didcot Parkway in Oxfordshire and Paddington. There will be no Elizabeth line trains west of Paddington until 7.40 a.m. on Sunday, and no services will operate into central London as a result of the changes. According to the Evening Standard, a number of the stations between Paddington and Maidenhead will be cut to only two trains an hour, and there will be fewer services operating after 10 p.m. Great Western Railway trains are also expected to be affected, but to a lesser extent.

DAVID BARRETT: James Cleverly will not be up for another immigrant crisis this morning. The Home Secretary is now facing calls to look at the stability of Britain's border controls at airports up and down the country, despite being tasked with solving two major problems - channel small boats and record net migration. Any airport that accepts private jets and chartered aircraft, as well as major hubs like Heathrow, could have glaring shortcomings in passport controls that were highlighted by the borders watchdog in the Mail today. The root of the issue is uncertain at this point, and it is likely that the severity of the condition is unclear.

Arm Holdings' emergence as a top-tech winner demonstrates that Britain is a natural innovator who can produce high-tech winners. Theresa May's government succumbed to the entreaties of Masayoshi Son of Softbank in 2016, and the new incumbents on Downing Street failed to challenge Arms back for a London listing when it re-floated last year.

ANDREW PIERCE: Quite the opposite. After a halt in support over Starmer's refusal to promote a ceasefire in Gaza, his group is frantically spending tens of thousands of pounds among Muslim communities. For good reason. Mohammed Akunjee, a Muslim lawyer, had an announcement last month that he would run as an outsider in Bethnal Green and Bow, London's most stronghold.

The Huw Merriman's remarks, as a day after culture secretary Lucy Frazer said that the BBC's coverage had been biased, interrupted it.