'Surly' Theresa May was a 'bloody difficult woman', new book claims

Theresa May was “surly” and “a terrible campaigner” according to her former aides, a new book reveals.

Seasoned biographer Sir Anthony Seldon paints the former Prime Minister as a stubborn figure, who would not listen to advice.

Living up to her self-proclaimed reputation as a “bloody difficult woman”, Mrs May was reportedly so spiky she needed a full-time “minder”.

Sir Anthony reveals that Mrs May ignored warnings her manifesto for the 2017 election was “worse than useless”.

When discussing her disastrous social care reform, which became known the "dementia tax", she was tearful and banged her fist on the table.

In pushing ahead to pursue the doomed policy, Mrs May sided with one of her joint chiefs of staff Nick Timothy, over the other Fiona Hill.

However, the MP for Maidenhead “began to crumble” when critics began to challenge her idea to get elderly homeowners to pay for their social care by selling their property.

Under the proposals people needing social care at home would have to pay for it until the value of their assets, including their home, reached a floor of £100,000.

The unpopular policy was perhaps the overwhelming factor that led Mrs May to lose her majority in the Commons, in a devastating electoral performance that had massive ramifications for delivering Brexit.

Historian Sir Anthony, who is known for his largely favorable biographies, had previously described Mrs May’s time in No 10 as the most “relentlessly unhappy premiership for a British prime minister of the past 100 years”.

In a letter he described her departing speech as Prime Minister outside the doors of Downing Street as “distressing to watch”.

He described how after a 10 month “honeymoon” her “entire premiership pivoted” when she called the June 2017 election, which lost her 13 seats and led to a confidence and supply arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party.

“Before it, she could do little or no wrong, after it, she could do nothing right,” he said.

“The circling vultures are already descending to pick apart her every flaw and poor decision.”

Mrs May’s Brexit deal was overwhelmingly voted down three times in the Commons, and she eventually announced her decision to step down in May this year, triggering a Conservative leadership contest.

At last week’s rare Saturday sitting, Mrs May spoke in favour of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

“I intend to rebel against all of those who don’t want to deliver Brexit,” she said.

Unlike her predecessor David Cameron, the former Prime Minister has chosen to continue her career on the backbenchers.