It is great to be here in Dudley and I have been out knocking on doors this morning, and I know a lot of you have, too, and I think you are going to be doing some more of that in the run-up particularly obviously immediately for the mayoral election but of course we are now only 47 days away from the general election, from what I believe will be the most important election for this country in my lifetime.
Because this is an election which is about a future for our country. And it is about ensuring that this country has a strong and stable government, strong and stable leadership in the national interest. And every vote that is cast for me and the Conservatives at this forthcoming election will strengthen my hand in the negotiations with the Prime Ministers, the Presidents, and the Chancellors of Europe as we sit down for those negotiations over the coming months. Every vote that is cast for me and the Conservatives will be a vote for strong and stable leadership to take this country through Brexit and beyond and every vote that is cast for me and the Conservatives will be for strong and stable leadership in the national interest. And it is only the Conservatives who can provide that strong and stable government.
If you just look at what has happened under the Conservatives we can show that that is what we deliver. When I became Prime Minister there were claims and predictions that we were going to seek immediate financial crash, we were going to see economic damage, but actually we have seen under the Conservatives what we have seen is consumer confidence remaining high, record numbers of jobs and the economy actually growing beyond all expectations. When I took over as Prime Minister everybody said the country was divided, it would not be possible to bring it back together again, but what I now see around the country is a real unity of purpose for us to get on with the job of Brexit and make a success of it for the future of our country.
And when I took over as Prime Minister I think what was needed was clear vision, was strong leadership, to get on with that job of delivering Brexit and that is exactly what the government has done and that is actually the security that you get the strong and stable government. I think it is what leadership looks like, actually. And at this election there is going to be a very clear choice and it’s a choice between strong and stable government under the Conservatives or a weak and unstable coalition of chaos led by Jeremy Corbyn.
And make no mistake, that is what is on offer because we have already seen the other parties lining up to prop up Jeremy Corbyn, we have seen it from the Liberal Democrats, we have seen it from Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish Nationalists, too. And what is clear is that they will do anything they can to disrupt the Brexit negotiations and to frustrate and undermine the task ahead and to stop us from leading Britain into a stronger future. I am not complacent about this forthcoming election, because just remember if you think about it the opinion polls got the general election wrong in 2015, they got the EU referendum wrong and as Jeremy Corbyn has himself said he was a 200-1 chance for the Labour leadership and look how that went. So we will not be complacent, we will be fighting for every single vote and every single vote at this election will count.
Because it is about building that stronger future for this country, it is about getting the best possible deal with the European Union, a deal that works for every single part of our country. Across the whole country and for town and city and rural areas, and as I say, north and south and every part of the UK. And it is only by having a strong and stable government that we can get that right deal and it is only with that strong and stable leadership that we can ensure that we secure that brighter future because Brexit is not just a process, it is an opportunity. And we need to be able to take that opportunity. It is an opportunity to change this country for the better for the future, it’s an opportunity to ensure that this really is a country that works for everyone and not just the privileged few.
But to do that we do need a certainty that this election will bring over the next five years because that will enable us to stick to our plan for a Stronger Britain and that is the plan to ensure that we improve lives and show a brighter future for ordinary working people up and down the country. That does mean getting the right deal abroad, it does mean ensuring that we take back control of our money, of our laws, of our borders and that we negotiate the right deal with the European Union. That we have that deep and special partnership that we want for the future with our European neighbours. It also means striking export deals with countries around the world, not just with the European Union, it means leading the world in preventing terrorism and also in fighting modern slavery and building here in Britain the most secure and safest country and strongest country in Europe.
But it is also about what we do here at home for ordinary working people and that is about building a stronger economy, an economy that creates high-paying jobs, secure jobs. It’s about an economy where prosperity and growth are spread across all the country. It is about providing opportunity for all, ensuring there’s a good school place for every child but also we are building enough affordable housing for people for the future. And it is also about building a more united and secure nation and that means it does mean taking action against the extremists who try to divide us, but it also means standing up to the separatists who want to break apart our precious union.
If we are going to seize those opportunities we do need that strong and stable leadership that only a Conservative government can bring. Because it is only the Conservative Party that has that Plan for a Stronger Britain, it is only the Conservative Party that has shown that strength that will deliver for the future. So that is the message that we are going to be taking out and about over the remaining 47 days to the general election. As I said earlier, I am not complacent about this result. I believe we need to go out and fight for every vote, and show people the sort of government that we will be and the stronger future that we can build here in this country for everybody across the whole of the country.
So my message is simple. It is only the Conservatives that have the Plan for a Stronger Britain, it is only the Conservatives that have that strong and stable leadership that can provide that secure government that we need to take us forward into the future and build that stronger Britain.
But of course it is only you, the people, who can give us the mandate to do that. So my message for the 8th of June is very clear – vote Conservative for strong and stable leadership in the national interest. Give me the mandate to lead Britain. Give me the mandate to speak for Britain. Give me the mandate to fight for Britain and give me the mandate to deliver for Britain.