UK election: Theresa May sidesteps question on whether she will resign if Conservatives lose seats

Theresa May has sidestepped a question over whether she will resign if her decision to take the country to the polls sees the Conservatives lose seats in the Commons.

The Prime Minister said there is “only one poll that matters” before trying to shift discussion on to Brexit negotiations, a policy area she is more comfortable with.

It comes after a seat-by-seat projection published in the The Times today indicated the country is heading for a hung parliament.

Such a result would be a major blow for Ms May, who started the election campaign with many predicting a landslide victory for the Tories.

Asked whether she would resign if her party drops seats, she said at an event in Bath: “There is only one poll that matters and that is the poll that takes place on 8 June, and when it comes to that poll people have a very clear choice.

“That choice is about who is going to be Prime Minister and it’s about who is going to lead the UK in those Brexit negotiations, who has the plan to do that, the determination to get the best deal, who has the strong and stable leadership to do that.

“But it’s also about who will take this country forward for the future. I believe there is a great future for this country, we can be even more prosperous when we ensure we get the Brexit deal right.”

George Osborne’s London Evening Standard this week labelled Theresa May’s Conservative manifesto as the “most disastrous” in recent history.

Ms May is also under pressure to attend the BBC live election debate to be broadcast this evening after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn revealed he would attend.

The Prime Minister said there was more to be gained speaking directly to voters face to face, than from voters watching events where “politicians are squabbling amongst themselves”.