Theresa May Quotations

In tough times, everyone has to take their share of the pain.

Anti-social behaviour still blights lives, wrecks communities and provides a pathway to criminality.

I'd personally like to see the Human Rights Act go because I think we have had some problems with it.

There's much more we can be doing in Parliament, we could be giving more power back to people at local government level, through local referendums.

The aim is to create here in Britain a really hostile environment for illegal migration.

You can't solve a problem as complex as inequality in one legal clause.

Flexible working is not just for women with children. It is necessary at the other end of the scale. If people can move into part-time work, instead of retirement, then that will be a huge help. If people can fit their work around caring responsibilities for the elderly, the disabled, then again that's very positive.

On gay adoption I have changed my mind.

I'm not sure I should reveal the sources of my clothes.

I will be ruthless in cutting out waste, streamlining structures and improving efficiency.

The universities have got a job here as well in making sure that people actually understand that we're open for university students coming into the U.K. There's a job here not just for the government, I think there's a job for the universities as well to make sure that people know that we are open.

There is nothing inevitable about crime and there is nothing inevitable about anti-social behaviour.

I'm not willing to risk more terrorist plots succeeding and more paedophiles going free.

It is quite widely known that I like shoes. This is not something that defines me as either a woman or a politician, but it has come to define me in the eyes of the newspapers. I wore a pair of leopard-print kitten heels to a Conservative Party Conference a few years ago and the papers have continued to focus on my feet ever since.

Well can I just make a point about the numbers because people talk a lot about police numbers as if police numbers are the holy grail. But actually what matters is what those police are doing. It's about how those police are deployed

A lot of men in politics suddenly woke up to the issue of women in politics when they realised: hey, there are votes in this!

I was looking at a photograph of the 1997 election campaign yesterday, and I thought: 'My God. Did I really have that hairstyle? And that Tory blue suit?'

You only have to look at London, where almost half of all primary school children speak English as a second language, to see the challenges we now face as a country. This isn't fair to anyone: how can people build relationships with their neighbours if they can't even speak the same language?

I am a vicar's daughter and still a practising member of the Church of England.

One area in which we can be certain mass immigration has an effect is housing. More than one third of all new housing demand in Britain is caused by immigration. And there is evidence that without the demand caused by mass immigration, house prices could be 10% lower over a 20-year period.

Uncontrolled, mass immigration displaces British workers, forces people onto benefits, and suppresses wages for the low-paid.

We all know the stories about the Human Rights Act... about the illegal immigrant who cannot be deported because, and I am not making this up, he had a pet cat.

People have to make journeys, what we want is people to have alternatives in public transport so that they can make a choice about the sort of way in which they're going to travel.

Like Indiana Jones, I don't like snakes - though that might lead some to ask why I'm in politics.

Look, we constantly live looking at the issue of the threat of terrorism.

Now there is a growing feeling, it's something that David Cameron led on actually, he said this some time ago, that MPs should not be voting on their own pay.

Obviously local people will have their local voice through the police and crime commissioners that they've elected to determine their local policing.

Within the E.U., in a wider context, people are increasingly recognising the need to prevent the abuse of free movement.

Today I can announce a raft of reforms that we estimate could save over 2.5 million police hours every year. That's the equivalent of more than 1,200 police officer posts. These reforms are a watershed moment in policing. They show that we really mean business in busting bureaucracy.

I think if you talk to anybody who would like to have had children... I mean, you look at families all the time and you see there is something there that you don't have.

I think for voters what matters is the values that drive the government.

You know what some people call us: the nasty party.

What is absolutely clear is that we have, with the U.S., an extradition treaty which is important, I believe it is an important treaty, for both sides, the United States and the United Kingdom. It is a treaty that I believe is balanced and we work on that basis.

We're not just concerned about the consequences of underage drinking but also with preventing the illegal sale of alcohol to children. We liaise very closely with licensees all year round to make sure that they understand the law, and the consequences of breaking it.

We've got a first class leader at the moment. David Cameron is dealing with the issues that he was left by the last government very well indeed.

Under-age drinking is becoming acceptable. Implications for health are dire.

Under-age drinking is becoming acceptable - and the implications for the health of the nation are dire.

So we mustn't lower our guard in any sense because of what has happened in terms of the death of Osama Bin Laden and we are certainly not doing that. The terror threat level here in the U.K. remains at severe and we're very conscious of the need to continue that.

Dealing with a simple burglary can require 1,000 process steps and 70 forms to be completed as a case goes through the Criminal Justice System. That can't be right.

It's always an interesting experience for a politician to be heard in silence, I have to say.

If the police need more help to do their work, I will not hesitate in granting it to them.

If you can speak English, and you can get a place on a proper course at a proper university, you can come to study in Britain.

The U.K. needs a system for family migration underpinned by three simple principles. One: that those who come here should do so on the basis of a genuine relationship. Two: that migrants should be able to pay their way. And three: that they are able to integrate into British society.

You don't think about it at the time, but there are certain responsibilities that come with being the vicar's daughter. You're supposed to behave in a particular way. I shouldn't say it, but I probably was Goody Two Shoes.

Dealing with a simple burglary can require 1000 process steps and 70 forms to be completed as a case goes through the Criminal Justice System. That can't be right

If ever there was a time for a PM ready and able to do the job from day one, this is it.

I'm not someone who feels anger on particular issues.

I want a counter-terrorism regime that is proportionate, focused and transparent.

People will be able to raise their concerns: what are local officers doing about the drug dealing in the local park? What's happening about the pub where all the trouble is? And the police will have to respond

Communities need to feel that they can accommodate people. Rather than feeling that it's not possible to integrate and that the stress and strain on housing and public services is too great.

No, I can tell you one of the first things that happens to a home secretary when they arrive in the job is that they are given a briefing about the security matters that they will be dealing with and I deal with security matters on a daily basis.

The concept of doing something with child benefit, of changing the rules around child benefit, is something that has been being discussed for some time.

What is absolutely clear is that we have, with the U.S., an extradition treaty which is important, I believe it is an important treaty, for both sides, the United States and the United Kingdom. It is a treaty that I believe is balanced and we work on that basis.

We campaigned on the fact that we were going to have to take difficult decisions because of the state of the public finances. When we got into government we discovered that actually the public finances were in an even worse state than we thought

Local people do want to see more police on the streets.

Today I can announce a raft of reforms that we estimate could save over 2.5 million police hours every year. That's the equivalent of more than 1,200 police officer posts. These reforms are a watershed moment in policing. They show that we really mean business in busting bureaucracy.

Targets don't fight crime.

Just as the police review their operational tactics, so we in the Home Office will review the powers available to the police.

I think it's important to do a good job and not to feel that you've got to make grand gestures, but just to get on and deliver.

I think there is a break down of trust generally, between people and politicians. I think that's come about for a whole variety of reasons.

I disagree with the analysis that you've put about what happened in relation to the student demonstrations and protests and the incident with the Prince of Wales' car. We're very clear that we have to separate out the political responsibility from operational responsibility of the police.

I am delighted to have won so much support from my colleagues. The Conservative Party can come together - and under my leadership it will.

I am the only candidate capable of delivering these three things as prime minister, and tonight it is clear that I am also the only one capable of drawing support from the whole of the Conservative Party.

I think that probably in some areas the Labour message about some of the things that they said we were going to do - and which we weren't going to do - cut through.

The Conservative Party's always stood in every seat and I think it's important to us.

I am very grateful to my colleagues for their support. There is a big job before us: to unite our party and the country, to negotiate the best possible deal as we leave the EU, and to make Britain work for everyone.

These modern means of communication are one reason why I recently opposed the Government's decision to grant MPs a new communications allowance. With new technology giving us the opportunity to communicate directly with voters very cheaply, why did Labour MPs vote for a £10,000 allowance to tell voters what a good job they do?

Politics is changing and as the demographics of different constituencies change so we need to be awake to the possibility of making gains where we have not traditionally done so.

I had a cup of tea with Michael Howard after my appointment shortly after I became Home Secretary, and without telling tales out of school, shortly after I became Home Secretary, and he said that when people used to ask him whether he enjoyed it he'd reply that "enjoy" wasn't quite the right description.

Obviously, given the objective that we have, what I would hope is that people would be able to see that actually we had reduced the numbers of people, the net number of people, coming into the country. People would, presumably, see that, but it's difficult to say how.

It's also advantageous for the Party because it helps us to build a base in those areas where we have not in, recent times, been as active as we'd have liked. It means that opposing parties don't get a free run but are challenged to prove themselves to voters.

I support selecting as many candidates as early as possible for lots of reasons. First of all I think it is important that every voter - regardless of where they live in the country - should have the opportunity to vote Conservative should they wish.

In seats where perhaps we don't expect to win at the next general election, the new infrastructure gives us a chance to win local council seats and to build a campaigning base which could help us to win in the future.

We should no longer seek to have Budget surplus by end of Parliament. We should avoid tax rises.

The idea that Parliament somehow wasn't going to be able to discuss, debate, question issues around (Brexit) was frankly completely wrong.

Labour completely accepts and recognises the vote to leave the EU. The question is what is the agenda for that process and that needs to be held to account in Parliament now and that means it needs to be open to a vote.

And it is crucial of course that chief constables are able to make decisions within their budgets about how they deploy their police officers to the greatest effect to ensure that they're able to do the job that the public want them to do

For voters what matters is what government actually delivers for them.

What we're also doing is helping police forces in terms of issues like procurement and IT, so that savings can be made in those areas which I think is the sort of thing that everybody is going to want us to be doing

I am willing to consider powers which would ban known hooligans from rallies and marches and I will look into the powers the police already have to force the removal of face coverings and balaclavas.

Starting with the highest-risk countries, and focusing on the route to Britain that is widely abused, student visas, we will increase the number of interviews to considerably more than 100,000, starting next financial year. From there, we will extend the interviewing programme further across all routes to Britain, wherever the evidence takes us.

Today, there's an expectation that you get to know public people. In the past, it was much more what you did and how you presented yourself.

When you first come into Parliament, it's a daunting place because you feel you've so much to learn. Once you've been re-elected, you feel much more confident. It just gives you a bit of a boost.

We are mandating forces to hold regular neighbourhood beat meetings. These meetings will give local people the chance to scrutinise the work of their local police

Tying money up for 40 years doesn't sound appealing when you are young,

You have a job but you don't always have job security, you have your own home but you worry about mortgage rates going up, you can just about manage but you worry about the cost of living and the quality of the local school because there is no other choice for you.rankly, not everybody in Westminster understands what it's like to live like this and some need to be told that it isn't a game.

I look forward to continuing the debate about Britain's future - in Parliament and across the country.

Countries across the world are taking action now to help them track paedophiles and terrorists who abuse new technology to plot their horrific crimes.

National security is the first duty of government but we are also committed to reversing the substantial erosion of civil liberties.

I believe it's important that we ensure that the police have a modern and flexible workforce. I think that's what is necessary, so that they can provide the public with the service that they want.

I'm sick and tired of government ministers in this Labour government who simply blame other people when things go wrong.

People feel that they're being required to meet all sorts of regulations and rules and requirements in their areas of work and MPs are not imposing those sort of restrictions on themselves.

I think major reorganisation is not something the government's about to do.

It is clearly important for all leadership candidates to be open and transparent about their tax affairs. I was very happy to publish mine today, and hope others will follow suit.

The public want honesty from their politicians.Not showy gimmicks.

The U.K. needs a system for family migration underpinned by three simple principles. One: that those who come here should do so on the basis of a genuine relationship. Two: that migrants should be able to pay their way. And three: that they are able to integrate into British society.

The internet makes information easier to come by, but harder to control - think of the success of blogs like ConservativeHome and Guido Fawkes. I definitely think Parliament's website can be improved - perhaps it could have better access to video feed, include interactive features or have discussion forums.

I take a very simple view that a violent extremist at some point previously been an extremist, and by definition is an extremist, so you do need to look at that non-violent extremism.

I have not watched WAGs World, I have not watched the BBC's Upstairs, Downstairs, either. It would be Downton Abbey, I think.

I was a teenage godmother.