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Tory faithful hail May, their strong and stable leader
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Upbeat: British Prime Minister Theresa May reacts during a general election rally at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on June 5. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to vote in a general election only days after another terrorist attack on the nation's capital.
(AFP/Oli Scarff)
O
utside, the deserted stadium terraces were dark and wet, but inside British Prime Minister Theresa May basked in warm admiration as she fired up supporters in the final stretch before Thursday's vote.
After stops in London and Edinburgh, the Conservative leader finished off a gruelling day of campaigning Monday with a rally with party members on the outskirts of Bradford, northern England.
Unlike opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, May does not favour large crowds and there were scarcely more than 100 people packed into the corner of a conference room overlooking the 26,000-capacity Odsal Stadium, home of the Bradford Bulls rugby league club.
But they loved her, cheering and wolf-whistling as she delivered her message of "strong and stable leadership" as Britain heads into Brexit, and faces a renewed threat of terrorism.
"Who has the will, who has the plan?" asked May, standing on a small podium in the middle of the throng -- prompting a cry of "Theresa May!"
The crowd broke into laughs, and the prime minister -- wearing a dark blue suit and white shirt -- gave a thumbs up.
"She's very determined, and she oozes confidence. She speaks and you trust her," said Safia Hussain, a 46-year-old care industry manager, after taking a selfie with May.
"She's no-nonsense, and comes across as trustworthy," added Harry Coates, a 27-year-old general manager.
- 'Won my heart' -
May has had a tougher-than-expected campaign, and even faced calls to resign Monday for cutting police numbers in her six years as interior minister -- an issue now at the forefront of debate following the Manchester and London attacks.
"Oh come on -- how desperate can you get?," laughed Ian Krasner, 60, holding up a placard saying "Theresa May Standing Up For Britain".
He welcomed May's speech on Sunday promising to tackle the "evil ideology of Islamist extremism" and warning there was "far too much tolerance of extremism in our country".
"She said what people feel -- enough is enough," Krasner told AFP.
One of the men who went on the rampage at a busy night spot in London on Saturday night was born in Pakistan, while another claimed to be Morroccan and Libyan.
Bradford has a large Muslim population and in areas is segregated, with some communities accused of living separate lives.
Mukhtar Ramzan, a Muslim chauffeur and party activist from the city, said May "didn't do much as interior minister" but welcomed her current approach, warning something had to change.
"She won my heart with her speech that she's going to tackle the ideology of Islamism," he said.
His friend, 46-year-old postmaster Talib Hussain, added: "We've got double the risk -- I feel threatened by Islamic terrorists as well as Islamophobic people."
He expressed concern about police cuts, but said of May's Conservatives: "They're more experienced -- and Jeremy Corbyn can't be trusted on security."
"You always worry about security these days, it's just a sign of the times," said Jean Hodgkinson, a 68-year-old pensioner.
She urged May to "stick to her guns".
And with that, they were ushered out into the rain.
May had spoken for less than eight minutes, shaken only a couple of hands and taken no questions. But for her fans, that seemed enough. (**)
