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Theresa May could have repeat of conference cough meltdown because she’s struggling with a cold as party gathering kicks off
The Prime Minister has admitted she's feeling under the weather as the party conference kicks off in Birmingham
THERESA May risks a repeat of last year’s conference speech disaster - as she admits she’s struggling with a cold.
As the Tory conference kicks off today, the PM has caught a touch of the sniffles.
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She is now desperately fighting to get back to good health so that her big speech on Wednesday isn’t ruined like it was last year.
Mrs May couldn’t stop coughing during her keynote address at the 2017 conference, which was also overshadowed by a prankster brandishing a fake P45 and letters falling off the backdrop behind her.
She admitted to The Sun on Sunday that she’s been feeling unwell since returning from a trip to New York last week.
The PM said: “I’m not sure it is actually coming out as a proper cold.
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“I’ve been over to the States and I think on the long flight you get a bit sort of... you know.”
She added that party chiefs have fine-tuned her schedule to ensure she’s not tired out by appearing at too many events with activists.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday Politics this morning, Mrs May said: “The problem for the leader is that they always speak at the end of the conference, whereas everybody else is able to do theirs beforehand.”
She then started coughing - and quipped: “You’ve put the jinx on me!”
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And in a Sunday Times interview, Mrs May joked that she will take a “sackful” of cough sweets on stage with her for the speech.
At last year’s event, Philip Hammond ended up handing her a pack of lozenges as she struggled on stage.
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Tory chairman Brandon Lewis suggested the party had taken efforts to secure the stage this year so that it doesn't start falling apart again.
He told the BBC: "We are checking the stage and making sure it's a good stage for people to be able to view, enjoy and have a really good conference while they are in the hall."
Mrs May is hoping to use the party gathering in Birmingham to see off threats to her leadership from the likes of Boris Johnson.
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