Prime Minister's campaign trail hits Leeds

The Prime Minister used the campaign visit to Leeds to urge Labour supporters to lend her their vote rather than put Jeremy Corbyn into Number 10.

Focus on Leeds

Theresa May sought to exploit divisions within Labour over its leadership by telling voters: I know this city is one of the places that people call a 'traditional Labour area'.

But here, and in every constituency across the country, it may say Labour on the ballot, but it's Jeremy Corbyn that gets the vote.''

`This election is not about who you may have voted for in the past. It is about voting in the national interest. Voting for the future.

And every vote cast for me through my local Conservative candidates in cities like Leeds, and in towns and cities across the UK, will strengthen my hand when I negotiate with the prime ministers, presidents and chancellors of Europe in the months ahead.''

Theresa May also claimed German Chancellor Angela Merkel's tough stance on Brexit shows the need for a Tory election win to give the UK the strongest possible hand'' in the forthcoming negotiations.

Leeds voted narrowly for Remain in the European Union referendum, but the Yorkshire and the Humber region as a whole backed Brexit.

She said every vote for the Tories will improve her position when facing European leaders in the tough'' talks ahead.

German leader Mrs Merkel used a speech in the Bundestag to claimed the UK has illusions'' about the realities of Brexit, insisting there was no way it could continue to enjoy the same rights it had as a member of the EU.

The Prime Minister again used her key campaign message that the election is a choice between strong and stable leadership'' from her or acoalition of chaos'' under Mr Corbyn.

She added: That is why in this election, the most important election this country has faced in my lifetime, every single vote counts.

'Leeds won't be fooled'

Labour's national elections chairman Andrew Gwynne has responded to the claims from the Prime Minister: Theresa May is going to extraordinary lengths to blinker the British public and make this election about anything other than her record in government.

The people of Leeds won't be fooled: the only party of working people is the Labour Party.

Under the Tories, working people have picked up the bill while those at the top have received tens of billions of pounds of tax breaks. Wages have stagnated, public services have suffered huge cuts and our NHS is in crisis.

It is clearer than ever that the Tories are for the few, not the many. Rather than uniting the country and tackling the challenges we face, their policies are divisive and are taking us backwards.''