On Wednesday, Theresa May caused bafflement after she gave a late-night statement outside Downing Street.
At the end of another historic day in British politics, the PM ordered a lectern be placed outside Britain’s most famous door so she could address the nation directly.
Off the back of the crushing defeat of her Brexit plan, and narrowly surviving a vote of no confidence in her government, this surely meant news. Big news.
But with the sense that May was anxious to speak unfiltered by the media, it quickly risked descending into farce …
The media and political junkies dutifully turned out as May went ‘fulllectern job’.
This is not to be taken lightly. Think resignations and declarations of war. The first draft of history. Something yuuge or bigly.
And, soon after 10pm, Theresa May spoke.
“This evening the Government has won the confidence of Parliament,” May began, straight shooting.
“Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit.
“I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British people’s instruction to leave the European Union and I intend to do so.”
May then aimed remarks at MPs who voted against her Brexit plan on Tuesday, saying that “MPs have made clear what they don’t want, we must all work constructively together to set out what Parliament does want”.
And of cross-party talks to find some common ground on a Brexit deal, May called for politicians to “put self-interest aside” – adding she was “disappointed” Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn has not taken part this evening.