THERESA May has claimed she is “woke and proud”.
Speaking on Times Radio alongside Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, May agreed that she fit the definition of “somebody who recognises that discrimination takes place”.
The former Prime Minister added that the term had been politicised “as part of this absolutism and polarisation of politics”.
The term woke has been recently attributed to social justice issues, typically with negative connotations.
For example, Rishi Sunak – the third Prime Minister since May’s resignation in 2019 – previously committed to reviewing the Equality Act to stop “woke nonsense” permeating public life.
During her time as Prime Minister, May put forward plans to allow trans people to self-ID without the need for a medical diagnosis.
The plans were later scrapped by Boris Johnson, her successor.
Debate around the right for trans people to self-ID has become more prevalent in the last year, as the Scottish Government passed the Gender Recognition Reform Bill which was later blocked by the UK Government.
A judicial review of the Bill will begin on September 19 and will last three days.
During the radio appearance, May also said she has “always” believed immigration is “good for the country”.
May was Prime Minister when the Windrush scandal broke in 2018, as people were wrongly detained and in some cases deported by the Home Office.
May was Home Secretary under David Cameron between 2010 and 2016, and oversaw the deportation of more than 80 Commonwealth citizens who had a legal right to remain in the UK.
