May’s failure as PM should not overshadow her chilling track record as Home Secretary

It’s finally happened – Theresa May has announced her resignation. It’s been a question of when rather than whether for some time now, and we now know the answer is the 7th of June. Her tenure as Prime Minister will not be remembered fondly by anyone except a handful of loyalists. However I think it would be a mistake for the image of Theresa May we give to history to be exclusively that of a weak and inept prime minister, unable to control her MPs or even her cabinet. May spent twice as much time as Home Secretary as as Prime Minister, and her time at the Home Office was characterised not by the weakness we now identify her with, but by the successful pushing of her agenda and one of the most significant erosions of British civil liberties in recent times.

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