Theresa May pays tribute to ‘important work’ of Yorkshire Post in letter before leaving Number 10

Outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May has paid tribute to the Yorkshire Post in a letter sent as one of her final acts before leaving office today.

May, who will be replaced in the top job by Boris Johnson, wrote a letter to the daily newspaper’s editor James Mitchinson, who shared it on Twitter saying it had arrived yesterday.

The MP for Maidenhead, Berkshire, highlighted two campaigns by the JPI Media-owned regional title in her letter dated 18 July.

May wrote: “I want to pay tribute to the important work your newspaper has done over the last few years, especially regarding the ‘Loneliness: The Hidden Epidemic’ campaign.

“As you know, tackling this issue has been a personal priority for me and you campaign has made incredibly valuable progress towards ending the injustice of loneliness – I am sure it will continue to bear fruit for years to come.”

She added: “The Yorkshire Post, as always, is at the forefront of making the case for the North, and I commend the paper’s role in the ‘Power Up The North’ campaign.

“The Government shares the campaign’s ambitions for the North, which is why we launched the Northern Powerhouse five years ago to support a thriving Northern economy and ensure that this country works for everyone.”

Mitchinson, who was named Post editor in late 2015, tweeted alongside a picture of May’s letter: “It saddens me that the prospect of the abuse I’ll receive for complimenting her character, fortitude and resilience made me reluctant to share. But they must not win. So here it is: one of the last acts of our outgoing Prime Minister…”

Yesterday I received this from @theresa_may It saddens me that the prospect of the abuse I’ll receive for complimenting her character, fortitude and resilience made me reluctant to share. But they must not win. So here it is: one of the last acts of our outgoing Prime Minister… pic.twitter.com/ukoiAo2Hlr

— James Mitchinson (@JayMitchinson) July 24, 2019

The journalist recently spoke to Press Gazette about the hiding he got when he left banking for journalism, his early dreams to become an Army Officer and the “disease” of sexism in newsrooms for our On The Record Q&A.

Picture: Reuters/Henry Nicholls