Only I can take on 'aggressive' Brussels over Brexit, says Theresa May in Wolverhampton

The Prime Minister said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn lacked the leadership for the negotiations and would give control of the UK border and laws to the EU.

She addressed a gathering of Tory candidates and members at the old Low Level station in Sun Street this afternoon.

Commenting on last night's TV debate, she said: "Jeremy Corbyn's aides may have put him in a smart suit for TV last night but he will be 'alone and naked' in the EU negotiating chamber."

Theresa May stopped off at the Express & Star's offices in Queen Street after her visit. See her exclusive interview with political editor Pete Madeley tomorrow.

She jokes to the audience at Sun Street: "I know it is an image that doesn't bear thinking about."

Mrs May started her speech with another swipe at her main rival when congratulating 'Jeremy' on his performance in the debate.

"Jeremy Paxman has not lost it," she remarked.

She also described Brexit as a 'quiet revolution' and said getting the best Brexit deal would be the 'foundation' of achieving a stronger economy to boost public services including the NHS and schools.

Watch the Prime Minister's speech:

Mrs May said: “The European Commission has shown the importance of the choice faced by the British public next week. They are adopting an aggressive negotiating position, which can only be met by strong leadership on behalf of Britain.

“Jeremy Corbyn is in no position to provide that kind of leadership. He has no plan to deliver Brexit, and he has already admitted he would give control of our borders and control of our laws back to Brussels.

“The Brexit negotiations are due to begin only eleven days after polling day. If I lose just six seats, Jeremy Corbyn could become Prime Minister at the head of a coalition of chaos, with the parties still arguing among themselves rather than negotiating for Britain.

“Only a vote for me and my team will give the country the strong leadership we need to get the right deal for Britain.”

She said many people voted for Brexit because they wanted the way the country works to change in what she called a 'quiet revolution'.

She added that many people 'felt let down and left behind for too long'.

"Since the very moment the British people took that momentous decision, it was clear to me that it was not just a vote to leave the European Union," the Prime Minister said.

"It was also a vote to change the way the country works – and the people for whom it works – forever.

"It was a quiet revolution driven by all those who felt let down and left behind for too long. A revolution in which millions of our fellow citizens stood up and said they were not prepared to be ignored anymore.

"Since the first day I stepped through the door of Number 10 as Prime Minister, I have been clear that the mission of the government I lead is not just to get the best possible deal for Britain in Europe, but to take this opportunity to shift the balance of Britain in favour of ordinary working people.

"To fight for all those for whom life is more difficult than many seem to think or realise. Those who are just about managing to get by. People who are working around the clock and giving of their best, but for whom life is still too often a struggle.

"They do not ask for much. They just want to get on with their lives and to be able to do their best for their children. Above all, they just want to be given a fair chance.

"Because for too long – for too many people – life has not seemed fair."

She said getting the right Brexit deal was the 'foundation' for making people's lives better – including improving the NHS, schools, and transport.

She said: "Because the terms of the Brexit deal we negotiate with the EU, and the course we begin to chart in the years after it, truly will define our country for generations to come.

"Our place in the world, our economic security, the vital public services upon which we all rely, our future prosperity – everything depends on, and will be defined by, the outcome of these next five years.

"If we don’t get them right, everything else we want to do in this country will be that much harder to achieve.

"If we don’t make a success of the next five years, our economic prosperity will suffer, jobs and livelihoods will be put at risk, and with them the security and peace of mind of working families.

"If we don’t make a success of Brexit, we won’t have the financial means to fund the public services upon which we all rely."