Theresa May gives first interview since conference speech - as it happened

The prime minister faced the public for the first time since her party conference speech.

She said talks needed to continue to determine the exact circumstances under which they would live but said: “We’re not going to be throwing EU citizens ... out of the UK in the future.”

She was asked four times whether she would vote for Brexit if the referendum were rerun today - and she declined to answer four times.

And, on the day of the racial disparity audit, she indicated she did not believe stop and search powers had been properly deployed, adding that no one should be stopped and searched based on the colour of their skin.

You can read a brief summary of the party conference by the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, here.

Or, for a more in-depth view, read Severin Carrell’s story:

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Asked about the job losses at BAE, May says it is an “extremely worrying time for [those workers]” and says the government will try to help them into alternative employment. She also refers to a memorandum of intent signed by the defence secretary paving the way for the Qatari government to buy British munitions, which she suggested could help.

Ending the session, she says the international trade secretary, Liam Fox, would be the cabinet colleague she’d most like to have keep her company on a desert island. This, she says, is because - as a doctor - he is likely to be quite practical and she’s recently had a cough.

Theresa May accuses Jeremy Corbyn of making promises but not backing up how he’d deliver on them. For balance, the Labour party had argued its manifesto at the last election was fully costed.

May reiterates she does intend to lead her party into the next general election.

Asked about rumours of a reshuffle, she says: “Everybody can speculate away to their heart’s content.” And, pressed about Boris Johnson’s position in particular, she says: “Boris is foreign secretary,” adding that he agreed with her speech in Florence, as did the rest of the cabinet.

Iain Dale repeatedly asks Theresa May whether she’d still vote to remain in the EU today and she repeatedly refuses to answer, saying it’s a hypothetical question and insisting she’ll deliver Brexit.

Asked about Osborne’s reported comments about wanting her chopped up and in his freezer, May repeats her joke from the conference, saying she’s been described as an “ice maiden” but believes Osborne’s reported line went a bit far.

May is asked about a story reporting that talks will not take place tomorrow because British officials are not available to get round the table. May says she believes talks were not scheduled for tomorrow.

The call-in moves to Brexit.

A caller from an EU member state calls about what happens to EU citizens in the case of no deal being agreed.

“We want you to stay,” May says. But she adds there are discussions going on about “reciprocity of treatment”. She’s asked to clarify what happens in the case of there being no deal. She will only say the government is looking at that.

Why can she not say people can stay under any circumstance? May says there are rights, such as benefits entitlements, that would need to be looked at if there was no deal. “We’re not going to be throwing EU citizens who are currently here in the UK out of the UK in the future,” she says.

EU member states would also have to consider what happens to British citizens living there, she adds.

May says she hasn’t experienced discrimination herself but some of her colleagues have and she hopes she can understand those who face it every day.

May says stop and search is an important tool for the police but “should be used properly” and a recent study found a significant proportion of stops were effectively illegal. She adds that no one should be stopped and searched based on the colour of their skin.

Dale says the Tory party is not representative and asks if it should not be leading by example. “Look at what we’re doing,” May responds. She says the party has new MPs from BAME backgrounds but that Conservative policies need to improve the lives of people from such communities for it to attract them.

A caller, Carl, says he has experienced racism at the hands of the police, though he believes the problems posed by racism have eased in recent years. But Carl, who is mixed race, says there is racist news coverage by media organisations and asks May to look into that in more detail.

“Interesting point about the media,” May replies, saying she has heard people from BAME communities complain about a lack of positive role models and media organisations should highlight more positive stories involving people from such backgrounds.

Asked about affirmative action, May says she has presided over changes to recruitment practices in the police as home secretary. She adds that she “hasn’t looked at the possibility” of making blind CVs compulsory, adding she prefers working towards employers wanting to make changes, rather than forcing them through.

The next question is from a listener on the racial disparity audit, which was published today and shows marked inequalities in British society: is there the will in the country to change? The prime minister says the necessary change will take time.

That call is followed by one from a black woman who says she’s taken a surname that sounds more western European than African and refers to bias in employment. May says some employers are putting in place “name-blind” policies. She says she’s not sure about legislation on that but she’d hope the audit will at least lead people to see the problem.

The presenter, Iain Dale, puts it to May that her colleagues have taken advantage of her looking weak on the conference stage. May says she has had a positive reaction and that “leadership is not about one speech”.

The prime minister also declines to directly criticise Grant Shapps, the former party chairman who raised the possibility of her leaving Number 10, saying disagreements happen in politics but should be discussed in private and people should support the party leader.

May says neither did she think about how difficult it was going to be to get through the rest of the speech once her cough started because there were issues she wanted to talk about.