Dear Jeremy

I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your good work. You are a true inspiration to us.

I’m not sure where we would be without you, to be perfectly honest. We have had such a hard time of it these recent months, what with all the political chaos following the Brexit vote. But every time it felt as if things were about to hit rock-bottom, you would come to the rescue. Every time! You are a beacon of hope.

Right now the polls look terrible for the British Labour Party. If the polls are to be believed, the party faces electoral annihilation on June 8. It would be all too easy for the party’s leadership to take those polls at face value and seek to plot a wildly different course in the hope of avoiding doom. But that would be a huge mistake. It’s too late to do anything about the upcoming election, Jeremy. Your enemies saw to that.

The next few months are going to be incredibly hard for you, but don’t be disheartened. Be strong, and don’t listen to the people who think they know best how Labour ought to be run. The media may be hostile, and voters may be repelled by you, but how could it be otherwise? Labour is bitterly divided right now, and so many within the party are determined to see you fail. If the polls are to be believed, you are leading your party towards a catastrophic election defeat on June 8. But this election was never yours to win.

When Labour loses the election, there will be enormous pressure on you to step aside, to acknowledge your role in the debacle. They will demand that you let someone else take charge. Don’t listen to them! They will blame you for what has happened, but you never really had a chance. How could you fight an election campaign while your party was at war with itself?

The best thing you can do after the election is stay and fight. We need you to remain in charge of Labour for as long as you can, because there is so much still left for you to achieve. There are still so many factions within the party, and Labour will never be united while they remain unpurged.

The public don’t like you right now, but don’t be discouraged. Leadership isn’t always about doing what’s popular. True leadership is about making the hard decisions, even if that means doing and saying things you know people won’t like. It’s about having the courage of your convictions, and soldiering on in spite of all the people who’ll tell you you’re wrong. May you never stop soldiering on, Jeremy! I hope and pray that you never stop making those hard decisions.

You’re just the kind of leader we need on the left right now, so keep up the good work. Without you we would all be lost.

Yours in admiration
Theresa May