REGULARS at Abingdon’s market did a double-take yesterday when the Prime Minister stopped to inspect the fruit and veg.

As part of her campaign stop in Oxfordshire yesterday, Theresa May joined local Conservative election candidate Nicola Blackwood for a whirlwind visit to the town.

Shoppers stopped the PM to shake her hand and she posed for pictures with passers-by, with one man telling her to ‘keep it up’.

Others were less pleased to see Mrs May and one angry shopper confronted her about changes to support for disabled people.

Cathy Mohan, who has mental health problems, told the PM: “I want you to do something for us, I’m talking about everybody who has got mental health and who has got learning disabilities.

“I want them not to have their money taken away from them and being crippled.

“The fat cats keep the money and us lot get nothing.”

Disability allowances were replaced by personal independence payments (PIP), in a move which many people with disabilities say has left them struggling to survive.

“I want my disability living allowance to come back... I can’t live on £100 a month,” Ms Mohan added.

Ms Blackwood said she would continue to help Ms Mohan while the PM said she was ensuring the Government gave “more help to people with mental health problems and learning disabilities”.

Later during the visit Mrs May spoke to other shoppers, with one telling her she was the ‘best of a bad bunch’.

“I’ll take that as flattering,” she replied.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail afterwards, 69-year-old Martin Cranham said he thought the visit was ‘splendid’.

The grandfather-of-one added: “It’s good that she’s come out here to see us, even in the sticks when she’s very busy.”

Saying he was ‘certainly’ going to vote Conservative, he said Mrs May was ‘the only one who could do the job’ when it came to handling Brexit negotiations.

Mr Cranham added: “I voted for Nigel Farage to get us out of the EU but there’s nothing left for [UKIP] to do now. So I’ll be voting Tory.”

But Valmedd Ings claimed Mrs May had visited Abingdon because she felt ‘threatened’ by the Liberal Democrats. She added: “I’m a Lib Dem voter. I didn’t go to see Mrs May – I would have preferred to throw buns at her.”

Last night rival parties accused the Conservatives of overseeing a ‘cold, mean-spirited version of Britain’.

Lib Dem candidate Layla Moran added: “Theresa May has shown she just doesn’t care about people like Cathy who are seeing their benefits slashed and prices rise.”

And Labour candidate Marie Tidball said the Government needed to be ‘held accountable’ for cuts to services and benefits. She said: “I would applaud Cathy Moran for her bravery and honesty for holding Theresa May to account.”

UKIP candidate Alan Harris said: “Unless people vote for UKIP we will not get the hard Brexit people voted for.”

Oxford Mail:

ENTREPRENEUR Bradley Taylor could hardly believe his eyes as Theresa May reached out to shake his hand.

The 21-year-old fishmonger had been up since 1.30am and said he was ‘shocked’ to see the Prime Minister heading towards him.

Standing in front of his van, parked in Abingdon’s market, he shared a brief conversation with Mrs May as she made a whirlwind stop in the town.

She was accompanied by local election candidate Nicola Blackwood, who is standing for the Conservatives in Oxford West and Abingdon.

Mr Taylor said: “She was very nice, but to be honest I wish I had more time to think about it.

“It was quite a shock, although I knew something was going on when I suddenly saw all the crowds.

“She asked me things like when I had to get up. Then she had to move on.”

Baker Matthew Launchbury, 51, whose stall Mrs May stood next to as she spoke to people, said he had avoided the PM. “It is beyond me why anyone would vote Conservative,” he added.