British Prime Minister Theresa May's speech at her Conservative Party conference in Manchester turned into a nightmare, as she was plagued by a cough, at one point a well-known comedian handed her a resignation letter, and two letters fell off the wall slogan behind her.
It was a confused end to the party convention, organized after the failure of the conservatives in the June parliamentary elections. May announced them three years ahead of time in order to strengthen her party, and on them she lost her majority in parliament and was forced to form a minority government.
Since the election has weakened the position of the British prime minister, who is struggling to maintain the unity of a government divided over Brexit and other issues, May needed a strong and impressive performance, in the fight against rivals who want her place, among them the ambitious head of British diplomacy Boris Johnson.
However, things did not go according to plan. May struggled with a cough and a hoarse voice during the speech, which caused her to take frequent breaks.
At one point, the speech, which was supposed to strengthen her position at the head of the party, was chaotically interrupted by comedian Simon Brodkin, who handed her a British resignation form.
After being escorted out of the hall by security, Brodkin said "Boris (Johnson) told him to do it".
May's cabinet said there would be a thorough investigation into the incident, while police said Brodkin had the correct credentials for the high-security conference.
Brodkin, whose stage name is Lee Nelson, has made similar appearances in the past, including showering then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter with money at a 2015 press conference.
Towards the end of May's televised speech, two letters fell off the slogan "Building a good country for everyone" that was on the wall behind the British prime minister.
After the speech, May was hugged by her husband Filip while the song "Are you gonna go my way" by the American rocker Lenny Kravitz played in the hall.
Today's speech did not remove doubts about Theresa May's future. Her struggle with her voice can be interpreted as a sign of vulnerability, but also as a sign of her steely determination to persevere in the fight.
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