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Theresa May says she doesn’t remember accusing police chiefs of ‘crying wolf’ over funding cuts.

In a speech to the Police Federation in 2015, the then-Home Secretary accused the leaders of the body of “scaremongering” over the effects of cuts to force budgets.

"The truth is that crime fell in each of those years, it's fallen further since, and our country is safer than it's ever been," she said.

“So please - for your sake and for the thousands of police officers who work so hard every day - this crying wolf has to stop."

Challenged on the comments during an appearance on LBC Radio this morning, Mrs May said she was “not sure” she used that language.

But despite misleading the public with the claim, the Prime Minister has no intention of correcting the record.

(Image: LBC)

Asked whether Mrs May was trying to re-write history, the Prime Minister's deputy spokesperson said she had nothing to add to Mrs May’s claim that she does not recall using those words.

And the spokeswoman indicated Mrs May had no plans to correct the record.

The Prime Minister's extraordinary loss of memory of a speech delivered less than three years ago, and language which made major headline news across the country, came during her appearance on LBC Radio this morning.

She was taking phone calls in a bid to sell her hated Brexit deal to the public.

One caller raised the subject of police funding cuts - to which the PM claimed the government were "actually putting more resources into the police”.

Host Nick Ferrari challenged the PM, saying: "Weren’t you the home secretary who said they were crying wolf?”

Mrs May replied: "I’m not sure I used exactly that phrase Nick.”