Theresa May to warn Brexit will have 'dire consequences' for ordinary people if UK doesn't get right deal

'We need someone representing Britain who is 100 per cent committed to the cause'

Theresa May is to warn that the consequences of failing to get the right Brexit deal will be “dire” for ordinary working people.

In a speech in Wales, the Prime Minister will seek to persuade voters that she should lead the negotiations with the European Union, rather than Jeremy Corbyn.

According to an advance copy of her remarks, she will make clear how quickly the process will start to move after the election on 8 June.

“There are just 17 days to go until this crucial General Election. Just 11 days after that, the European Union wants the Brexit negotiations to begin,” she says.

"The UK's seat at the negotiating table will be filled by me or Jeremy Corbyn. The deal we seek will be negotiated by me or Jeremy Corbyn.

"There will be no time to waste and no time for a new Government to find its way. So the stakes in this election are high… We need someone representing Britain who is 100 per cent committed to the cause, not someone who is uncertain or unsure, but someone utterly determined to deliver the democratic will of the British people.

"Because if we don't get this right, the consequences for the United Kingdom and for the economic security of ordinary working people will be dire. If we do, the opportunities ahead are great.”

Mr Corbyn, meanwhile, has issued a last-ditch appeal to students who have not registered to vote to do so before Monday's 11.59pm deadline so that they can support Labour's plans to scrap university tuition fees in the election.

"Students will benefit from having more money in their pockets, and we will all benefit from the engineers, doctors, teachers and scientists that our universities produce,” he said.

Polls have showed a narrowing of the Conservatives’ once seemingly unassailable lead over Labour.

The latest put the gap between the two parties to nine percentage points. The Survation survey for ITV's Good Morning Britain showed the Conservatives on 43 per cent, down five points on the previous week, and Labour up five on 34 per cent.

Ms May is under pressure over her party’s plan to overhaul the funding of social care, which would mean elderly people would have to pay for care in their own home if they have total assets of £100,000 or more.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson refused to be drawn over the weekend on suggestions that the Cabinet was not consulted about the plan.

Ministers were adamant there would be no going back on the plan, although they said there would be a green paper on health and social care released over the summer if the Tories were returned to power on 8 June.

However Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron vowed to mobilise a national campaign against what he called the "dementia tax" because of the potential impact on sufferers of the debilitating condition.

He said he would be seeking the support of medical organisations and charities including former prime minister David Cameron who is now president of Alzheimer's Research UK.

"Caring for our elderly must be above party politics and that is why I want to urge anyone who opposes the Conservatives' plans to come together to stop it," he said.

The Press Association contributed to this report