Theresa May reveals naughtiest thing she has ever done was 'running through fields of wheat’ as a child

‘The farmers weren’t too pleased about that’

Not known for acts of wild abandon, Theresa May has revealed the “naughtiest” thing she ever did as a child.

In a wide-ranging interview with Julie Etchingham of ITV’s Tonight programme, the Prime Minister addressed issues including her record on security following the terror attacks in Manchester and London, and Brexit.

The interview also covered aspects of Ms May's personal life, touching upon the difficulty she faced with the death of her parents shortly after she was married.

When discussing her childhood, Mrs May, who has previously described herself as a “goody two shoes”, told ITV she was “bookish as a child” and enjoyed learning.

"I was an only child, so of course I didn't have brothers and sisters who I was playing with and so obviously I had friends but sometimes had to just go our and, sort of, do things on my own," she said.

After being asked the “naughtiest” thing she had ever done, Mrs May, who grew up in Sussex, initially seemed at a loss to think of an occasion she had stepped out of line.

"Oh, goodness me. Well, I suppose... gosh. Do you know, I'm not quite sure. I can't think what the naughtiest thing...," she said.

But upon being encouraged by her interviewer, the apparently sheepish PM said: "Well, nobody is ever perfectly behaved, are they? I mean, you know, there are times when... I have to confess, when me and my friend, sort of, used to run through the fields of wheat."

“The farmers weren’t too pleased about that,” she added.

In the final days before the general election Ms May is attempting to push the Conservatives’ campaign past the issue of police cuts from her years as Home Secretary, after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for her to resign over the issue in the wake of the recent terror attacks.

She is expected to attempt to bring the focus of the campaign back on to Brexit, putting forward plans for a board of trade that would push business leaders’ efforts in the UK to seek out new trade opportunities abroad, and to promote British products.

“The opportunities for our economy from Brexit are great, and I am determined the benefits of new jobs and prosperity will be spread equally across the United Kingdom – helping to build a stronger and more united country,” she will say.