Can’t Answer? Won’t Answer? An Analysis of Equivocal Responses by Theresa May in Prime Minister’s Questions

The aim of this study was to investigate whether typologies devised for the analy-sis of equivocation in broadcast political interviews could be usefully extended tothe analysis of equivocation in Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). The study wasbased on the 23 sessions of PMQs held during Theresa May’s first term of office(July 2016 to April 2017). Results showed that May’s mean reply rate to questionsfrom Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn was just 11%, and that her distinctive equiv-ocation style was essentially covert, characterised primarily by ignoring questions,modifying questions, stating or implying that she had already answered ques-tions and acknowledging questions without answering them