Reported by Sam Coates (Deputy Political Editor) & Rachel Sylvester, edited for length:

On Monday, after the publication of the stories in The Times, she withdrew and effectively handed the keys of No 10 to Mrs May. Now The Time reveals further comments she made during the Interview.

She said: "As an employer we're not, let's face it, most of us don't employ men as nannies, most of us don't. Now you can call that sexist, I call that cautious and very sensible when you look at the stats. Your odds are stacked against you if you employ a man. We know paedophiles are attracted to working with children. I'm sorry but they're the facts."

These remarks are likely to sparks anger among thousands of men involved in the childcare industry. Industry estimates suggest that 5 per cent of nannies are men, while only 2 per cent of the day nursery workforce are male.