Speculation has been swirling about Mrs May’s future ever since the disastrous election showing in June. The PM is pictured giving a speech today
Theresa May has risked the wrath of Tory MPs by vowing she will fight the next general election as Tory leader.
The Prime Minister insisted there was no prospect of her standing down before 2022 as she prepares for a potentially bad-tempered party conference.
Speculation has been swirling about Mrs May’s future ever since the disastrous election showing in June, which saw the Conservatives stripped of their overall majority.
Both Boris Johnson and David Davis have been accused of being on manoeuvres to take over.
While MPs generally want Mrs May to remain in place for the time being, few believe she should still be in charge when the country goes to the polls again.
Chancellor Philip Hammond ducked a series of questions last week about whether she should be PM after Brexit happens in 2019.
Mrs May triggered disquiet among colleagues last month by pledging to stay on beyond 2022.
On a visit to Japan last month, she insisted: ‘I’m not a quitter.’
She later appeared to row back on the promise, repeatedly ducking questions in interviews about her future after the UK formally leaves the EU.
In an interview with BBC South Today this evening, Mrs May was pressed about her intentions.
‘I’ve answered this question before and I have been very clear that I am not a quitter,’ she said. ‘That I am in it for the long term and that there is a job to be done, and I will be fighting the next election.’
A ring of steel will surround the Tory gathering in Manchester, with security on high alert after a series of terrorist incidents this year
Final preparations are being made for the start of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester at the weekend
Speaking to the Spectator, First Secretary of State Damian Green said the Prime Minister was a ‘fighter’ with an agenda that she ‘wants to put that into practice.’
Mr Green, seen as Mrs May’s closest ally, said: ‘By 2022, she will have a big record of achievement to show.
‘I’m optimistic that we’ll have a good Brexit deal, and we’re determined to pursue a domestic agenda that will show people who may not have previously benefited from Conservative successes can do so.
‘Different types of people in different parts of the country. I think people will see that as a success.’
First Secretary of State Damian Green said the Prime Minister was a ‘fighter’ with an agenda that she ‘wants to put that into practice.’
Chancellor Philip Hammond ducked a series of questions last week about whether she should be PM after Brexit happens in 2019