Theresa May vows to stay on in No10 for up to TEN more years as she declares ‘I am not a quitter’
After reports that the Prime Minister would throw in the towel in August 2019 after Brexit is done and dusted, she now says: 'I'm in this for the long term'
THERESA MAY has dramatically vowed to stay on in No10 for up to ten more years, declaring "I am not a quitter".
In an intervention that will stun Westminster and reignite bitter Tory leadership rows, the Prime Minister said she "is in this for the long term" as she vowed to fight the next election.
After her disastrous Commons majority-loss at June’s Election, Mrs May made clear that she would make way for a new PM before the country went to the polls again.
Her concession saw off a leadership challenge after the Tories lost 13 seats and were forced to cut a deal with the DUP to cling to power.
And her change of heart comes a month after hinting she would only stay on to see through the country’s EU exit.
Speaking on a trade visit to Japan, Mrs May said she had now reflected on the humiliating election result and believes "it's not just about Brexit”.
And she dismissed reports she was planning to depart in 2019, saying: “I’m in this for the long term because there’s a long term challenge for the United Kingdom.”
She told reporters on board her RAF Voyager jet: “What I want to do is a lot more about the long term and what changes we can bring domestically on issues like social justice."
And in her first major outing since returning from a walking holiday with hubby Philip, Mrs May declared she is the woman to help the country "stand up as global Britain, I want to take that forward."
Pushed again by the BBC this evening if it was her intention to run for another term as PM, Mrs May said: “Yes. I’m here for the long term and it’s crucial, what me and my government are about is not just delivering on Brexit we are delivering a brighter future for the United Kingdom.”
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She later told Sky News: “I’m in this for the long term because there’s a long term challenge for the United Kingdom.
“We need to get the Brexit deal right, deliver the right deal for the people of the UK but we also need to ensure that after we have left the European Union, global Britain is out there trading around the world, standing tall in the world and that we deal with some of the remaining injustices at home.”
Pushed again if she wanted to fight the next election as leader of the Conservatives, by ITV, Mrs May said: “Yes, there's been an awful lot of speculation about my future which has no basis in it whatsoever. I'm in this for the long term.”
Probed further she added: “I'm not a quitter.”
But as recently as July Mrs May had swerved all questions about her future.
Asked by The Sun if she would personally like to fight another election as leader, Mrs May made it clear she is only now concentrating on the next two or three years ahead to see through Brexit.
Just six weeks ago Mrs May repeatedly side-stepped the question on whether she wanted to lead the Tories into the next general election – currently set in law for June 2022 - to instead say: “I have got a job to do.
“My view is I have always said that I would be here for the full term, but what I have also said is that over the years I have given my life to this Conservative Party and I will serve as long as they want me to serve.”
Mrs May made her explosive comments - which will stun MPs back home - while drumming up post-Brexit trade with Japan.
She flew to Kyoto on Tuesday evening before holding private meetings, a traditional tea ceremony and dinner with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe.
The pair travelled by high-speed bullet train to Tokyo on Wednesday evening, where they will attend a round of defence and security talks on Thursday.