Theresa May vows to fight off any challenge from Boris Johnson for the keys to No10
The Prime Minister repeated comments that she is 'in this for the long term' and promised to set out a new agenda for Brits based on house-building, education and the NHS later this year
THERESA May has vowed to fight off any challenge from Boris Johnson for the keys to No10 - warning Tory leadership hopefuls: "I am in this for the long term."
The Prime Minister dismissed fears of a "right wing coup" that could see her ousted like Aussie PM Malcolm Turnbull last week.
And she vowed to kick start her troubled leadership of the Conservative Party with a massive domestic drive this autumn setting out an "agenda which is of concern to the British people."
Mrs May's comments will dismay some Tory MPs who hope the PM will quietly move aside for a new face after Brexit after her 2017 Election disaster.
Asked if it was still her intention to remain in Downing Street beyond the next election - or even after Britain leaves the EU next year - defiant Mrs May insisted: "I am in this for the long term. What I am focusing on doing is delivering what the British people want.
"They want us to leave the EU and I and the government will be delivering on that."
And pushed directly on whether she would take on Boris Johnson if the former Foreign Secretary challenged her for control of the country, Mrs May stressed: "I am in it for the long term, I am in this for delivering for the British people."
Speaking on board her RAF Voyager flight to South Africa, Mrs May also laughed off threats from angry party faithful that she could be booed at October's Conservative Party Conference.
Instead she vowed to use the annual Tory gathering in four weeks in Birmingham to set out "what we as a government will be doing not just in relation to the Brexit issue, but what we are doing on the domestic agenda."
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She said her "important messages" would include "what we are doing actively to increase house building, so that young people have an opportunity to get their foot on the housing ladder; what we are doing with technical education to help young people and what we are doing with the NHS and the significant pledge we have given to more money."
She added: "On the back of that there is a strong domestic agenda that we will be taking to party conference."