May under pressure to resign, says she's 'not a quitter'
British prime minister Theresa May answered critics on Wednesday, saying she will fight in the next election while reiterating that she still has a long-term job to do - deliver on Brexit.
At the beginning of her three-day visit to China, May faced down critics within the Conservative Party that had called for her to resign by proclaiming she was “not a quitter”, reminding Britons that the next election wasn't until 2022.
May had previously used the “I’m not a quitter phrase” in 2017, on a similar visit to Japan where she also vowed to fight in the 2022 election.
“We are in government. The next general election is not until 2022. What we’re doing now is doing the job that the British people asked the government to do which is to deliver on Brexit,” said the PM from Wuhan, China.
May has been under increasing pressure recently from backbench Brexiters who have accused her of not being harsh enough in negotiations with the EU, as well as copping criticism from more liberal-leaning Tories who feel she has not been bold enough on her domestic agenda.
May defended her leadership by claiming the government had made progress in housing, education and employment.
She made it clear there was still a big job ahead of her - referring to Brexit - and that she was adamant on “ensuring that we take back control of our money, our laws, our borders, that we can sign trade deals around the rest of the world.
"But it is also about our domestic agenda.”
Media reports have said that members of her party are plotting to replace her, and that a number of private letters submitted by Tory MPs to express no confidence in May’s leadership could reach the minimum required to start a leadership contest.
The minimum number of letters required to trigger the contest is 48, meaning 15% of the parliamentary party.
May has also said that she should find a way to improve her communication with her MPs and with the public.
The prime minister is set to meet the Chinese premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, and meet president Xi on Thursday.