May stands defiant

Johnson urges calm and says he fully supports PM to stay on

PRIME Minister Theresa May has defied calls to resign and has adopted a new slogan, “getting on with the job”, after a catastrophic election result.

She made minor changes to her Cabinet, even as her enemies in the Conservative Party said her days were numbered.

It has been reported that five Cabinet colleagues had pressed Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to oust her, and an ally of his told a Sunday newspaper that colleagues were urging him to stand.

But Mr Johnson told mutinous Tories to calm down, describing reports of his ambitions as “tripe” and saying he fully supported the PM’s attempts to form government.

Writing in The Sun, Mr Johnson said Mrs May deserved the backing of the Conservatives after securing the most Tory votes since the late Margaret Thatcher.

He said there was no public appetite for a leadership contest, which could plunge the country into a fresh general election.

“To those that say the PM should step down, or that we need another election or even — God help us — a second referendum, I say, come off it. Get a grip, everyone,” he wrote.

“This is the third year running that we have forced the people out to the polls.

“They are fed up to the back teeth with all this.

“They are fed up with politics, politicians and the uncertainty and dislocation of the electoral process.

“They overwhelmingly want us to get on with the job.”

Earlier, it was reported that Mr Johnson had sent a Whats App message to party colleagues urging them to “calm down” following the election.

And he called Mrs May a “woman of extraordinary qualities”.

Asked if she was now just a caretaker leader, Mrs May noted: “I said during the election campaign that if elected, I would intend to serve a full term.”