MAY: I WILL FIGHT NEXT ELECTION
THERESA May stunned MPs last night by vowing to stay on as Tory leader and fight the 2022 general election. The Prime Minister said she was ‘not a quitter’ and would remain in office to guide the country through Brexit and beyond. Her bold declaration could see her stay in office for another ten years if the Conservatives win the next election and she serves two full terms.
Her pledge will shock Westminster after her decision to call a snap election resulted in the humiliating loss of her party’s Commons majority. Many had assumed Mrs May would remain as Prime Minister only until Britain formally left the EU in 2019, before stepping down and handing over to a new leader to fight the next election.
Indeed, many MPs believed they had a tacit understanding this would be the
case. But as she arrived in Japan yesterday for the start of a three-day trip, Mrs May made clear she had no such intention of quitting.
She dismissed a recent report that suggested she would leave Downing Street in the summer of 2019 following Brexit as having ‘no basis whatsoever’. Instead, Mrs May insisted there was still an ‘awful lot more’ she wanted to get done to deliver a ‘brighter future’ for the country.
Asked if she intended to lead the Tories into the next election, the Prime Minister 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.’
She added: ‘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.’ She then declared: ‘I am not a quitter.’ Mrs May’s bold plan risks re-igniting leadership rows in the Conservative Party
‘I’m in this for the long-term’
ahead of its annual conference in just a few weeks.
Most colleagues were willing to accept her remaining in office as they feared a damaging leadership contest that could lead to another election and hand Jeremy Corbyn the keys to Downing Street.
But by asserting her desire to cling on for the longer term, Mrs May could cause rumblings from those with their eyes on the top job – thought to include Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis – and risks the leadership issue bursting into the open over party conference season.
It is thought Mrs May has been emboldened because no one has emerged as a serious contender to take her on.
In the days after the election, a contrite Mrs May told Tory MPs: ‘I got us into this mess and I’m going to get us out of it. I will continue to serve as long as you want me.’ But no serious opponent has emerged and Brexit- supporting Tory MPs are worried that a change of leader could jeopardise their objectives in negotiations with the EU.
Explaining why she thought she should continue, Mrs May said that while she had promised to ‘get on with the job of Brexit’, her vision for her premiership included securing ‘changes domestically on issues such as social justice’.
Over the summer, Mrs May said she had reflected on her election disappointment in June, but had decided that people wanted her to continue to deliver Brexit.
She said: ‘Obviously what I have done since the election is reflected on the messages and issues the public felt were important and that came through.
‘I think coming out of it, the general view I got from the public in relation to Brexit was get on with it, but make sure you get a good deal.’
Former Tory leader William Hague warned Cabinet ministers against plotting to replace Mrs May as he suggested her successor would be an outsider. Lord Hague said all ministers needed to ‘concentrate on doing a good job in the job’ they have got now and should not be ‘manoeuvring to be a future leader’.
He told the BBC: ‘The ones who manoeuvre probably will not become the leader and they should get behind Theresa May and help her to do a good job in these exceptionally difficult circumstances.
‘When I was elected 20 years ago, a few months before I was elected I was 66/1 against at the bookies. The most likely person hardly ever gets it.’
IT’S hard to think of any time since the Second World War when Britain was in more desperate need of strong leadership.
Brexit talks, which will shape our country’s future for generations, are mired in acrimony and delay because of the arrogant intransigence of Brussels negotiators.
At home, public and private debt remain at terrifying levels, the terrorist threat is ever-present on our streets and the NHS and social care system are in crisis.
In the wider world – quite apart from Syrian carnage and the flood of migrants pouring into Europe – the threat of nuclear conflict is greater than at any time since the Cold War, as deranged North Korean despot Kim Jong-un launches ballistic missiles over Japan.
These are perilous times and Britain needs a leader of stature to meet them.
Before the general election, an overwhelming majority of the country agreed that Theresa May was that person. Her party had a poll lead of 25 points and her personal ratings were sky-high. We all know what happened next. A disastrous campaign saw her majority wiped out, leading to bitter recriminations and serious questions over her future.
Yesterday, Mrs May began her fightback, boldly declaring she would lead the Tories into the next election. Yes, it may sound ambitious. But it was exactly the kind of unambiguous signal the country – and her party – needs. Her Government must unite behind her, whatever their reservations. The stakes couldn’t be higher. With the preposterous European Commission president Jean- Claude Juncker and his chief negotiator refusing to discuss a new trade deal until Britain stumps up a huge divorce payment, Mrs May must now go directly to Germany and France for a sensible resolution. Won’t Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron be far more inclined to listen to a PM who has her party’s full support and is there for the long haul, than a mere caretaker who could be gone tomorrow?
Tories with doubts about backing Mrs May should think very carefully about the alternative. With no obvious successor, toppling her would lead to a highly damaging leadership contest and intense pressure for an early general election. The latest polls put Labour and Conservative neck and neck, bringing the grotesque spectre of a Corbyn- led government ever closer to reality. A major Tory split would make it inevitable.
Mrs May’s statement of intent is the right tactic at the right time. If she can take her party with her and negotiate a safe path through Brexit, she may yet win the 2022 general election. The alternative is almost too frightening to contemplate.