Theresa May insists she is "no quitter" and wants to lead the Conservatives into the 2022 election.

The PM was widely criticised for her performance during the 2017 campaign, which resulted in the Tories losing their majority.

Earlier, Mrs May stated she was "in this for the long term" - indicating she would lead the Tories into the 2022 election.

This has been met with scepticism from colleagues - but the PM was defiant when asked about her future during an official visit to Japan.

Image: The PM greets her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on her Far East trip

"I'm not a quitter," Mrs May said, when asked to clarify her remarks as she finished the first day of a three-day trade mission.


She said there were "real issues that we need to be dealing with and I'm there to do it".

Asked about scepticism over her leadership ambitions back home, she said: "For most members of the public, they would say they want the Government to get on with the job and that's exactly what I and the Government are doing."

Just two months ago, in an interview with The Sun, Mrs May refused to commit to fighting the next general election as head of the Conservatives.

Last week, reports emerged that Mrs May was going to quit her premiership on 30 August 2019.

John Redwood: PM has my 'full support'

Number 10 dismissed the claims as "peak silly season".

The idea that she now wants to spend another five years as party boss came as a surprise to some of her MPs.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the backbench Tory MP who this summer dismissed reports he could be the next leader, threw his support behind the PM.

"It's important to have clarity and stability during the Brexit negotiations," he told Sky News.

He said Mrs May was doing a good job in the talks, adding: "She is offering leadership and clarity of purpose, but above all she is doing her duty.

"It can't be easy to be a prime minister at the moment and she is putting the interest of the nation ahead of her personal interest."

"I think that's really impressive and deserves support."

Lord Heseltine, a former deputy prime minister for the Tories, told Sky News the idea was "not realistic".

"I don't believe there will an appetite, particularly in the parliamentary party, to rerun the last general election. I believe they'll want a new leader," he said.

The Prime Minister has used her Japan trip to push the message she wants her premiership to stand for more than Brexit.

In a huddle with journalists on the plane, Mrs May spoke about how she wanted to pursue a domestic agenda with renewed vigour.

Image: Ex-Tory leader William Hague urged MPs to back the PM

The Conservative Party conference in October is expected to concentrate on issues such as housing and education - taking Mrs May back to the speech she delivered on the steps of Number 10 after she was first elected as Prime Minister last summer.

Former Tory leader William Hague has added his backing for Mrs May, despite her loss of her Commons majority in June.

Lord Hague urged Conservative MPs to get behind the Prime Minister as she tackles Brexit.

He said: "In fact the ones who manoeuvre probably will not become the leader.

"They should get behind Theresa May and help her to do a good job in these exceptionally difficult circumstances of having to deliver Brexit and keep the economy going at the same time without a majority in the House of Commons."

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