Theresa May has insisted she is “not a quitter” but admitted that she needed to communicate better with her MPs and the country.
The prime minister refused to say whether she would fight on if Tory MPs forced a vote of no confidence in her leadership.
Speaking to reporters on her RAF Voyager flight to China at the start of a three-day trade mission, Mrs May said: “First and foremost I’m a servant of my country and my party. I’m not a quitter, and there is a long-term job to be done.”
The language consciously echoed her vow last year to fight the next election as Tory leader.
Despite criticism in recent weeks that the government’s agenda is too bare, Mrs May insisted she had a clear plan centred on “getting the best Brexit deal, about ensuring that we take back control of our money, our laws, our borders.”
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Domestically, the prime minister said “we need to ensure that we do speak about the achievements that we’ve seen”, such as “the reduction in the attainment gap between rich and poor kids”, a stamp duty cut for first time buyers, and “unemployment at its lowest level for 40 years.”
Rumours have gathered pace in the past week that the number of MPs who have written to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee, is nearing the 48 required to trigger a vote of confidence in Mrs May’s leadership.
Asked whether she would fight on in that event, the prime minister avoided the question. “You always like talking about hypothetical situations,” she told reporters. “Let’s talk about where we are now and what we are doing. Here I am, taking a trade delegation to China, here I am going to enhance the British economy and enhance global Britain.”
On whether it was fair that a sitting prime minister could be brought down by anonymous letters, Mrs May said: “The Conservative Party’s rules have been written, and it’s a matter for the Conservative Party.”
After briefing reporters on the aircraft, the prime minister landed in Wuhan, a central Chinese city with the largest student population in the world, early on Wednesday morning after an 11-hour flight. She visited Wuhan University — one of China’s most prestigious higher education institutions — to meet students at a UK-China Spirit of Youth festival.
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Mrs May was greeted by Jiang Shu-Ying, a famous Chinese actress who studied at the University of East Anglia, and Jiang Chaoliang, the Communist Party secretary of Hubei province.
More than 200 Chinese students of English and young British citizens studying in Wuhan cheered and took videos on their mobile phones as the prime minister announces a series of fresh educational ties between the two countries.
Mrs May said: “By learning with each other and from each other, we can continue to develop the bond of friendship on which this golden era of UK-Chinese relations is built, bringing our people together not just now but for years to come.”
She then visited the bank of the River Yangtze to view an environmental project. Ten rivers, including five in China, are responsible for 90 per cent of the world’s plastic pollution in the oceans. The Yangtze is the worst offender, carrying 1.5 million tonnes of plastic into the ocean each year.
Mrs May was later joined by her husband Philip to watch an open-air performance of Chinese opera at Wuhan’s pagoda-style Yellow Crane tower. Dressed in a white furry hat, dark overcoat and gloves in the bitterly cold and snowy city, Mrs May applauded as brightly dressed performers somersaulted to the sound of traditional gongs and flutes.
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The prime minister, who is accompanied by a 50-strong business delegation, is now in Beijing. She was greeted off her RAF Voyager jet by a parade of Chinese troops. Later she will hold bilateral talks with Li Keqiang, the prime minister, followed by a state dinner.
A poll published yesterday suggested that Mrs May has lost the support of three in ten of those who voted for her at the general election.
A YouGov poll for WPI Strategy, a consultancy, found that 69 per cent of people who voted for the Conservatives think Mrs May should continue as prime minister, with 18 per cent saying that she should stand down and let someone else take over. The rest did not know.
Voters were not enthralled by the prospect of any alternative Tory leaders, with Boris Johnson the most divisive candidate.
