Theresa May eyes 2022 vote after rocky year

Theresa May went from a 20 point lead in the polls to loosing the slim Conservative majority in the general election earlier this year, ruining her mandate as Prime Minister.

However, Mrs May has tried to shrug off a year which has seen her loose three cabinet ministers, Brexit negotiations stall and as the UK has survived a spate of terror attacks.

“I’m in it for the long term,” May said when asked if she will lead her party into the next general election, scheduled for 2022. “I’m here to do the job I believe needs to be done for the British people and that’s what I’m going to focus on.”

Speaking to reporters on a flight from Poland to Cyprus on her last foreign trip of the year.

Mrs May told the journalists she wanted her legacy to be more than “Madame Brexit”.

“I smiled when I heard the translation of Madam Brexit,” May said. “I’m going to deliver on Brexit, that’s undoubtedly the case, but I’m doing other things as well, if you look at the changes we’re making on skills, education and training for example, the industrial strategy and global Britain.”

She suggested she wanted to boost housing and healthcare by pointing to some of the flagship schemes in Philip Hammond’s last budget.

“I smiled when I heard the translation of Madam Brexit,” May said. “I’m going to deliver on Brexit, that’s undoubtedly the case, but I’m doing other things as well, if you look at the changes we’re making on skills, education and training for example, the industrial strategy and global Britain.”

May, who plans to go to China early in 2018, said she will continue to travel to promote British trade, using defense and security cooperation as a lever to help foster closer ties.

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