May's promise to stay divides opinion

LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May's announcement on Thursday that she aims to lead the Conservatives into the 2022 general election has been greeted with a mixed reaction in the United Kingdom.

Following the snap general election in June when May's Conservatives lost their overall majority, May faced calls for her to quit, fueling speculation that she would leave 10 Downing Street before the run-up to the next election to enable a successor to take the lead.

In media interviews in Japan, where she is on a three-day charm offensive, May said she wants to lead the Conservatives into the next general election and intends to remain in power for the long term.

Labour's shadow Cabinet Office Minister Jon Trickett said May is deluding herself with a fantasy bid to plow on until 2022.

"The idea that the Conservatives can go on, and on, and on causing damage every day," he said on his social media site.

In a media interview in Kyoto, May said: "I'm here for the long term. What me and my government are about is not just delivering on Brexit but delivering a brighter future for the UK."

May added that she wanted to ensure global Britain could take its trading place in the world, as well as dealing with domestic injustices to ensure a strong, more global, but also fairer Britain, for the future.

On the second day of her trip to Japan, May held official talks with her counterpart Shinzo Abe, but media coverage has zoomed into the question of her longevity as prime minister.

May's visit is aimed at reassuring Japanese business leaders that Britain remains a safe bet for investment as it prepares to leave the European Union.

Leading Conservative politicians were among those expressing reservations about May's plan to fight the 2022 election.

Veteran Conservative politician and one time deputy prime minister, Michael Heseltine, criticized May's announcement, telling The Daily Telegraph that May had no long term future as the party leader. Heseltine predicted that Britain will face another general election within two years.

However, other Conservatives rallied to May's side, with leading Remain supporter Sarah Wollaston expressing loyalty to the prime minister on her social media site.

In a poll among readers of the Labour Party-supporting Daily Mirror, 77 percent said May should quit Downing Street ahead of the next election.

In its report, the Mirror said May's vow threatened to rip the Conservative civil war wide open again as the party prepared for its annual conference in October.

Xinhua

(China Daily 09/01/2017 page11)