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May is battling to win over rebels in her own ranks and save her leadership after a grueling week, with two Cabinet ministers quitting and other Conservative critics plotting to oust her immediately after Britain struck a divorce deal with the EU.
In a public relations offensive, May tried to win support in a Daily Mail interview that revealed how her husband supported her during what she admitted to be “a pretty heavy couple of days.”
She also laid into political opponents, saying the alternatives they favour to tackle a key stumbling block the issue of how to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit wouldn’t resolve the problem.
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“Some politicians get so embroiled in the intricacies of their argument they forget it is not about this theory or that theory, or does it make me look good,” she added.
Calling her husband Philip her “rock,” May said that when the Conservative revolt erupted on Wednesday, the first thing he did was pour her a whisky.
While May appeared to have survived the week’s political storm intact, her trial is far from over disaffected “Brexiteers” believe they have the numbers required to trigger a challenge to her leadership within days.
They are aiming for 48 letters of no confidence, the number needed for a vote under party rules. So far, more than 20 have publicly said they submitted such letters.
British media also reported that several pro-Brexit senior Conservatives, including House of Commons leader Andrea Leasom, are working to persuade May to change her Brexit plans and renegotiate the divorce deal to make it more acceptable to them.
EU leaders have called a November 25 summit in Brussels to sign off on the draft withdrawal agreement.