Theresa May has vowed to fight an attempt by her own MPs to sack her, as the turmoil over her Brexit plans deepened amid a wave of resignations and bitter Tory infighting.
The Prime Minister said she would not quit after it became clear she faced a vote of no confidence from Tory MPs which could trigger a party leadership contest.
“Am I going to see this through? Yes,” she said at a press conference in Downing Street.
“Leadership is about taking the right decisions, not the easy ones.”
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She strongly defended her draft EU withdrawal agreement, and said that MPs would do the right thing for their constituents when they voted on it, despite Tory MPs writing letters demanding a vote of no confidence in her leadership.
Looking tired and drawn, she said she believed in her Brexit plan "with every fibre of my being", and ruled out a People's Vote.
The stubborn defence of her plan followed a day of extraordinary scenes at Westminster, which started just before 9am with the resignation of her Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab.
He said the draft withdrawal agreement Mrs May had hailed on Wednesday night gave far too much power to the EU and threatened the integrity of the Union.
He was followed out of the government by Work and Pensions Secretary Esther Mcvey.
Read more: Theresa May to face no-confidence vote as Brexit crisis grows
Brexit minister Suella Braverman and Northern Ireland minister Shailesh Vara also quit.
In a sign of Mrs May weakness, Brexiter Environment Secretary Michael Gove was offered the Brexit Secretary’s job but refused to take unless there was a change in her plans.
He asked to rewrite the draft withdrawal agreement and a delay to the EU council meeting scheduled for November 25, which was supposed to sign off the plan.
Asked if she would allow her next Brexit Secretary to rewrite the deal, she said Mr Gove was doing an excellent job is his current position.
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