Sir Keir Starmer has said he will not be setting a timetable for his departure from No10.
The Prime Minister, who was reportedly considering his position over the weekend, is expected to face a leadership challenge from ex-Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
However, Sir Keir dismissed speculation he is plotting to step down, doubling down on comments he made in an interview with The Observer eight days ago.
He said: “I do want to fight the next election.”
The Prime Minister added: “Obviously, I recognise that after the local election results, the elections in Wales and Scotland as well, that the first task is obviously turning things around and making sure that my focus is in the right place.
“The last 10 days, there’s been a lot of activity, which hasn’t been as focused in my view as it should have been, and I remind myself every day that I was elected to office to serve the people, to serve the country, that’s what I believe in, and that’s what I’ll be getting on with.”
Sir Keir said he would not “walk away” and would not set out a timetable to stand down if Mr Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election on June 18.
He also chimed in on the recent Brexit civil war that has erupted within his party.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will not be setting a timetable for his departure from No10
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Sir Keir said he did not want to get “lost in a debate about what may happen years down the line” after Mr Streeting said he wanted to see Britain rejoin the European Union.
Asked for his view, the PM told reporters: “The way I see it is this: we inherited a really bad Brexit deal that Boris Johnson has negotiated. It was a botched deal. It doesn’t work for businesses, doesn’t work for the country.
“What I’ve done in two years is to completely reset our relations with our EU partners, to already have improved on that deal, which is what I did last year.
“This year we have another summit with the EU, where we’re going to take a really, a really important leap forward in terms of the relationship, bring us closer to Europe. It’s really good for businesses, really good for some of the businesses in this room, really good for the country.”
Sir Keir Starmer said he did not want to get ‘lost in a debate about what may happen years down the line’
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The PM added: “So that’s what I intend to do, not get lost in a debate about what may happen years down the line.
“I’m grounded in the job that I’m doing, which is to make sure we are closer to the EU and doing the hard jobs and making sure that we establish the relationship to make that work, get that relationship with the EU into a better place, and again, reminding myself, why would we want to do that for businesses, for the country, for the economy, because it’s the best thing, it’s in our national interest. So that’s where my focus is.”
It echoes comments from Mr Burnham, who hopes to stand as Labour’s candidate in Makerfield and expects to face a tough challenge from Reform UK.
Mr Farage’s party has yet to confirm its candidate but is confident it can win the seat.
Andy Burnham made the EU U-turn while delivering a speech in Leeds | PA
The Conservatives also intend to put forward a candidate.
Restore Britain has become the first party to declare a candidate.
The party, led by Rupert Lowe, named Rebecca Shepherd, a local businesswoman, as their election hopeful.
She is described by the party as “understanding first-hand the pressures facing local businesses and working families across the area”.
Mr Lowe said Ms Shepherd “would fight for the interests of the community, rather than political careers”.