Liz Truss struggled to keep a straight face as she told the BBC she is “sticking around” because she was “elected to deliver for this country”.
The prime minister is seeking to shore up her authority after she sacked her former chancellor and abandoned her economic agenda in a bonfire of tax-cutting policies, sparking questions over her mandate to lead.
She will rally her Cabinet at a meeting on Tuesday following an informal reception with senior ministers over drinks and nibbles in Downing Street on Monday evening.
Truss has suggested she believes she can weather the storm that has rocked the party in recent weeks, as she vowed to lead the Tories into the next general election.
But even she couldn’t keep a straight face saying it.
Sniggering to the Beeb, she said: “I will lead the Conservatives into the next general election.
“I will stay in the job to deliver for the national interest.”
Watch the clip in full below: