Prime Minister Theresa May was in a defiant mood on Monday as she urged business leaders to get behind her draft Brexit agreement.
After 18 months of intense talks, the PM and her European counterparts agreed a withdrawal deal last week, which is set to be signed off at a summit this weekend.
READ: Banking shares drop as May faces no-confidence vote over Brexit deal
Some of her own Conservative MPs have publicly lambasted the 585-page proposal though, with several ministers, including former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, resigning in protest.
— Tom Howard (@proactivetom) 19 November 2018
But May was resolute today, despite uncertainty and speculation over her future continuing to swirl.
PM def has majority of this audience on her side - she says to public ‘don’t just listen to politicians, listen to business’ - ‘I want to deliver on the Brexit vote’ and ‘this deal delivers on it’
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) November 19, 2018
She told business leaders at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Annual Conference in London: “I want everybody here to work with me to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead. Those opportunities are real and substantial.
“The key to unlocking them is getting a good Brexit deal agreed and delivered over the next few weeks. That is my focus and my job is to get the best deal.”
She concluded her speech by saying: “It was never going to be easy or straightforward, and the final stage was always going to be the toughest, but we have in view a deal that will work for the UK and let no one be in any doubt, I am determined to deliver it.”
CBI praises May's "grit and determination"
May seemed to have the backing of her audience as well, winning lengthy rounds of applause for her responses to questions, while gentle boos rang out in support of her when one critic berated her proposals and pleaded with her to renege on the deal.
CBI deputy general Carolyn Fairbairn and its president John Allan, not always her biggest fans, repeatedly praised May’s “grit and determination” as well.
Fairbairn conceded that the deal on the table “is not perfect”, but said it takes away the “nightmare scenario” of a no-deal Brexit.
It is the third year in a row that the Prime Minister has appeared at the conference, while her opposite number, Jeremy Corbyn, is due to make his third appearance later this afternoon.
Corbyn makes case for general election
Like May, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, made his third appearance at the conference later in the afternoon.
He berated Theresa May and her team for the “blindfolded Brexit” deal which they are trying to force through Parliament.
“The Prime Minister has negotiated a botched, worst-of-all-worlds deal which is bad for Britain,” said Corbyn as he addressed the same audience May had spoken in front of a few hours before.
“Labour has always respected the result of the referendum, but we cannot respect the way the government has bungled these vital negotiations. Labour will vote against the government’s deal and if the government cannot get its central policy through Parliament, then we will demand what I think is the only sensible course of action and that is a general election.”
--Adds Corbyn's comments--