Theresa May vows to win battle of ideas

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday that she has to win a “battle of ideas” in Parliament and the country after losing her majority in last month’s election.

In a speech both conciliatory and defiant, Ms May urged her political opponents to contribute their “views and ideas” to help shape government policy.

Ms May spoke nearly a year after taking office and just over a month after she suffered a setback from voters in a June 8 snap election.

She acknowledged that the election result was “not what I wanted”, but said she remained committed to building a fairer Britain as the country leaves the European Union.

Ms May was speaking at the launch of a report on how to guarantee protections for the growing number of workers in the “gig economy”.

Key parts of her Brexit plan are now also under fire from critics within her own party who want a more moderate approach and whose voices are suddenly influential because of the election result.

The latest fronts in the battle between proponents of a “hard” and “soft” Brexit are Britain’s membership of the Europe’s nuclear regulator Euratom and the authority of the European Court of Justice.

Some Conservative MPs have reportedly warned they will rebel if Ms May pushes ahead with her plan to withdraw from Euratom after doctors said it could jeopardise treatment for cancer patients.

The government has also hinted it may relent on its hardline position of ending the authority of the EU’s highest court in Britain from the moment the country leaves the bloc as expected in 2019.

The real showdown is expected after the government on Thursday publishes the Repeal Bill, a hefty draft law aimed at scrapping the cornerstone of Britain’s EU membership, the European Communities Act.

The opposition is already planning amendments to the bill, which would also adopt, amend or repeal thousands of EU laws that currently apply in Britain.