Rishi Sunak has been forced to deny he considered quitting following the row over his decision to leave the D-Day commemoration early.
The prime minister was forced to issue an apology following an angry backlash last week.
In his first national media appearance since Friday, Sunak was asked if quitting had “crossed your mind”.
He said: “No of course not. I’m energised about the vision that we’re putting forward for the country.
“This campaign is not even halfway through yet, and I’m finding an enormous amount of support for the policies that we’re putting on the table.”
The PM added: “I believe I’ve got the right plan for the country, we’re the only party willing to take bold action. That’s how we deliver secure future and I’m going to keep taking that message to as many people as possible between now and polling day.”
The fact that Sunak has had to answer questions about his own future in the middle of an election campaign is a sign of how much trouble to Tories are in.
The party remains well behind Labour in the opinion polls, and is also having to contend with Nigel Farage’s decision to lead Reform UK and stand as a candidate.
Sunak also refused to be drawn on the row surrounding Farage’s claim that the prime minister “doesn’t understand our history and our culture”.
He said: “It’s a question for Nigel Farage what he meant by those comments. I’m not going to get involved in that because I don’t think it’s good for our politics or our country.”