Theresa May is to declare Brexit a “national mission” as she seeks to present herself as a unifying leader amid tightening polls.
The Prime Minister will try to return withdrawal from the EU to the heart of the election campaign after coming under fire for ducking a TV debate with other party leaders on Wednesday evening.
With a week to go until the election, and a new poll showing Labour has closed the gap with the Tories to just three per cent, she will travel to the north-east and deliver a warning to voters.
“The brighter future we want for our country will not just happen," she will say.
"This great national moment needs a great national effort in which we pull together with a unity of purpose and - however we voted in the referendum last June - we come together with a determination to make a success of the years ahead.”
The PM, who backed Remain in last year’s EU referendum, will add: “As we come together behind this great national mission - to make a success of Brexit and of the opportunities it brings - we will build a more united country as our shared values, interests and aspirations bring us together.”
Her comments will be delivered after she was criticised for refusing to take part in a BBC election debate as the other party leaders went head-to-head. Home Secretary Amber Rudd stood in for the PM just days after the death of her father.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron told the BBC audience: "You're not worth Theresa May's time. Don't give her yours."
Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas added: “You don’t call a general election and say it’s the most important election in her lifetime and then not even be bothered to come and debate the issues at stake.”
General Election 2017 Campaign - In pictures
