But a month later, rifts over Europe run so deep MPs have triggered a leadership contest that some members fear could tear apart a centuries-old institution.
May vowed to fight for her job yesterday ahead of a no confidence vote triggered by Conservative MPs, saying a change could jeopardise Britain’s divorce from the EU.
While a party split may still seem a distant option, former Conservative Party leader William Hague and former attorney general Dominic Grieve have both raised the spectre of an end to the Conservative Party in its current form.
With her job on the line, May too appealed yesterday for an end to the bitter Conservative infighting.