Defiant Theresa May compared her premiership with an innings by England cricket legend Geoffrey Boycott.

The Yorkshire opener was famed for his dogged style and the Prime Minister has previously described him as her favourite player.

After being rocked by the resignations of two Cabinet ministers and calls to quit from senior MPs, Mrs May drew inspiration from the cricketer – now a strident commentator on TV and radio.

Theresa May praised Geoffrey Boycott's approach at a Downing Street press conference (Matt Dunham/PA)
Theresa May praised Geoffrey Boycott’s approach at a Downing Street press conference (Matt Dunham/PA)

Asked if she would “resign as captain”, Mrs May told a Downing Street press conference: “One of my cricket heroes was always Geoffrey Boycott.

“And what do you know about Geoffrey Boycott? Geoffrey Boycott stuck to it and he got the runs in the end.”

Cricket-loving Mrs May was given personalised plastic containers by Boycott in 2017.

The gift was to make amends after Mrs May accused the former cricketer of keeping the container she used to take chocolate brownies to the Test Match Special commentary box.

Appearing on the show in 2017 she said: “I have made brownies for TMS before, once when Geoffrey Boycott invited me to Headingley I brought some brownies up and handed them to Geoffrey.

“I don’t know whether they ever made it into the TMS box … all I will say is Geoffrey Boycott has still got my Tupperware.”

The Prime Minister, who has consistently rejected calls for a second Brexit referendum, has an ally in Boycott, who compared Remainers calling for a fresh vote to a “spoilt child”.

On ITV’s Good Morning Britain in September he said Mrs May faced the toughest job in Number 10 since Winston Churchill, adding: “What she should do is believe in democracy, that’s what we all believe in; the vote has been made now let’s move on with it.”

Turning on Remainers calling for a referendum, he said: “They just want to keep having a new vote until they get what they want.

“They’re like a spoilt child in the playground where in the old days the teacher would’ve given them a smack.”