Jeremy Corbyn’s team admits Labour would LOSE if Theresa May called snap election
Labour adamant they will claw back support over Brexit despite Tories 17 point lead in the polls
LABOUR would lose a snap general election, Jeremy Corbyn’s team finally admitted yesterday as the party remained at a record low in the polls.
Theresa May is now more than three times as popular as the veteran left-wing Labour leader with voters.
Mr Corbyn has insisted Labour is “ready” to fight a General Election but his chief spin doctor conceded the party had no chance of winning unless it reverses its dire performance in the polls.
“If nothing changes, Labour won’t be winning the general election” the spokesman admitted.
“Obviously if the current level of support in the opinion polls were to continue, that would be the case.”
But he insisted Mr Corbyn will not stand aside and is “confident” the Conservative party’s 17-point lead will “narrow and then it will close”.
Half of voters believe Mrs May is the best pick for Prime Minister, against just 15 per cent who said Mr Corbyn, according to a YouGov poll.
Alarmingly for Labour, the response “don’t know” polled more than twice as high as Mr Corbyn.
The Labour leadership blamed its plunging support on moderate MPs causing division in the party and Mrs May’s honeymoon since entering No 10 last summer.
He also claimed Ukip voters were switching back to the Tories because of the Government’s hardline approach to Brexit.
But Mr Corbyn’s spokesman predicted Tory divisions over Brexit would give Labour the chance to claw back support.
RELATED STORIES
He said: “I think once the Government’s position on Brexit - which is a kind of wish list across the board - comes into contact with reality after the invoking of Article 50 it will start to open significant problems and internal divisions in the Tory party.
“At the same time in the economy real wages are likely to fall back in the next few months because of rising inflation and because of the downward pressure on wages.
“Those things are going to come home to roost for the Tory Party.
At the same time we will be campaigning on jobs, education, health and social care and a real plan for Brexit that doesn’t drive Britain into being a bargain basement tax haven.”
Mr Corbyn said in December that Labour would vote in favour of dissolving Parliament to trigger an early general election.
Two thirds of MPs would have to vote in favour. Tory MPs have urged the Prime Minister to exploit Labour’s weakness by calling an early vote to increase her slim Commons majority.
But Mrs May has insisted she has “no plans” to call an election before 2020 and is focussed on Brexit.