THE man who lost the UK Labour leadership to Jeremy Corbyn has claimed the party might have clinched the general election if he had been in charge.
Owen Smith, now shadow North Ireland secretary, was asked on Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday whether the party would have fared better on June 8 if he had become leader last year.
He said: “I don't know, I hope so. I hope I might have even got us to win.”
The Pontypridd MP was backed by most Labour parliamentarians for leader, but won just 38 per cent of the overall vote.
He went on: “I think Jeremy has clearly galvanised young people in this country. We've seen that not just in the election, but since.
"I met people during the election who hadn't voted ever, certainly people who hadn't voted for a long while, who felt Jeremy was speaking to and for them and that Labour was speaking to and for them.
"I don't think any of us can argue with that and therefore I think he's earned the right to try and get Labour into power and earned the right to be out next prime minister."
Meanwhile, Labour deputy Tom Watson said Mr Corbyn’s position was “completely secure" after the election, despite previous internal feuds between pro- and anti-Corbyn factions.
However the West Bromwich East MP said traditional working class voters still needed be be convinced to return to the party after switching to Ukip and the Tories.
An Opinium poll for the Observer put Labour on 45 per cent and the Tories on 39, while Survation had the Tories on 41 and Labour at 40, the same as Labour in the election.
The Opinium survey also showed a surge in Mr Corbyn’s personal approval ratings, and a collapse in Theresa May’s.
Since April, Mr Corbyn’s rating had gone from -35 to +4, while Mrs May’s had sunk from +21 to -20, with 61 per cent of voters saying their opinion of her had become more negative.
Mr Watson told the Observer: "I think everyone knows now, Jeremy's position is completely secure as leader. He has had a unified PLP (parliamentary Labour party) around him since his second election win, more or less, and now he has got a highly enthused PLP around him, to take him through the years ahead."
Coral bookmakers are quoting odds of 11/8 that Mr Corbyn leaves his role in 2020 or later - compared with 5/1 that he leaves this year
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