LABOUR will be “absolutely ready” for a snap general election, Jeremy Corbyn has insisted.
After Downing St forcefully denied suggestions Theresa May’s aides were contingency planning for a November poll following the Brexit debacle in Salzburg, the Labour leader said his clear preference was for another election rather than a People’s Vote on Britain’s withdrawal.
Asked whether the UK could face a new election soon, Mr Corbyn replied: "We could be, because this Government doesn't seem very strong...We could well be looking towards a general election, and - do you know what? - we're ready for it.
"I don't think there's many Tory MPs want a Labour government but there's many Tory MPs who are very, very angry at the way their Government is performing and might feel it is the right time for the country to make a decision on the future.
"We will be putting our case to Parliament and we will see what happens after that. We are absolutely ready for it," he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
His colleague Emily Thornberry suggested if a snap election were called it would not only be about Brexit but also about the “appalling record of this Government; whether it's trains, whether it's underfunding of schools, whether it's what they are doing to the NHS; they have failed on every front”.
The Shadow Foreign Secretary added: "I'm quite confident that we will win a general election, that's why they don't want one."
Elsewhere at conference, senior Labour officials, MPs and members were urged to lead by example and unite behind Mr Corbyn to beat the "callous and cruel" Conservative Government.
The appeal by Jennie Formby, the party’s General Secretary, came during an impassioned speech at the start of conference.
After criticising the Tories' record in power, she said: "We have got absolute responsibility to unite to beat this callous and cruel Government and that means setting an example from the top down, all of us; whether we're senior officials, MPs, councillors or our huge army of members on the ground.
"We must stand united together and united behind our leader, Jeremy Corbyn," she declared.
After a narrow win to accept the disputed conference agenda, which saw shouts of "traitors" and "shame on you" from the losing side on the conference floor, Ian Lavery, the Labour Chairman, called on members to pull together and back the democracy review.
He said it was based on members' feedback and there was a duty to ensure their work "is not lost".
But the Wansbeck MP said it was important differences of opinion were debated "respectfully" because "unity is strength".
He told conference: "As a mass membership party there are those who hold passionate views on a wide range of issues.We should debate robustly but always respectfully and always remember that our party has always been at its best when members and affiliates work together in pursuit of a fairer Britain.
"Labour? We're a Government in waiting and only with that strong bond of solidarity and unity can we take those keys to No 10," added Mr Lavery.
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