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Corbyn says election plans are already in place to take on Johnson

JEREMY CORBYN is ready to take on the new Prime Minister in a general election with a summer campaign plan already in place, the Labour leader said today.

He told Sky that he is “not in the slightest” worried about going nose to nose with Boris Johnson, who took over leadership of the country last week when just 0.13 per cent of the population voted for him in the Tory leadership contest.

Mr Corbyn said his Labour MPs will “go out there and we’ll make our case.” He said that he eschews personal abuse because “as far as I’m concerned the issues are too serious.

“I’ve got my summer campaign plan in place, we’ve got most of our candidates selected in all our marginal constituencies,” he said.

“We have many other policy announcements in place, particularly the ones on the green industrial revolution and the green new deal that we’re putting forward, and working out more details on our health and social-care policies.

“But fundamentally it’s about reducing inequality in Britain and about investing in good-quality sustainable jobs for the future through the green energy revolution.”

Mr Corbyn said he would “look at the situation” when Parliament returns in September before considering calling for a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson.

“But it’s also up to the Prime Minister and what he decides to do as well, because if he is trying to take us out on a no-deal Brexit at the end of October, we will oppose that.”

“I can guarantee you this: we will do everything to prevent a no-deal Brexit, we will do everything to challenge this government, and we will do it at a time of our choosing.”

Mr Corbyn condemned the new PM’s previous “awful” comments about black children, Muslim women and other people within our society and our community. “I hope he will understand the hurt that he caused with the remarks that he made,” he said.

Mr Johnson recently said he was sorry for causing offence after comparing veiled Muslim women to letterboxes — but said he would continue to speak his mind “because I think people deserve to hear what’s going on in my head.”

The PM was mocked after a speech on Saturday in which he pledged to fund a new rail route between Manchester and Leeds.

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said: “This project has been announced time and time again by the Conservatives.

“With Boris Johnson’s staggering failure to build a bridge across the Thames and an estuary airport, I’m not confident he’ll be able to deliver better train services between Leeds and Manchester.

“What we really need is Labour’s Crossrail for the North, from Liverpool to Hull and up to the North-East to unleash the economic potential of the region.

“Just upgrading the rail between Leeds and Manchester — the same distance as the Central line on the London Underground — won’t achieve that.”

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