Jeremy Corbyn insists he 'can still be PM' and vows to fight Theresa May 'all the way'

Fight: Mr Corbyn said he will oppose Mrs May's minority government
REUTERS
Chloe Chaplain10 June 2017
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn insisted he “can still be prime minister" as he vowed to fight Theresa May's attempt to run a minority government "all the way".

Labour won 262 seats in the General Election, up from the 232 secured by Ed Miliband in 2015, but the Conservatives remain the largest party in Parliament.

Mrs May today secured an outlined agreement with the DUP who she hopes will be able to prop up her minority in the Commons.

But Mr Corbyn said that, without an outright majority, Mrs May's position is vulnerable and he has outline his intention to oppose the Queen's Speech in an attempt to bring down her administration.

'Very happy': Mr Corbyn said he was pleased with the election result
Frank Augstein/AP

He told the Sunday Mirror: "I can still be prime minister. This is still on. Absolutely. Theresa May has been to the palace. She's now attempting to form a government.

"She's then got to present a programme to Parliament. There's a possibility of voting the Queen's Speech down and we're going to push that all the way.

"We have got a mandate to deal with issues of poverty, justice and inequality in Britain. We want to end austerity and invest in this country and that's what we're going to do.

"Nearly 13 million people voted for us to do it. That's why I'm here."

Theresa May returns to No.10 after the shock election result
Getty Images

Mrs May is seeking to rely on the Democratic Unionist Party's 10 MPs to win key votes in Parliament – including that of the Queen’s Speech scheduled for June 19.

But Mr Corbyn said: "I don't think Theresa May and this government have any credibility.

"The Prime Minister called this election on the basis she would need a stronger mandate to negotiate Brexit.

"Well look what's happened. The parallels are with 1974. The Conservatives sought, as they have done this time, a 'who governs Britain?' mandate.

"Ted Heath lost and tried to form another government and tried to get another majority in Parliament.

"And eventually Harold Wilson managed to form a government. She's taking us back to those times. It's back to the 70s with Theresa May."

The Labour leader, who survived an attempt to oust him by his own MPs before the election, now expects that he will be able to attract some of the party's biggest names to serve on his front bench.

"My phone is full of texts from lots and lots of people from right across the party," he said.

"I'm very happy about that. I'm very proud to lead this party. And I'm open to everyone. It's important to make that clear."

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