Jeremy Corbyn welcomes snap general election on June 8 so Labour can 'stand up for the people'
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Jeremy Corbyn has said he "looks forward" to fighting a snap general election on June 8 to "stand up for the people of Britain".
The Labour leader welcomed Theresa May's shock announcement today ahead of tomorrow's vote on the election in the House of Commons.
An election can only happen if least two-thirds of MPs back it under rules laid down by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.
Mr Corbyn's statement indicates Mrs May will easily pass that threshold.
However, asked to confirm if Labour MPs will be formally whipped to back an election in the vote tomorrow, a spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: "We don't comment on the whip".
Mr Corbyn's statement said: "I welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first.
“Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS.
“In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country.
"We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain."
Asked if he'd stand down if he lost, Mr Corbyn told Sky News: "We are campaigning to win this election, that’s the only question now."
Asked if he was the next Prime Minister, he replied: "If we win the election, yes."
Asked if he'd back an election one Labour MP, Mike Gapes, tweeted simply: "Do turkeys vote for Christmas?"
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said he was "sure Theresa May hasn't looked at the polls at all".
(Photo: Dan Kitwood)
But she would find it difficult to miss recent polls that have put the Conservatives more than 20 points ahead of Labour - the biggest lead since Gordon Brown's time in office.
One of Mr Corbyn's sharpest critics has already said he will not stand in the election.
Tom Blenkinsop previously blamed the Labour leader and the "far-left" for failing to secure votes and losing seats to the Conservatives.
(Photo: Getty)
Labour was holding an emergency shadow cabinet meeting this lunchtime.
The Lib Dems claimed they had gained 1,000 members in the hour after Mrs May announced her intention to hold a general election.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: “This election is your chance to change the direction of our country."
Announcing her decision on the steps of Downing Street today after months of insisting she wouldn't, Theresa May said: "The country is coming together but Westminster is not."
She said it was Labour's chance "to show you are not opposing the government for the sake of it - to show you do not treat politics as a game."