Corbyn will try to force early election

LONDON: British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to “try to force an early general election” after Prime Minster Theresa May lost her parliamentary majority, in an interview published on Saturday.

Corbyn’s Labour Party outperformed expectations in this month’s election, turning what was predicted to be a procession for May into a disaster, severely weakening her authority as Britain kicks off crucial Brexit talks.

Corbyn told the left-wing newspaper the Daily Mirror that it was “ludicrous” to believe the Conservatives’ minority government could survive, and that his party “will challenge this government at every step and try to force an early general election.”

A poll for the paper asking the public who would make the best prime minister has put Corbyn ahead for the first time, although other surveys have revealed little appetite for another vote after two tumultuous years for British voters.

May’s party is currently in negotiations with Northern Ireland’s DUP to secure an informal parliamentary deal that would give it an effective majority. MPs will vote on May’s legislative agenda next week, and opposition parties have vowed to block her programme in what is traditionally seen as a test of confidence in the government.

Members of May’s own party are reportedly lined up to dump their leader if it looks like her government will lose the vote.

Meanwhile, a prominent Brexit campaigner and leading member of Britain’s government has scolded a BBC presenter for showing a lack of patriotism when asked why the country was in such political turmoil.

Interviewed on the BBC Newsnight programme a year after Britain voted to leave the European Union, Andrea Leadsom was asked why the country lacked a coherent Brexit strategy and a stable government. — AFP/Reuters