Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he will “probably” be prime minister within the next 12 months. He told Grazia magazine that he expects there to be a snap election by the end of 2018.
He wasn’t short on confidence either, telling the magazine he “will probably win,” and that he is “ready to be prime minister tomorrow.”
This summer, the Labour leader reportedly told Glastonbury music festival’s manager Michael Eavis that he’d be in office “in six months.” That was back in June, so don’t start singing the Red Flag just yet.
Shadow cabinet colleague Diane Abbott has mirrored her wise leader’s comments, telling BBC Newsnight that Labour would move “decisively above the Tories in the opinion polls” in 2018.
“I have a confidence about that,” Abbott said. “The Tories are in a state, their negotiations are a shambles, last week they couldn’t even get their legislation through the House of Commons, so it could well be in 2018 that we’ll get a General Election.”
In Corbyn’s interview with fashion magazine Grazia, he said that he was “horrified and appalled” by the sex allegations that rocked Westminster in recent months. “I think sexism is a real challenge in society that needs to be dealt with,” he said.
“The allegations are all investigated and dealt with as appropriate. We support the people making them as well as the people being alleged against. We have a process, including a confidential hotline and an independent person to investigate. I’m utterly determined all Labour Party events will be a safe place for women to go to.”
Corbyn also insisted that Labour was “not dealing with huge numbers” of claims. “We’re dealing with some cases and they are of course disturbing when you get them,” he said.