Jeremy Corbyn tells Theresa May 'Labour is on the threshold of power'

Credit: PA

Jeremy Corbyn was given a rapturous reception from Labour delegates in Brighton as he told them that the party was now the "government-in-waiting".

The Labour leader had to wait several minutes before delivering his keynote speech as the familiar chant of "Oh Jeremy Corbyn" rang round the conference hall.

Mr Corbyn said that the June 8 general election, which saw Labour make its biggest gains since 1945, had put the party on the path to power.

"It is a result that has put the Tories on notice and Labour on the threshold of power," he said to loud applause.

A year after having to fight to keep his job as leader, Mr Corbyn said that the four-day conference had shown a "united party advancing in every part of Britain, winning the confidence of millions of our fellow citizens and setting out our ideas and our plans for our country's future and inspiring people of all ages and all backgrounds".

He promised that Labour in power would be about "making change by working together and standing up for all".

And he said that it would take action to close the gender pay gap, including making equal pay mandatory in large companies.

  • ITV News Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen went to speak to members of public in Crawley about Jeremy Corbyn

Key points from the speech:

  • Brexit: Mr Corbyn repeated his pledge that Labour will "accept and respect" the result of last year's Brexit referendum, but said "respect for a democratic decision doesn't mean giving a green light to recklessness". He said Labour would negotiate a Brexit deal with the EU that "guarantees unimpeded access to the single market", adding that his party would secure a new cooperative relationship with Europe.

  • Public Sector Pay: Labour will scrap the public sector pay cap if they win power. Mr Corbyn said: "Year after year the Tories have cut budgets and squeezed public sector pay, while cutting taxes for the highest earners and the big corporations." He added: "Scrapping the public sector pay squeeze isn't an act of charity - it is a necessity to keep our public services fully staffed and strong.

  • Foreign Policy: Mr Corbyn criticised President Trump's "alarming" withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement, in the wake of natural disasters in the Caribbean, South Asia, Texas and Mexico. The Labour leader, a long-time anti-war campaigner, said the Government could not be silent on Saudi Arabia's actions in Yemen while it continued to supply arms to the kingdom. He failed to mention the situation in Venezuela, despite past pressure to condemn the actions of the country's left-wing president Nicolas Maduro.

  • Grenfell Tower: Mr Corbyn described the "chilling wreckage" as a monument to "brutal" Tory economic policy. He promised sweeping changes to social housing and tenants' rights if he wins power.

  • Organ Donation: Labour would introduce an opt-out system for organ donation if it got into government. The change in the system comes after a campaign by the Daily Mirror newspaper, with some 400 Britons dying every year while waiting for transplants.The change would see presumed consent for organ donations, whereby organs become available for transplants unless people decide not to take part.

  • Media: Mr Corbyn hit out at his media critics, highlighting how "one paper devoted 14 pages to attacking the Labour Party. Never have so many trees died in vain, the British people saw right through it. So this is a message to the Daily Mail's editor: next time, please make it 28 pages. The campaign by the Tories and the media had been "nasty and personal and it fuelled abuse online", he said, highlighting the vitriol aimed at Diane Abbott.

  • Theresa May: Mr Corbyn called for Theresa May to take another walking holiday and make another impetuous decision. The Labour campaign machine is primed and ready to roll." He went on to say that the Tories are "hanging on by their fingertips" and mocked the Prime Minister's "strong and stable" election slogan.