Yorkshire seats on leaked list of key marginals where Labour will select candidates before Christmas

Four Yorkshire seats have been named in a leaked list of key marginals where the Labour Party is reportedly preparing to select candidates before Christmas.
Jeremy CorbynJeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn

Ed Ball's former seat of Morley and Outwood is included on the list, alongside Philip Davies' Shipley constituency, as the party gears up for the next general election.

The publication of the target seats coincides with an interview by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in which he claimed the party his party now represents "the mainstream" of British politics.

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Speaking to the Guardian, Mr Corbyn said Labour is "ready" for another election and "will keep on demanding" this take place in Parliament.

The Labour leadership spent the summer campaigning as they sought to maintain the momentum built up during this year's snap general election.

A number of high profile figures, including Mr Corbyn himself, visited marginals where the party had lost about by a few hundred or a few thousand votes.

The new list of 75 seats, leaked to the left-wing website Labour List, in understood to name constituencies where the party is aiming to select its next prospective Parliamentary candidates before Christmas.

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It includes Morley and Outwood, which Tory MP Andrea Jenkyn held by 2,104 votes in June, Pudsey which Stuart Andrew held by just 331, Shipley where Philip Davies saw his majority narrow to 4,681, and York Outer which Julian Sturdy held by 8,289.

Labour gained 30 seats in the snap election, closing the gap on the Tories to 56 as Theresa May lost her overall majority.

But Mr Corbyn, whose position looks secure as the party prepares to gather for its Brighton conference, said he was ready to take on the Tories again, with key figures in his sights.

He told the Guardian: "The election has changed politics in this country. We are now the mainstream.

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"The Government lacks any sense of direction. They are hiding behind parliamentary power grabs to avoid scrutiny."

Vowing to "challenge the Tories at every step" he added: "It is a government that is in disarray. We will keep up pressure in Parliament."

"We are ready for an election and we will keep on demanding that this takes place in Parliament," he said.

The list also includes a number of seats held by senior Tories, including Home Secretary Ms Rudd, who has a wafer-thin majority in Hastings and Rye, and Education Secretary Justine Greening.

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The party is also targeting Mr Johnson's Uxbridge and Ruislip South - where the Foreign Secretary has a majority of 5,000.

New polling has given Mr Corbyn a boost ahead of party conference, as a poll gave Labour a four-point lead over the Tories and showed an improvement in his personal ratings.

The Ipsos MORI political monitor showed belief in Mrs May as a capable leader has fallen 23 points since September 2016 to 45% - although that was still ahead of Mr Corbyn on 38%.