Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is now a “real threat” to Theresa May’s premiership, Tory MP who chairs the Prime Minister’s policy board has said.

George Freeman said the “proper socialist” Mr Corbyn had “has gone from being the no-hope joke to a very real threat”.

“I think the whole country has woken up to that and the Conservative party certainly has,” he told the BBC’s Newsnight programme.

The admission from the PM’s ally represents a major turnaround in the attitude of Tories, who had previously written off the left-winger as un-electable.

But most opinion polls released since the general election have shown Labour ahead of the Tories – which would likely make them the largest party in the Commons in the event of another election.

Mr Freeman’s comments come amid speculation about Ms May’s future in Downing Street. On a recent trip to the G20 in Hamburg Ms May would only tell reporters that she expected to negotiate the whole Brexit process – dodging a question about whether she would eventually step down before the next election in 2022.

Former leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom last week openly suggested she wanted Ms May’s job – but escaped any sanction of slap-down from the PM.

Speaking in the commons Ms Leadsom objected to a Labour MP claiming “a group of middle-aged men” wanted Ms May’s job.

UK Election Day 2017 Show all 38 1 /38 UK Election Day 2017 UK Election Day 2017 Door of Number 10 Downing Street is seen on the morning after Britain's election in London REUTERS UK Election Day 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home in north London after he called on the Prime Minister to resign, saying she should "go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country" PA UK Election Day 2017 Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell arrives at Labour Headquarters on June 9, 2017 in London, England. After a snap election was called by Prime Minister Theresa May the United Kingdom went to the polls yesterday. 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“May I challenge the hon. Gentleman on whether he just called me a middle-aged man?” she said – suggesting she was a contender to replace the PM.