Architect of New Labour suggests that party’s defeat in snap election would be best way of ousting re-elected leader Jeremy Corbyn

Lord Mandelson says he is praying for an early general election as the quickest way of ousting Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour party.

Appearing at a Royal Television Society conference in London, the former cabinet minister was asked how likely it would be for Theresa May to call an early election in an attempt to increase the Conservative party’s majority.

Labour conference: Khan stresses importance of winning in message to Corbyn - Politics live Read more

“Bring it on so we can deal with the awful situation in the Labour party earlier than 2020,” he said.

Mandelson, a close ally of Tony Blair and architect of New Labour, suggested he was hoping for an early defeat for Labour under its newly re-elected leader.

Mandelson didn’t mention Corbyn by name, but on the question of whether there would be an early election, he said: “I get up every day and pray that will be the case.”

Speaking at a session on the impact of the UK’s vote to leave the EU, Mandelson said both Conservative and Labour politicians were over-reacting to the apparent unpopularity of European migration.

He said: “Because of the revolution in identity politics that we saw engulfing the country during the course of the referendum – affecting not just the Conservatives but Labour too – there are many, many politicians who are so running scared of freedom of movement that they are showing signs of being prepared to sacrifice any national economic interest just to meet the public’s concern over freedom of movement.”

He added: “People are saying ‘let’s throw all the rules up in the air, it doesn’t matter where they land, as long as we don’t have freedom of movement’ – that would be taking Britain to hell in a handcart.”

The former European trade commissioner said he feared the government would opt for hard Brexit, with no freedom of movement. But he said he was encouraged that the government itself appeared torn on the issue.

“The government is still negotiating with itself and it hasn’t begun negotiating with anyone else. Behind the appearance of calm there is tremendous turmoil going on. I would draw encouragement from that because positions and different approaches are still being contested.”



'Divisive' Corbyn will wreck Labour's chances, says Mandelson Read more

Mandelson argued that a more pragmatic approach to Brexit “could result in our creating an entirely new, positive and cooperative relationship with Europe”.

But he added that hardliners in the cabinet “fear that with every month that passes in which article 50 is not triggered clever civil servants are going to come up with some more sensible alternative for the country. And they don’t want it.”

Mandelson said leaving the EU will be “the most complex policy exercise mounted in peace time”.

He added: “Our economy after 40 years of close progressive integration has become almost entirely reshaped around the opportunity offered by Europe’s 500 million [population] single market. We are talking about nearly half our trade in this one European market. So you are talking potentially about a loss of access, loss of funding, loss of access to talent and loss of influence over regulation, which even if you are outside the EU you will still be exposed to because you are offering services to that market.”