What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Emily Thornberry has said Theresa May is “squatting in Downing Street” and believes Jeremy Corbyn could still be Prime Minister.

Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary turned the phrase - famously used to describe Gordon Brown in 2010 - against the Tory leader as pressure mounts for her to quit.

Ms Thornberry said if she was in Mrs May’s position should immediately resign rather than trying to cobble together a deal with Northern Ireland's anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage DUP .

The Conservative party had a disastrous election night which saw them come away with 13 fewer seats and lose their majority.

By contrast the Labour won 30 seats, bringing their total up to 262, leaving the country with another hung parliament .

Ms Thornberry said Labour is "absolutely on our toes" for a potential move into power.

(Image: PA) (Image: WPA Pool)

She told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "We've got Theresa May squatting in Downing Street, we've got a full rebellion going on in the Conservative Party, we've got no idea as to what's going to be in this Queen's Speech, they have a manifesto that's been completely been repudiated by the public and indeed by Tory MPs themselves, and no idea what the DUP will agree to or not."

The Tories are currently negotiating a ‘confidence and supply’ alliance with the DUP which will give them a narrow majority in the House of Commons.

By contrast even if Labour could cobble together an alliance with the Liberal Democrats, the SNP , Green MP Caroline Lucas, Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru and even Sinn Fein - who historically do not take their seats in the Commons - they would still be short of a majority.

Ms Thornberry said instead Labour would rule in a minority government.

(Image: REUTERS)

She said: “We are not going to get into bed with anyone. We would be an alternative government, we would be a minority.

“We would put forward our version of the Queen’s Speech which is very popular. Our policies are popular, our policies are what the country wants.

“We will put forward a Queen’s Speech, we will put forward a budget and it would be up to the other parties, and indeed some Conservative MPs, to decide if they wanted to support it or not.”

When asked how they could put together a minority government when they are more than 60 seats short of majority, she said “let’s see, we are in unchartered territory”.

She highlighted a poll by Survation for the Mail on Sunday which put Labour six points ahead of the Tories.

The Islington South and Finsbury MP predicted that Labour would only get more popular with the public as time went on.

She said that what they had learned over the past few years is that "disunited parties are unpopular" and the Tories are falling apart.