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Jeremy Corbyn has said he does not want a general election until he has succeeded in blocking a no-deal Brexit.

The Labour leader said he had a “productive meeting” with other opposition parties on Thursday but maintained that their current priority was preventing Britain from crashing out of the bloc.

He told reporters on Saturday: “Our priority, all of us, is to prevent a no-deal exit from the European Union on the 31st.

“And to make the Government carry out the EU number two act which requires them, in the event of a no-deal, to apply for an extension before the 31st of October so that we can continue our normal trading arrangements and then have a serious discussion about the future.

“At that point, we’re ready for an election.

“But the priority is to prevent a no-deal exit, with all the problems this could cause the people of this country.”

Asked if he was ready to become an interim Prime Minister if necessary, Mr Corbyn said: “Absolutely.

“The normal process is that when a government collapses, the leader of the opposition is invited to form a minority government in order to carry through a specific and strictly limited process which would be to ensure no crash-out and to prepare for a general election.”

The Labour leader added the prospect of a general election was “getting more likely every single day”.

“This Government is collapsing, it’s now lost all seven votes since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister,” he said.

“This Tory government has been defeated over 45 times in Parliament.

“They don’t have a majority, they don’t have a programme, they don’t have the policies.”

In a speech at the Labour conference last week, Mr Corbyn called for a general election once a no-deal Brexit has been definitively ruled out.

“This crisis can only be settled with a general election. That election needs to take place as soon as this government’s threat of a disastrous no deal is taken off the table. That condition is what MPs passed into law before Boris Johnson illegally closed down parliament," he said.

Labour has not ruled out a general election before 31 October, but said MR Corbyn would need to be convinced that the government would comply with the Benn bill, which obliges Johnson to seek an extension of article 50 if he has not had a Brexit deal passed in parliament by 19 October.

The latest comments came as senior SNP MP Stewart Hosie warned opposition parties could stage a vote of confidence in the Government next week in a bid to thwart a no-deal Brexit.

He said the plan - to put in place an interim government to secure a Brexit extension - appeared to be the only way to ensure Britain did not "crash out" of the EU on October 31.

However, he acknowledged that in order to succeed, it would require all the opposition parties to get behind it.

While the SNP have indicated they could support a temporary government led by Mr Corbyn, the Liberal Democrats and many of the Tory rebels who had the whip withdrawn have made clear they are not prepared to put the Labour leader in No 10.