He said: "I think after the election is over and after the conference is over you will see the wish of MPs to reflect the wishes of party members all over the country that there is a coming together in order to oppose this Tory government."

Mr Smith said Labour would be out of power for a generation if Mr Corbyn remains in post.

He said: "I say to everybody in the Labour movement right now, it's in your hands, the choice is with you as to whether we want to be with Jeremy and in opposition, potentially for a generation, or start leading the way back to Labour being in power."

Mr Corbyn's aides suggested on Wednesday that the leader might rule out full membership of the European single market unless Britain can negotiate exemptions from key EU rules.

The Labour leader said he wanted to remain in the single market "if it's possible and I think it probably is".

Mr Smith said he wants Labour to promise at the 2020 general election to take Britain back into the EU.

Asked if that means to ignore the Brexit vote, he replied: "Well, exactly."