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In a Guardian interview , Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson has warned that his party faces the prospect of "Margaret Thatcher-style landslide" if the polls numbers against it persists.

Urging voters to back his party to ensure that Labour can hold a Conservative government to account, Mr Watson nonetheless admitted that it would be "very, very difficult to turn the poll numbers around".

He said that the party had a “mountain to climb” over the four weeks until the general election and was lagging behind in the polls with all income groups, including working-class voters.

“I’ve run a lot of by-elections and elections in my time for the Labour Party and I know what it is like. It is going be very, very difficult....but we are determined to do it.”

Mr Watson said there were some “terrifically exciting” ideas in the manifesto drawn up by the party but warned members if the poll lead for the Conservatives was not narrowed.

“If we get to 8 June and [Theresa May] still commands the lead in the polls that she had at the start of the election, she will command a Margaret Thatcher-style majority,” said Mr Watson, referring to the former prime minister’s 144 and 101 seat victories in 1983 and 1987 respectively.

“A Conservative government with a 100 majority … It will be very hard for them to be held to account in the House of Commons. It means there won’t be usual checks and balances of democracy ... all those things go out the window. You end up with governance by Theresa May without much accountability – and I don’t think anybody wants that.”