Jeremy Corbyn may be on the brink of an electoral upset on the scale of Donald Trump or Brexit.

That's the surprising argument being advanced on the campaign trail not by the Labour leader's own MPs or Corbyn-supporting "alt-left" websites – but by the Conservatives.

In private, senior Tories are dismissive of Labour's chances. “Nobody thinks Corbyn is going to be anywhere near power after June 8,” one told BuzzFeed News.

But in public, the Tories are publicly talking up Corbyn's chances to make sure their own voters turn out and to motivate their candidates.



The party took out advertisements in local newspapers comparing the prospect of Corbyn taking over in 10 Downing Street to the Brexit vote and Trump’s election as US president – seismic political events that went against the prevailing wisdom.

“Some people think: Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister is never going to happen,” the advertisements said. “ARE YOU SURE?”



“The risk is just too big to take,” they went on. “Higher debt, higher taxes, economic chaos.”