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Jeremy Corbyn has held talks with hostile Labour MPs ahead of a predicted leadership victory, he revealed last night.

The frontrunner vowed to recruit a shadow cabinet that is "balanced and extended to all wings of the party" if he keeps his position on September 24.

Speaking in his penultimate head-to-head clash with rival Owen Smith , Mr Corbyn said: "A number of MPs do support me, a large number of MPs do not. I fully understand that."

Asked why he thought the 64 frontbench MPs who resigned would come back, he said: "Well I've been talking to lots of them. You know MPs talk to each other a great deal.

"And 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."

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The comments came during an hour-long hustings in Oldham, Greater Manchester, chaired by BBC Question Time host David Dimbleby.

Several audience members stood up to make passionate speeches for Mr Corbyn before rushing onto the stage to greet him as the credits rolled.

Mr Corbyn told his rival: "You obviously have enormous talents. Why can’t we work together?"

But Mr Smith said he would refuse any job under Mr Corbyn because he could not "serve with integrity" after standing against him.

(Image: BBC)

Mr Smith warned Labour would be cast into long-term opposition if Mr Corbyn relied on persuading disaffected Labour voters back to the ballot box.

He added: "I’m incredibly confident I can win this contest and I say to everybody in the Labour movement right now, it’s in your hands”.

The pair clashed fiercely when Mr Smith claimed his rival had not been "strong enough" in stamping out anti-semitism in the party.

Mr Corbyn replied: "Anti-semitism is absolutely and totally unacceptable anywhere in our society, anywhere in our party, anywhere in our party."

(Image: BBC)

Mr Smith also claimed "hard-left" activists were "flooding" in to the party to support the long-time left-winger.

To shouts of protest from the audience he said: "I think some of the people around Jeremy are absolutely encouraging it, of that there is no doubt."

Mr Smith also appeared to say he would lead Labour into the next general election with a manifesto pledge of going back into the EU.

(Image: BBC)

Host Mr Dimbleby asked: "You would like to see Labour go into the next election saying 'our party policy is to go back into the EU?'"

Mr Smith replied: "Yes!"

Mr Dimbleby added: "To ignore the Brexit vote?"

Mr Smith replied: "Exactly! To find out what it is. Because the Brexit vote set a direction, if you like. We don’t know where we’re going."