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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was tonight urged to go on a war footing to fight a General Election this year.

Senior Labour MP Toby Perkins believes David Cameron will quit as PM whatever the outcome of the EU referendum , likely to be held in June.

And he has warned his boss that Labour could then face a snap General Election in the autumn.

Shadow Defence Minister Mr Perkins said: “If Labour is under-prepared, divided and under-resourced we would be ­hurtling towards catastrophe.”

He believes his party must use elections due this May as “a dress ­rehearsal for the real thing”.

The Labour leader faces his first big electoral test when Scotland and Wales go to the polls on May 5 along with local authorities in England.

But Labour is bracing itself for the loss of 200 council seats in England, losing power in Wales and facing further setbacks in Scotland after infighting over Corbyn’s leadership.

Read more:If young people register to vote we can change history

Mr Perkins adds: “The party has started focusing more attention on elections than internal squabbling.

“But we cannot afford to be complacent about the scale of the challenge.”

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A shake-up to restrict the money trade unions get from members going through the Commons this week means Labour will have £8million less to fight elections.

The party predicts the Tories will have access to £19million of election funds - more than four times Labour’s £4.3million.

Deputy leader Tom Watson told the Sunday People : “It’s a blatant attempt to rewrite the rules of our democracy.”

(Image: Reuters)

Five-year fixed-term Parliaments introduced by the Tories were meant to stop snap elections.

But that can be overridden by two-thirds of MPs voting to dissolve Parliament.

Mr Perkins says that’s exactly what a new Tory leader would demand and Labour would have to rise to the challenge.