Mr Watson addressed Labour's apparent lack of unity head on as he gave a keynote speech to the party's annual conference in Liverpool.

He said: "We can't afford to keep doing this and more importantly the country, the people we stand for, the millions the Tories leave behind every day, they can't afford us to keep doing this.

"I'm sure there is going to be an early general election. The more often Theresa May says it won't happen, the more certain I am that it will.

"Comrades, we need to be ready. We need to stand together as one Labour movement, millions strong and utterly united."

Jeremy Corbyn admits he might halt bombing of Isil targets

Jeremy Corbyn has signalled that he would abandon bombing Isil targets in Syria amid concerns that innocent civilians are being killed.

The Labour leader said that said in an interview with the BBC that he wants to seek a "political solution" and that he is concerned about "collateral damage".

Mr Corbyn was asked eight times if as Prime Minister he would stop bombing Isil targets. He said: "I would ask the effects of it – I would ask who’s being killed as a result of it, and ask what the political effects of it.