Corbyn kicks off campaign to unseat vulnerable Tory MPs, starting with Amber Rudd

Jeremy Corbyn will spend the summer campaigning in marginal Tory seats (PA)

Jeremy Corbyn is to hold an election-style rally in Home Secretary Amber Rudd's constituency of Hastings on Saturday, as part of a series of events around the country aiming to consolidate growing Labour support and demonstrate that the party is a "government in waiting".

The Labour leader expects more than a thousand people to attend in the constituency which Ms Rudd won by just 324 votes three weeks ago. Deputy leader Tom Watson will also hold an event in Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Mr Corbyn, will say: "I am proud to be here today in Hastings where you came within a whisker, 346 votes, of painting the town red and electing Peter Chowney as a Labour MP.

"Labour gained seats across the country at the last general election, in every region and nation of Britain.

"Labour is no longer just the Official Opposition, we are a government in waiting.

"It is not good enough for politicians - including your MP, the Home Secretary - to praise the police, firefighters and NHS staff when they respond to horrific incidents like the recent terrorist attacks or the Grenfell Tower fire, and then vote to make them worse off again year after year.

"This is what happened in parliament this week. Nurses in our hospitals have had a real terms pay cut of 14% under this government and some are even having to use food banks.

"Yet the Government refused to back our calls to lift the public sector pay cap and recruit more police and firefighters.

"You can't keep our communities safe on the cheap. When you cut over 20,000 police officers, over 11,000 firefighters, and leave our hospitals in record deficit having to cut back on services.

"We have to change our economic system so that it works for the many, not just a few."

The Labour leader is intending to spend all summer campaigning in Tory marginals, keeping his party on an election footing, as Theresa May maintains her grip on her own party in precarious fashion.