Jeremy Corbyn says leadership challenge against him has damaged Labour's support in polls

Mr Corbyn spoke as a new poll showed the Tories with a 14 per cent lead

Jeremy Corbyn says the party will unite after the leadership contest (Getty Images)

The attempted Labour leadership coup has damaged support for the party amongst voters, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

The Labour leader dismissed concerns from resigning Labour MPs that he could not win a general election – as a new poll showed the Tories with a 14 per cent lead.

Mr Corbyn made the claim at a speech in east London where he laid out 10 key policy pledges – including building a million homes, a universal free national childcare service, and the repeal of anti-trade union laws.

“We’ve defeated the Tories 22 times in the last 10 months, we’ve won four parliamentary by-elections, we’ve won four mayoral elections, we were ahead of the Tories in the local elections, we gained seven points on what we got in the 2015 general election,” he told his audience in Dagenham.

Continuing, he suggested that Labour would be more united at the end of the contest, which is due to last until the party Liverpool conference in the autumn.

“Yes, we are having a leadership campaign and that has probably damaged Labour support,” he said.

“But I think the things I have set out today will appeal to a broad range of people. The party’s going to be stronger and perhaps more united at the end of it.”

A YouGov Poll for the Times newspaper showed the Conservatives on 42 per cent, with Labour on 28 per cent. The Liebral Democrats were on eight per cent, Ukip on 12 per cent, and other parties on 10 per cent.

The party's poll deficit has increased significant since the European Union, after which the coup was launched. It was previously close to drawing even with the Tories, with some outliers showing it neck-and-neck.

Owen Smith has challenged Mr Corbyn (EPA)

Mr Corbyn issued what appeared to be a veiled warning to MPs thinking of splitting from the party.

“I’m sure no Labour MP would even dream of walking away from the family of the Labour party, the family of the Labour party that helped to put them into parliament,” he said.

The intervention followed reports at the weekend suggesting that a number of Labour MPs are readying a legal challenge against their party in order to take control of its brand and assets if Mr Corbyn wins again.

These MPs would then elect a new party leader of their own from among their own number, effectively bypassing the leadership election result, the Daily Telegraph said.

The newspaper quoted multiple MPs who appeared to back the move, though other opponents of Mr Corbyn are understood to not be onboard.

A study, also by YouGov, released yesterday found that a split by either side in Labour’s internecine struggle would likely have a devastating effect on both camps.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell this morning told the BBC that he and Mr Corbyn would happily “unite behind” Owen Smith if he won the leadership contest, and called on challenger Owen Smith to make a similar call.

“We’re democrats – whoever is the leader of the Labour party we will unite behind,” he said.

Mr Corbyn and Mr Smith will go head-to-head in the first hustings of the leadership campaign in Cardiff on Thursday evening.