David Cameron claims he first told Jeremy Corbyn he was the Labour leader frontrunner

The PM claimed the now-Labour leader had 'no idea' about the opinion poll ahead of the result

Cameron also compared his leadership bid to Corbyn's (Rex)

Jeremy Corbyn was first told he was on track for the Labour leadership by none other than David Cameron, the PM has claimed.

Mr Cameron told an audience at Blenheim Palace festival of literature on Friday he had encountered the MP in the halls of Westminster shortly after an opinion poll had shown the left-winger had taken a decisive lead in the contest.

The Prime Minister claimed to the audience Mr Corbyn had had “no idea” he had emerged as the frontrunner.

“The poll had just come out putting him ahead. I was the first person to tell him that he was ahead in the polls. He actually had no idea.”

“I said to him, ‘Jeremy, your campaign is a bit like mine. You’re the change candidate. You’re the rank outsider. I think you might win this’.”

Mr Corbyn’s response?

“He said, ‘thanks very much’. And that was the first conversation we had in politics.”