Jeremy Corbyn's Labour to present alternative Queen's Speech in challenge to Theresa May

Alternative vision: Labour MPs are revising their views on the leader after his election success
Dominic Lipinski/PA
Sebastian Mann10 June 2017
WEST END FINAL

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Jeremy Corbyn has said his party will outline alternative policies for government when MPs return to work in the hope of challenging Theresa May’s fragile minority administration.

The Labour Party leadership is making preparations for a Queen’s Speech to be presented alongside Mrs May’s official programme at the State Opening of Parliament on June 19.

It comes after a stunning series of gains for Mr Corbyn’s party as the Conservatives lost their majority in a snap election that spectacularly backfired.

Labour made a net gain of 29 seats, improving its total to 262.

General Election: How the day unfolded

The Tories are eight short of a majority on 318, with Mrs May hoping to thrash out a “confidence and supply” pact with Northern Ireland’s socially hardline Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and its 10 MPs.

Labour’s total plus support from an alliance of the Greens, SNP, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru would not be sufficient to form a government.

But Mr Corbyn said: “We will put forward our point of view, and we are of course ready to serve.”

General Election 2017: The final results

And on Friday his lieutenant and shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: “In the interests of the country we are willing to form a government – a minority government – to put forward a programme, a Queen's speech, as well as an alternative budget and an alternative programme for the Brexit negotiations.

“And then it is up to other parties if they want to support us.”

The unexpected success of the Mr Corbyn's party has caused some critical Labour figures to revise their view of the leader.

One-time leadership rival Owen Smith said: "I was clearly wrong in feeling that Jeremy was unable to do this well and I think he’s proved me wrong and lots of people wrong and I take my hat off to him."

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