Jeremy Corbyn Says His Tent Is 'Enormous,' Following Criticism From Sadiq Khan

Jeremy Corbyn has insisted he has an "enormous" tent after Sadiq Khan issued a coded criticism on his leadership.

London's new mayor last night warned the Labour leader the party could not win the general election unless it was "a big tent that appeals to everyone in our country".

Today, Corbyn rejected the suggestion he was failing to reach out to voters beyond Labour's core support. "We have a very big tent. It's an enormous tent," he said.

Speaking in the rain following the launch of Labour's pro-EU campaign battle bus in central-London, Corbyn added: "Sadly the tent is not here today because we are getting very wet with all this rain. We need a big tent to protect us all from the storms."

Corbyn also dismissed suggestions of a split between him and Khan. "We are getting on just fine," he said.

On Monday evening, Khan used an appearance at the Parliamentary Labour Party meeting of MPs to warn Corbyn that "there is no such thing as glorious defeat" and urged him to broaden the party's appeal to voters.

In what MPs interpreted as a veiled reference to recent missteps by the leader, Khan said that the party “cannot afford to miss any open goals” and had to hold David Cameron properly to account.

Corbyn and Khan held a 30-minute meeting last night in which the two men discussed housing and transport policy.

Speculation that the relations were tense between the Labour leader and the new mayor were heightened after Corbyn failed to appear alongside Khan when he was declared the winner of the mayoral race on Friday evening.