Camberwell and Peckham MP Harriet Harman has said Labour has regained its “legitimacy and authority” while heaping praise on party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Her share of the vote after Thursday’s general election was 44,665, giving her the second highest majority of any London MP.
Speaking to the News on Friday afternoon, Ms Harman said: “I said in my victory speech that we have underestimated Jeremy Corbyn and overestimated Theresa May, and I could not be happier that it was that way around.
“Corbyn has shown the party is going forward under him. It has laid to rest everyone’s concerns about him. He has proven that he can command confidence. He has also shown that it is critical that young people come out and vote.
“I’m so excited about the fact that we have MPs in Lincoln, Canterbury, Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Warwick. It makes us a national party. Our legitimacy and our authority are regained.”
The former Labour party leader also poked fun at the likes of The Sun and Daily Mail newspapers – who savaged Corbyn in election week. “Basically there was a kind of mutual delusion where the right wing press and the Conservatives convinced themselves they were unassailable,” she said. “And they have proven themselves to be out of touch. They were living in a bubble. This has been an important day in our democracy.”
The MP of nearly 35 years then called on Theresa May to resign, saying: “She hasn’t got a shred of credibility left. She has exposed herself and damaged her own party and her colleagues. I don’t see how she could now go and negotiate for Britain when she has weakened her own hand, and weakened Britain.
“Isn’t it wonderful that we’re asking ourselves who should be the next leader of the Tory party rather than Labour?”
Asked who could potentially take over from May as Tory leader, Harriet said: “Well Amber Rudd nearly lost her own seat, and Boris Johnson is a buffoon. Jeremy Corbyn looks like a towering statue compared with them.”
When the News spoke to Ms Harman during the election campaign, she suggested Corbyn should resign if Labour had suffered a heavy defeat, saying he should “take responsibility”.
Theresa May will be next. https://t.co/ghRuYqVvI2
— Harriet Harman (@HarrietHarman) June 10, 2017