Corbyn to meet Barnier ahead of snap elections

Jeremy Corbyn is scheduled to meet Michel Barnier, the European Union's chief negotiator next week, ahead of which the Labour leader said he was ready for snap elections.

It is understood that the meeting with Barnier on 13 July would provide Corbyn the platform to "outline what our issues are," he said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in London on Thursday.

The meeting was requested by Corbyn, according to an EU official who confirmed the meeting.

The announcement, it is believed, pointed to confidence that Corbyn - an old-school Socialist - could exploit the weakness of his Conservative rivals and come to power on a call to end austerity.

Mujtaba Rahman, Eurasia Group’s managing director for Europe, said in an email quoted by Bloomberg: “He is trying to create the impression of a prime minister in waiting.

"It sends a terrible signal to the EU about the U.K.'s overall stability and the government’s mandate and survivability. It suggests Corbyn is going to play dirty and use his presence in parliament to disrupt the Article 50 negotiations."