JEREMY Corbyn ruled out an electorate pact with Green MP Caroline Lucas to stop the Conservatives winning seats in the city.

The Labour leader said he did not support the idea of progressive pact with the Brighton Pavilion MP and insisted he was “absolutely” confident of winning Brighton back for Labour in 2020 and repeating the party’s landslide in the city of 1997.

The Labour leader made a similar promise when visiting the city in September for the autumn conference shortly after his election as leader.

A recent ICM poll suggested the party would lose its solitary seat in the city if an election was held now under Mr Corbyn’s leadership.

Shadow defence secretary Clive Lewis said an electoral pact with Greens, Liberal Democrats and Scottish Nationalists was now “essential” while Ms Lucas has also spoken of the need for a progressive alliance in order to return a left-wing government in 2020.

But Mr Corbyn appeared to rule out any policy when speaking exclusively with The Argus.

He said: “At the moment no. What we are doing as a party committed to the Labour cause and position, in opposition in parliament in order to maximise votes against the government obviously we cooperate with other opposition parties.

“Does this translate into electoral pacts? No.”

The Labour leader, who arrived by Thameslink train yesterday, also criticised the current train system saying Brighton was “suffering badly” from the inefficiencies and inadequacies of Southern Rail.

He repeated his calls for public ownership of train operating companies and the reopening of the Uckfield line to improve services to Brighton and Hove.