WE’RE coming for you.

That was Jeremy Corbyn’s warning for sitting Tory MPs as he pledged to take blue seats across the county.

In an exclusive interview with The Argus, the Labour leader pledged to take both Worthing seats as well Hastings from Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

He also said his sights were set on Crawley as well as Caroline Lucas’s seat in Brighton Pavilion.

He said: We’re going to fight anywhere. And I’ll tell you what - we’re going to win Worthing as well. East Worthing and Shoreham. Five thousand we can take off them.”

Sitting Conservative Tim Loughton’s majority is just 5,106.

He added: “The whole south coast is changing, demographically, politically, in every way. I can remember as a kid when Dennis Hobden won Brighton Kemptown by seven votes. And look at it now.”

He said a win in Crawley was “possible” and that it was “important” that Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s seat of Hastings was represented by a Labour MP.

In a wide ranging interview he also said he will not step in to save sitting Labour MPs or councillors under threat from left-wing activists.

He also said his party in the city was “as united as it’s been for a very long time”.

His claim comes despite constituency parties having recently voted to make it easier for them to deselect a sitting MP.

He also promised his party would fight for the rights of EU nationals in the UK and he said he would make a donation to the council’s crowdfunding campaign to raise money to restore the crumbling arches of Madeira Terraces.

Sitting down with The Argus on a brief stop in Worthing he answered questions while refuelling with a houmous-and-falafel wrap from the Co-op.

In July, the Brighton and Hove’s constituency Labour parties voted to propose to this Conference a rule change, to make it easier to deselect sitting MPs. In Hove the vote passed with the backing of just 34 party members, although Hove MP Peter Kyle was elected by 36,942 voters in June.

And many of the city’s centrist Labour councillors - including council leader Warren Morgan - may face tough reselection battles of their own in wards well-populated with left-wing Momentum activists.

But Mr Corbyn insisted there was no role for the party leader to show support either for popular sitting MPs or for experienced councillors. He said: “I don’t interfere at all in local selections. It’s a democratic process where local parties must make their decisions.”

He added: “I will go through the trigger ballot mechanism just like every other Labour MP.”

Technically, current party rules require a rubber-stamp renomination process but not a trigger ballot, so what may be inferred about Mr Corbyn’s thinking by his language may unnerve some party members.

He also defended his party’s position on Brexit, but insisted he would campaign for the rights of EU nationals in the UK, and for British students’ access to European universities. He said if the referendum were re-run tomorrow he would vote Remain but that the June 2016 result had to be respected.

WE’LL FIGHT ANYWHERE. WE FIGHT IN ALL CONSTITUENCIES

The Argus: Mr Corbyn, you lost some friends in Brighton over Brexit. Can you say why you think Brighton will be better off after Brexit?

Jeremy Corbyn: Well, the referendum result is what it is, it was a national result and we have to respect that result.

Therefore that means we have to negotiate – which we’re determined to do – tariff-free trade access with Europe, not threaten Europe with a deregulated economy off the shores of Europe but instead take on board consumer rights, environmental rights, workers’ rights and all the other rights that come from that.

We must make sure that EU nationals get a unilateral decision by us to remain, that they can remain here.

And we must ensure the university sector, which is very important to Brighton, has the very important shared research and shared student relationship with Europe, and we stay for example in the Erasmus scheme which means our students can go and stay and study part of their course abroad which is good.

If the referendum were to be re-run tomorrow, how would you vote?

Exactly the same way I voted last time, which was to remain. But, the decision has been taken and we have to respect that result and work with it.

In-fighting in the Labour party in Brighton and Hove is well-documented. Is it time Labour stopped fighting among itself?

The Labour party is more united than it’s been for a very long time, bigger and more active than it’s been.

We now have the separate constituencies in Brighton and it seems to me it’s all working extremely well and I’m happy with the situation.

Some councillors may face tricky reselection battles. Would you advise ward members to re-elect experienced councillors who are already in post or do you not see that as your role?

I don’t interfere at all in local selections. It’s a democratic process where local parties must make their decisions.

On MPs’ reselections, last time you were asked about Peter Kyle you said you wouldn’t interfere. Then he had a majority of 1,200. Now it’s 19,000. Do you not have a leadership role in saying to the people of Hove: “This is our guy”?

I have a leadership role in ensuring our party is open and democratic. I have a 33,000 majority in my own constituency .

But you’re not going to face a reselection battle.

I will go through the trigger ballot mechanism just like every other Labour MP who wants to seek re-election.

And I will ask no favours from anybody and that’s how it is.

The local parties must decide. I think those days when the leader of a party would be deciding everything that happens at a local level are gone.

You’re happy to lead whatever party your grassroots members elect?

That’s what I’ve been elected to do.

Peter Kyle said he learned a lot from how you campaigned and connected with young voters. But his campaign won over a lot of Tory voters. Did you learn anything from that wing of the party during the campaign?

I learn things from people all the time.

And Lloyd Russell-Moyle picked up lots of votes from other people who had voted for other parties in the past such as Tories and Ukip and Green.

And we all picked up support all over the country from people who saw the campaign against austerity, and for a socially just and equal society, they came across to us.

That’s how we put on three million votes across the whole country.

You only put on a few hundred in Brighton Pavilion though. You fielded a 20-year-old without much experience and Caroline Lucas doubled her majority. Is there a tacit understanding the Greens can keep Pavilion?

No, we fight in all constituencies. I said very clearly before and during the election we’re not doing deals with people.

Obviously we are very pleased that Lloyd won, very pleased that Peter increased his majority.

Have you got Caroline Lucas in your sights, whenever that might be?

The boundaries might change as well of course. We’re going to fight anywhere. And I’ll tell you what – we’re going to win Worthing as well.

East Worthing and Shoreham? Tim Loughton’s majority is 5,000.

East Worthing and Shoreham. Five thousand we can take off them. But the whole South Coast is changing, demographically, politically, in every way.

Listen, as a kid I was told Brighton was totally blue town that would never change in my lifetime, I can remember as a kid when Dennis Hobden won Brighton Kemptown by seven votes. And look at it now.

So you think Brighton Pavilion might be that exciting next time around? Or Crawley?

Crawley, possibly, but also look at Hastings, look further along the coast.

You’ve mentioned taking Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s seat. Is there something important about taking that seat over and above the slimness of her majority?

There’s something important about Hastings having a Labour MP. Listen, the town that gave rise to The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists – Mugsborough in Robert Tressell’s book – deserves a Labour MP. (The novel, written as the Labour Party was forming and first published in 1914, is considered a classic of working-class literature and advocates a socialist society. The fictional town in which it is set, Mugsborough, is based on Hastings.)

Finally, have you heard of Brighton and Hove Council’s Save Madeira Terraces crowdfunder campaign? Are you in favour?

Absolutely, I’ve just read up on it. I think Madeira Terraces is absolutely brilliant, really historic.

And it was I think the first road race of cars in Britain, and the first electric railway.

Have you donated to the campaign?

I will. I think it’s a great campaign and I will.