Jeremy Hunt clashed with the Labour leader after he called for the Conservatives to find new ways to win over young voters, and admitted he would lead the party in a “very different way” to Theresa May. The Foreign Secretary unleashed a barrage of criticism on Mr Corbyn after the Labour leader took aim at his comments on Twitter, saying the Government’s austerity policies have had “serious consequences”. In response, Mr Hunt wrote: “‘Serious consequences’ doesn’t come close to describing the devastation your hard left policies would wreak on our economy.

“Read the full quote and you’ll learn about the real consequences of Conservatives’ economic stewardship: 1000 extra jobs a day.

“All of them at risk under your Marxist regime.”

“Before you attack me for ‘austerity’ which put the economy back on its feet, perhaps ask why a Labour MP needs a bodyguard at a Labour conference, and your party is under formal investigation for institutional anti-Semitism?”

The swipe at Mr Corbyn comes after claims Mr Hunt’s main leadership rival, Boris Johnson, is gaining ground.

Mr Hunt's team believes between 50 and 75 MPs support him, compared to only 50 MPs for Mr Johnson.

But while Mr Hunt appears to be the leadership frontrunner amongst MPs, he still trails behind Mr Johnson with the party membership.

Many of Mr Hunt’s supporters want to eliminate Mr Johnson from the Tory race before members have had their say.

Arch-Brexiteers are suspicious of Mr Hunt as he voted to remain in the European Union and has previously called for a second referendum.

However, now he supports Leave.

He said in a recent interview that Brexit must be implemented to prove the UK is a democracy.

One Tory MP, who is considering a leadership bid, said: “Of course, he can't lead the party.

“The next leader will be a Brexiteer.”

An ally of Mr Hunt said: “The opposition is Labour and the priority is to deliver Brexit.”