This afternoon, Jeremy Corbyn spoke to a huge crowd in Leeds outside Brudenell Social Club.

Despite the rain and very short notice, thousands of spectators turned up to see him speak, with some even climbing in trees to get a better view.

He was originally scheduled to speak inside Brudenell Social Club, but due to the large turnout, the road was closed to enable him to address everyone who came.

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Corbyn touched on many subjects, including Labour’s goals for the NHS and education services. He stated that we cannot lose the NHS, which in the 19th and 20th century people for free healthcare as a human right and spoke about the massive need for better mental health services, and that the stigma surrounding the topic needs to be removed.

Concerning education, he stated massive reforms are needed, as it is outrageous that headteachers are having to ask parents for money due to cuts in education funding, which recently hit headlines at Redland Green School in Bristol.

He mentioned Theresa May’s assertion that the Conservatives were a party for workers, to which he replied “a party for the workers would not allow six million people to be working under the living wage”.

With regards to Brexit, he mentioned that it is necessary to protect the rights of EU nationals.

The Labour candidate for Leeds North West is Alex Sobel MP, and this area is an important place for Labour to advance as in the last election there was a narrow margin of 6.7% between the elected Liberal Democrat Candidate, Greg Mulholland and Alex Sobel.

The deadline to register to vote is on the 22nd May, and the following day at 5pm is the last chance to apply for a postal vote.

Polly Hatcher