In an article she wrote previous year for the Huffington Post, Cllr Churchill, nicknamed “Red Jen”, said of Mr Corbyn: “He oozes authenticity and political courage; Labour members have responded to this, and I very much believe the wider public will do so if he is given more time and more support”.
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He tells the camera: “This is a problem that many passengers face every day”.
Virgin, though, released closed circuit television images showing Corbyn walking past empty seats during the August 11 trip from London to Newcastle – though some of them had tags suggesting they were reserved.
The accusation was based on her experience of Mr Corbyn’s leadership and that of fellow Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire, who has previously claimed she was hired and fired from the front bench without ever being informed – an incident that the Labour leader put down to “miscommunication”.
He’s later shown sitting down in a seat 45 minutes into the journey – but before the train’s first stop in York. The staff are absolutely brilliant working really hard to help everybody. The gesture gained substantial traction in the media and on social media, with Corbyn suggesting public ownership of the line to solve the capacity issue.
The company statement was quickly followed by a tweet from Mr Branson, the head of the Virgin Group, who said he had walked past available seats, showing a different image of the train timestamped at 11.11am. The Telegraph, which said it had seen the footage too, also published a story supporting this.
The Guardian reported last week that the footage of the Labour leader was taken by Yannis Mendez, a freelance filmmaker who volunteers for his campaign.
He recorded his video message on the floor around 30 minutes into the journey before finding an unreserved seat at 11.43am with the help of the on board staff, Virgin Trains said.
I believe he can unite our party and move us on from the divisions that exist under the current leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
Chi Onwurah, the shadow minister for culture and the digital economy, said she would have taken the Labour leader to a tribunal “in any other job”.
It was lapped up by Corbyn supporters and was viewed tens of thousands of times, winning him sympathy even from people who aren’t his usual fanbase.
A spokesperson for the Jeremy Corbyn leadership campaign has insisted that the British Labour leader was unable to find a seat on a train, after Virgin Trains released images appearing to cast doubt on the original claim that the train was packed.
Mr Corbyn has been contacted for comment.
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But rail executives say he was captured on CCTV walking past available seats – before he was able to secure a pew two hours before end of the journey.
