Jeremy Corbyn drafted in as Labour council candidate for Stantonbury

The last-minute contender has been drafted in as a replacement for veteran councillor Brian White who resigned his position in February.

Mr Corbyn made the shock announcement during a trip to Wolverton yesterday where he auditioned for the role.

If successful in May’s elections, Mr Corbyn will represent the Stantonbury ward in the council chamber, alongside leading the national Labour party.

Mr White told the Citizen: “Mr Corbyn is very well used to late nights in parliament, so I’m sure he won’t be phased by our long meetings in the council chamber.

“He has got lots of experience so I have no doubt he will do a good job.

“Plus, Stantonbury is the best part of Milton Keynes, and given how impressed he was by the city, I have no hesitation in saying it needs the very best Labour representation.”

Leader of Labour-led MK Council, Pete Marland, told a packed crowd at last night’s event that Corbyn was the “right man for the job”.

Mr Marland said: “It has been reported in the press this week that I said I was unsure about Mr Corbyn at first, but now I absolutely think he is the right man for the job.”

Upon hearing the news that Mr Corbyn was running for election in his ward, Tory Councillor for Stantonbury, Alex Walker, said: “Who? I have never heard of him.”