Jeremy Corbyn is the 'craft ale of politics - he's got strong flavours' says Labour MP Liam Byrne

Liam Byrne's likening of teetotaler Jeremy Corbyn to a type of beer has triggered a raft of alcohol comparisons for other Labour figures

Jeremy Corbyn is under fire for his previous statements about Trident, Nato and the IRA (Getty Images)

He might be teetotal but Jeremy Corbyn has been likened to a type of beer by one of his fellow Labour MPs.

Liam Byrne said the new Labour leader was the "craft ale of the Labour movement" due to his authenticity and his "strong flavours".

The former chief secretary to the Treasury, who famously left a joke for his successor in 2010 saying "I'm afraid there is no money", insisted the radical left-winger could kick-start Labour's recovery after the party's worst election performance in more than three decades.

His strong convictions and principled politics would combat attacks from voters who deserted the party because they no longer knew what the party stood for, Mr Byrne said.

"I think he can definitely start us on the route back because one of the things people said to us is we don't know what you stand for," he told the Today programme. I" think what he has done is he's brought a bit of soul force back.

"He's the craft ale of the Labour movement. He's authentic. He's got strong flavours. He's seen as something very different to the bland mediocrity of politics," Mr Byrne added.

It has triggered the Twitter hashtag #LabourDrinks, with fellow Labour figures suggesting alcohol drink comparisons for other Labour figures.

Shadow Culture minister Michael Dugher suggested Lord Prescott would be "some sort of punch," while the Labour grandee's son David Prescott compared former home secretary Charles Clarke to a "full bodied Red Whine". However one former Labour leader, the late John Smith, doesn't need any suggestions.

One Twitter user compared Tristram Hunt to a shandy, while Chuka Umunna a strong cocktail.

Another gave the alarming suggestion of Neil Kinnock as a Sex on the Beach cocktail.