Nigel Farage backs Jeremy Corbyn to be next Labour leader

The Ukip leader's endorsement didn't go down too well

Nigel Farage (REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett)

Ukip leader Nigel Farage has backed Jeremy Corbyn to be the next leader of the Labour party.

Calling a radio phone-in hustings and introducing himself as ‘Nigel from Kent’, Mr Farage said he believed the left-winger would take the opposition party back to its roots.

“Well at least Jeremy Corbyn’s a socialist and that is what the party is supposed to be,” he said, after being asked who he would support.

Mr Corbyn did not seem taken with the endorsement, however, and tore into the Ukip leader.

“Nigel, your whole life and career has been about banking, has about been cutting working-class rights and living standards, and you put yourself up as some kind of populist,” he said.

Mr Farage also grilled Mr Corbyn on his attitude to the European Union. The candidate replied:

"If Europe becomes a totally brutal organisation that treats every one of its member states in the way that the people of Greece have been treated at the moment, then I think Europe will lose a lot of support from a lot of people."

He did not advocate immediate European Union exit, however.

The first methodic poll of the Labour leadership campaign conducted earlier this week found that Mr Corbyn was on course to win the contest.

43 per cent of Labour supporters and members polled by YouGov for The Times newspaper said they would vote for Mr Corbyn in the first round of the contest.

Andy Burnham was in second place with 26 per cent, with Yvette Cooper third on 20 per cent. Liz Kendall polled 11 per cent.

In the final round of voting Mr Corbyn would beat Mr Burnham by 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

Though polling such contests is difficult and the survey may not be an entirely accurate picture of the results, the figures do suggest that Mr Corbyn is doing very well.