Jeremy Corbyn to make live televised EU referendum intervention three days before polling day

The Labour leader has been criticised for not playing a major and active part in the campaign so far

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (EPA/HANNAH MCKAY)

Jeremy Corbyn will take to the airwaves to answer questions about the European Union referendum from a live studio audience, it has been announced.

The Labour leader’s only set-piece event of the campaign will take place on 20 June, three days before polling day.

Mr Corbyn will appear on Sky News at 6pm where he will appear in front of a representative audience of young people.

The programme will be presented by the channel’s political editor Faisal Islam.

Mr Corbyn has faced some criticism for not taking a more hands-on approach during the referendum campaign.

Last weekend Lord Prescott accused Mr Corbyn of “not putting Labour’s position” during the campaign.

An analysis by the Loughborough University Centre for Research in Communication and Culture found that despite being leader of the opposition Mr Corbyn did not feature in the top ten politicians in terms of frequency of EU referendum TV appearances.

He ranked behind politicians including David Cameron, and Boris Johnson, who took the top two positions and who have dominated the airwaves during the campaign.

The Labour leader has however said there is an “overwhelming” case for staying in the EU and made a number of speeches on the issue.

Though he has rubbished claims that Brexit might cause economic castastrophe, he has said there are other good reasons for staying in the bloc, such as its safeguards on workers’ rights and the environment.

My Corbyn previously expressed eurosceptic opinions around the time the Maastricht Treaty was signed, but had been quieter on the issue for a number of years before becoming leader in 2015.

The European Union referendum will take place on 23 June.

Polls suggest a tightening race, with surveys on average showing a narrow lead for Remain.