Seumas Milne is quitting the Guardian and staying with Corbyn

The Guardian has announced its former columnist will not be returning to the paper

Director of Strategy Seumas Milne is staying with Labour (PA)

The Labour Party's strategy and communications director Seumas Milne has left the Guardian to carry on in his role with Jeremy Corbyn, the newspaper has announced.

Mr Milne took a year's unpaid leave from the Guardian in late 2015 to work with the new Labour leader, and had been the subject to speculation that he may leave the Labour leader's office and return to journalism.

But the paper's editor Kath Viner said Mr Milne has now left.

A Guardian News and Media spokesman said in a statement: "Following a period of unpaid leave from Guardian News & Media, Seumas Milne has decided to continue in his role as the Labour Party's strategy and communications director, and is leaving the staff of the Guardian.

"We would like to thank Seumas for his brilliant Guardian journalism, and we hope he will write for us again in the future."

The end of Mr Milne's planned twelve months of leave coincided with the announcement of significant job losses at the paper.

Mr Milne's time with the Labour leader has certainly had its moments, including having to disinvite the Sky News cameras from a Labour Shadow Cabinet meeting, with Jeremy Corbyn telling him, 'I don't this is a good idea, Seumas."

He is understood to earn £97,000 for his role with Labour.