At last, a train seat for Corbyn after sitting on floor row

JEREMY Corbyn was back on track yesterday as he travelled by Virgin Trains just days after a row with Sir Richard Branson.

Mr Corbyn sparked criticism after posting a picture of himself sitting on the floor of a London to Newcastle train after apparently having ignored empty seats.

But the embattled Labour leader has apparently learnt his lesson and found a comfortable place to sit yesterday.

The 67-year-old was spotted in a seat as he made his way to Glasgow on the 8.30am train from London.

Twitter user David Rose posted an image of the Labour leader and said: “My kids just got on Virgin Trains from Euston to Glasgow with Jeremy Corbyn. He has a seat. Good job Richard Branson.”

Mr Corbyn was met on the platform by about a dozen supporters. He has faced both criticism and ridicule after earlier posting the picture of him sitting on the floor, alleging the train on which he had been travelling to Newcastle had been “ram-packed”.

Virgin Trains boss Sir Richard later challenged the Labour leader’s claim, releasing CCTV footage showing Mr Corbyn and his aides walking through a carriage apparently ignoring a number of empty seats.

Mr Corbyn later became testy when repeatedly asked about the issue at a press conference.

He told reporters he was there to talk about his NHS policies but then relented, saying: “I am very pleased that Richard Branson has been able to break off from his holiday to take this issue seriously.

“I hope he is very well aware of our policy, which is that train operating companies should become part of the public realm, not the private sector.”

Mr Corbyn, facing a challenge to his leadership from Owen Smith, added that he was looking forward to meeting Virgin Trains to discuss regulatory issues that needed to be addressed “even before we take them back into public ownership”.

Puzzled

Virgin Trains previously said it was “puzzled” by the suggestion that Mr Corbyn was unable to find unreserved seats when he boarded the train because CCTV images appeared to show “they’re right next to him”.

It was then that Sir Richard, who co-owns Virgin Trains with Stagecoach, got involved in the row, posting a link to the CCTV images on his Twitter account.

But when Mr Corbyn boarded yesterday, Virgin Trains tweeted: “Welcome on board. Hope you all have a great trip to Glasgow this morning.” The Labour leader in a train seat yesterday after saying he was floored on a prior journey, right