Event staff on zero hours is ‘hypocrisy’

JEREMY CORBYN was accused of “rank hypocrisy” last night as it emerged the stewards manning the Labour Party Conference were on zero hours contracts.

As the Labour leader prepared to give his keynote speech today, a Daily Telegraph investigation found that 120 staff working as stewards and security guards for the conference centre in Liverpool are on the contracts Labour pledged to ban at the last general election.

One employee, who did not wish to be named, told The Telegraph: “I’m on a zero hours contract. We all are. I get paid on a weekly basis and I don’t find out until the last moment until I’m going to get work.”

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn faced further embarrassment after it emerged that Labour branded merchandise on sale was not made in the UK.

The Labour leader launched a “Build it in Britain” campaign in July, but items on sale included Labour teddy bears made in China, hooded jumpers made in India and T-shirts made in Bangladesh.

Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, said: “This is rank hypocrisy from the Labour Party.” A Labour spokesman said: “Labour will ban zero hours contracts when we go into government.”