Who is Jeremy Corbyn? Five things you didn’t know about the Labour Party leader
LABOUR leader, avid drain cover photographer and keen cyclist - Jeremy Corbyn is a fairly unique character, but what do we actually know about the 70 year old?
Here we've pulled together a few interesting facts about Mr Corbyn.
Who is Jeremy Corbyn?
Born in Chippenham and raised in Wiltshire and Shropshire, country boy Corbyn joined Labour as a teen.
He was elected as Labour leader in 2015. He has been the MP for Islington North since 1983.
His activism has included roles in Anti-Fascist Action and the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and advocating for a united Ireland. Mr Corbyn also became a vocal opponent for the Iraq War and chaired the Stop the War Coalition from 2011 to 2015.
In 1974, he married Jane Chapman, a fellow Labour Councillor for Haringey and now a professor at the University of Lincoln but the pair divorced in 1979.
Then Corbyn married he married Chilean exile Claudia Bracchitta, granddaughter of Ricardo Bracchitta (Consul-General of Spain in Santiago) in 1987 - they had three sons.
Five facts you didn't know about Jeremy Corbyn
1 . The Labour leader loves a drain cover
Probably one of the most random facts, but Corbyn has an obsession with drain covers.
He admitted in 2015 on Lorraine that he has a 'zany' hobby and takes photos of drain covers, insisting it "doesn't hurt anybody."
Speaking on Lorraine he said: "If you walk around and look at drains you will see MWB – Metropolitan Board of Works – that gives the age because the Metropolitan Board of Works hasn't been around for a long time."
"The MWB was founded in 1855 but disbanded in 1889, which means any drain with those initials would be over 125 years old.
The 70-year-old added: "You look at post office telegraphs, that'll tell you the time they went. Look at LCC tramways, look at the same in Glasgow, look at the same in Edinburgh.
"So you see a history of public utilities in drain covers and some of them are quite artistic. I know this sounds a bit zany."
He added: "My mother always said there’s history in drain covers. I take pictures of them. People think it’s a little odd, but there we are."
2 . He only got two Es at A-Level
Reassuring for some and worrying for others, Corbyn didn't do too well at school.
He only got two Es at A-Level.
He made the admission in an interview with The Guardian in 2015, when former Prime Minister John Major joked that Corbyn performed better than him because he got A-Levels - known as O-Levels at that time.
3. He loves his veggies
Jeremy is a vegetarian and has his own allotment, where he grows most of his fruit and greens.
He became veggie after spending a while working on a pig farm when he was 20.
He's also a dab hand at jam making. He said his treasured allotment makes him a better politician because it "helps you think about things and understand the natural process."
4. He's a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for cheese
This sadly isn't as comical as it could be. The purpose, as described on publications.parliament.uk: “To increase awareness of issues surrounding the dairy industry and focus on economic issues affecting the dairy industry and producers."
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5. He appeared at Glastonbury on the Pyramid Stage
He appeared on the main stage at the biggest green-field music and performing arts festivals in the world in 2017.
The labour leader gave a speech to tens of thousands of festival goers, reflecting on human rights, peace, justice and democracy all over the planet.
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