What’s worse than paying bare for a train fare? Having to spend the whole journey standing or sitting on the floor. Far too often are trains accross the country packed, but yesterday Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn continued to stand up for his principles, while sitting on the floor.
He joined 20 other passengers who had no seats on the three hour journey from London to Newcastle. Corbyn was on his way to debate his leadership competition, Owen Smith, when he asked, “Is it fair that I should upgrade my ticket whilst others who might not be able to afford such a luxury should have to sit on the floor? It’s their money I would be spending after all.”
A video recorded on the train sees him sitting on the floor of the train with his bags and coffee at his feet, reading Private Eye – it was filmed by freelance filmmaker Yannis Mendez who has been following Corbyn and his team during his campaign.

In the video shown on The Guardian, Corbyn says,
“This is a problem that many passengers face every day, commuters and long-distance travellers. Today this train is completely ram-packed. The staff are absolutely brilliant, working really hard to help everybody.
“The reality is there are not enough trains, we need more of them – and they’re also incredibly expensive.”
He also added that the experience was a good example of why public ownership of the UK’s trains was needed.
Ellen, a passenger on the same train, commented, “It was a surprise to see him there, but it was refreshing. It made me realise that it shouldn’t be a surprise to see a politician travelling alongside average commuters. They should be on the same level as the general public.”