Jeremy Corbyn was quoted in 1997 giving a "f*** the rich" speech in central London, it emerged today.
But his camp responded by saying: "The only 'f' with Jeremy is fairness."
Months after Tony Blair won a historic landslide election in 1997, Mr Corbyn was quoted in The Times addressing a student protest rally in Hyde Park.
"We have to address the problems of society by redistributing wealth," he was reported saying, before adding: "Fuck the rich." He was speaking at a protest against tuition fees, which was attended by around 4,000 people.
Responding to the article, which first resurfaced in a blog post by writer Alwyn W. Turner last night, Mr Corbyn claimed he was misquoted and his spokeswoman said he "just doesn't swear". "He doesn't even say bloody," she added.
"Jeremy's politics are about creating a fairer more just society. But as for the bad language, it's simply not in Jeremy's vocabulary," his spokeswoman said.
Here's the 1997 Times article in which Corbyn is quoted as saying "fuck the rich" http://t.co/cdnmQChOEJ pic.twitter.com/R6j9ymL3Ej
— Barney Guiton (@BarneyGuiton) September 4, 2015
Corbyn is the odds-on favourite to win the Labour leadership race, despite entering the contest as the rank outsider.
The new leader will be announced at a special conference on September 12 at the QEII Centre in London - a stone's throw away from where Corbyn was reported to have said "f*** the rich" almost two decades ago.
