Jeremy Corbyn to speak at Durham Miners' Gala for fourth year since becoming Labour leader

Jeremy Corbyn will speak at the Durham Miner's Gala for the fourth time since becoming leader of the Labour party.

The event's organisers announced on Friday that the opposition leader will be appearing before crowds at the 135th event on Saturday, July 13.

It will mean Mr Corbyn has spoken at the Gala every year since becoming party leader.

Announcing the news on Twitter, the official account of the trade union and community celebration said it "fully supports Jeremy’s leadership of the party & his ongoing & tireless efforts to secure a better future for our communities".

The tweets said: "We are proud to announce that Jeremy Corbyn will speak at this year’s DurhamMinersGala, on Saturday 13 July.

"Jeremy has visited and spoken at The Big Meeting many times over three decades, including in each year he has served as Leader of The Labour Party."

Alan Mardghum, Secretary of the Durham Miners' Association (DMA), said: “We are delighted and proud that Jeremy Corbyn is returning to Durham again to speak at this year’s Big Meeting.

"Jeremy is the 15th leader of the Labour Party to speak at the Durham Miners Gala. He continues a tradition that dates back to the first Labour leader Keir Hardie, who spoke at The Big Meeting in 1906.

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“The DMA fully supports Jeremy’s leadership of the party & his ongoing & tireless efforts to secure a better future for our communities, & for working class people across our nation. We look forward to inviting Jeremy to speak at next year’s Gala as Labour Prime Minister.”

Ed Miliband only addressed the huge trade union event, known locally as The Big Meeting, once as leader in 2012, while his predecessors Tony Blair and Gordon Brown never made it.

The hugely popular event, which takes over the streets of Durham , will be back on July 13.

The Gala has been running since 1871 and has long been a huge event in the region’s calendar.

At its height the Durham coalfield employed 200,000 men and boys in 200 mines and huge crowds of at least 300,000 attended the event.

In the 1990s, after the last coal mines were closed, there was serious talk of the event ending.