Corbyn on stage Pic: Cat Walker

Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn addressed a crowd of nearly 500 supporters and curious Prestonians on Saturday afternoon.

The man who many think could be the next leader of Labour spoke for nearly an hour.

Organisers had to move the event from the Continental pub’s function room, which holds around 200 people, to be outside in the beer garden.

Crowds spilled outside to listen to the Labour leadership candidate Pic: Cat Walker

The Islington North MP is the frontrunner with the bookies to beat Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall.

Had to move outside as around 500 turn out for #JeremyCorbyn in #Preston pic.twitter.com/6O4rjAwZHc

— Kevin Mahy (@KevSunshine) August 1, 2015

Jeremy Corbyn rally in Preston beer garden! pic.twitter.com/zKz7jL5kih

— Gary West (@garypwest) August 1, 2015

Preston constituency Labour party has given its endorsement to Corbyn to be the next Labour leader.

Mr Corbyn acknowledged the Labour Party had to learn from its election defeats, saying it hadn’t been exciting enough or offered enough of an alternative to the other parties.

Jeremy Corbyn speaks in Preston – Labour Leadership Bid from André Bisson on Vimeo.

Jeremy Corbyn spoke at the Continental in Preston on the 1st of August 2015 as part of his bid to be labour leader and inspire the next generation of labour members. Jeremy Corbyn is the most popular candidate for labour among local constituency groups.

But he said it should embrace its values to achieve that rather than “jettisoning” them to get there.

Speaking of his desire for an inclusive society that would be “stronger together”, he said it wasn’t a matter of returning to the past but “fast forwarding” to the future.

He also spoke about wanting university education to be accessible to all, suggesting tuition fees could be paid for by increasing corporation tax by even half a per cent, to 20.5 per cent, instead of cutting it to 18 per cent. George Osborne announced in his budget that the rate would be reduced to 18 per cent by 2020.

Mr Corbyn called for greater investment in manufacturing and infrastructure, and talked about setting up a national investment bank to fund that. And his anti-fracking, pro renewable energy stance drew a huge cheer from the crowd.

Also on the podium was 99-year-old Ron Atkins, former Preston North MP and the UK’s oldest ex-MP. Speaking about Mr Corbyn, he said: “He’s not New Labour. He’s Real Labour.”

Did you go to the talk? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below