Jeremy Corbyn has lashed out at “totally unacceptable” camera crews as he comes under intense pressure to back Remain at Labour’s annual conference.
The party leader accused journalists of “pushing people over” as they tried to get footage of him at the event in Brighton on Monday.
His outburst came as Labour members were threatening to revolt during a vote on Brexit policy, with Corbyn pressing for the pro-EU membership to back a neutral stance.
In a clip shot by ITV news, Corbyn can be heard to shout: “Can I say to our friends from the media? Can I just say this to you? This is our conference. These are our stalls. Your behaviour, pushing past people, pushing people over and pushing past people who want to legitimately visit stalls is totally unacceptable.
“Can I ask you to behave with respect to our members and our conference?”
The Labour leader and other senior MPs have made repeated attacks on journalists in recent days.
Speaking at a fringe event organised by the Morning Star, shadow chancellor John McDonnell warned the party will not “take shit” from the media as he talked about Labour’s strategy for the next general election campaign.
“We have to make sure that when we use live broadcast in particular, because they can’t edit it out, we do it more effectively and as best we can – and we don’t take the shit anymore,” he said. “We don’t take shit anymore.”
He claimed there were outlets where editors “refuse to report the truth”, adding that Labour activists must “use the broadcast media that we have” and “make sure that we do know what we are talking about when we go on air”.
Following Corbyn’s interview on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, the Labour leader also hit out at presenter Andrew Marr, accusing the journalist of establishment bias.
He claimed that Marr had “closed ranks” and ignored a report in the Sunday Times which criticised a close friendship Boris Johnson had with an American model turned technology entrepreneur.
The report said Jennifer Arcuri, who moved to London seven years ago, was given £126,000 of public money and was afforded privileged access to three foreign trade missions that Johnson, a former foreign secretary, led.
“There was something important in one of the Sunday papers today about an alleged abuse of power and misuse of public funds by Boris Johnson before he became prime minister,” he said in a video posted on Twitter.
He continued: “But do you know what? Lots of the media have barely touched it. Incredible, isn’t it? This is about the man who is the prime minister of our country.”
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott also hit out at BBC Question Time host Fiona Bruce, who she claimed had not been as fair as her predecessor David Dimbleby.