Claims Jeremy Corbyn was “dancing” in Whitehall ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph have been dismissed by his team - and two reports suggesting as much have been pulled from websites.
The Labour leader’s spokesman said pictures purporting to show the Labour leader “jigging” ahead of the memorial had been “cropped”, and that the MP had in fact been “gesticulating” while talking to a Second World War veteran.
The pictures first seem to have been publicised by a freelance photographer.
The pictures were picked up by The Sun newspaper’s website.
But the link to the story leads to a holding page, suggesting it has been taken down.
Mail Online has also removed an article about the image, with a spokesperson telling The Independent the pictures are “not as billed so it’s disingenuous to show the picture”, adding: “He was actually engaged in a conversation with a war veteran but the photo was cropped.”
And Corbyn’s spokesman told the Press Association: “Jeremy wasn’t dancing. He was gesticulating whilst talking to Second World War veteran George Durack.”
The spokesman said Labour was considering taking the matter to the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
The Mirror newspaper has spoken to Mr Durack, and has uncropped pictures documenting their encounter.
The 92-year-old told the newspaper he had known the Islington North MP for 30 years, and that Corbyn takes the memorial “very seriously”.
He said: “From what I can make of it they have taken some photographs of him walking along and you can make what you like of that. It’s absolute nonsense.”
This year, Corbyn joined in with God Save The Queen after previously attracting criticism for not singing the anthem at the Battle of Britain 75th anniversary commemorations last year.
Last year, Corbyn supporters attacked The Sun newspaper for its “unacceptable” front page - which declared he had refused to bow at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.