'Deep dismay!' Jeremy Corbyn lashes out at Angela Rayner in snipe at Labour

Corbyn warned the decision would "fill many with dismay", alleging that Rayner was making “the future of these precious spaces even more perilous”.

Comparing the spat to the dissenting Diggers of the English Civil War, the Islington North MP said: “Is this Government going to put the nail in the coffin of the joy of digging ground for potatoes on a cold, wet February Sunday afternoon?”

Corbyn, 76, who is a keen horticulturist and regularly visits his local allotment near his north London home, revealed his favourite crop is marrows and that he spends time growing produce to alleviate the stress of working in Westminster.

In his scathing snipe at Rayner in The Telegraph, Corbyn wrote: "Of course, social housing is desperately needed, but we need not sacrifice these vital green spaces to build it.

“We can build on ex-industrial land and take over empty properties.

"Even then, we should ensure social housing is accompanied by community gardens and adequate growing space."

The list of eight allotments sold since Labour came to power last month were revealed in the House of Commons last month, including in Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire.

However, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said that councils should only sell off allotments "where it is clearly necessary and offers value for money".

A spokesman added: “We know how important allotments are for communities, and that is why strict criteria is in place to protect them, as well as school playing fields.”

Rayner had served as a loyal ally to Corbyn during his stint as Labour leader, holding the post of Shadow Education Secretary.

Despite being accused of plotting her path to No10, Rayner is one of Sir Keir Starmer's right-hand women.

GB News last week revealed that Corbyn's allies believe the ex-Leader of the Opposition has a golden opportunity to topple the Prime Minister in his own seat of Holborn & St Pancras.

Corbyn, who was removed from the Labour Party under Starmer's leadership, looks set to lead a monumental campaign to unseat the Prime Minister.

A source close to Corbyn told the People's Channel: "At the last election, Starmer lost almost 20,000 votes amid a strong challenge by independent progressive Andrew Feinstein, who came second with 19 per cent of the vote.

"Next time around, with a longer campaign, more resourcing and Starmer's colossal unpopularity, a big upset is more than possible."

"There is a huge appetite for real change and genuinely progressive politics in Holborn & St Pancras but decisions on target areas and wider strategy will be made following the party’s founding conference," another Corbyn ally added.

"Your Party can win everywhere and isn’t focused on big names, just big change."

Corbyn's Your Party, which is being co-led with ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana, is positioning itself to the left of Labour, voicing support for nationalisation of public utilities and infrastructure.

The new hard-left outfit is also outspoken about Israel's war in Gaza, accusing Starmer of using Palestinian statehood as a "bargaining chip".

In a plea for more voters to join Your Party's 600,000-strong sign-up list, Corbyn said: "If you want more council housing, if you want to end homelessness, if you want to end child poverty, if you want an end to inequality, if you want the rich paying their proper fair share of taxation, and you want to end selling arms to regimes that bomb innocent people, it's Your Party."

Polling guru Sir John Curtice believes Corbyn could deliver a huge blow to Labour, cutting through with a considerable chunk of left-leaning voters.

"Corbyn clearly has a degree of popularity amongst a certain section of the population. He is a good campaigner despite the 2019 election," Curtice told the People's Channel.

However, Curtice also warned about the difficulties facing Your Party as a new challenger to established parties, alongside Reform UK.

He explained: "These things take money. Reform is now beginning to get serious money behind them as they're taking money from people who would traditionally back the Tories.

"They're doing serious damage to the resources of the Tory Party. The question is, where would the money come from for a Corbyn project?

"They're spending the first few weeks having a grassroots consultation about the name of the party, which strikes me as a little bit of a luxury.

"This party will need grassroots enthusiasm, but it will need more than that if it's going to convert into something."