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Jeremy Corbyn says picking up his brother's dead body was one of the 'most horrific things' he has ever done

Mr Corbyn, who is the youngest of four brothers, says he was very close to Andrew who was the second brother: Getty
Mr Corbyn, who is the youngest of four brothers, says he was very close to Andrew who was the second brother: Getty

Jeremy Corbyn has opened up about the harrowing experience of collecting his brother’s body from Papua New Guinea and said it was one of the most “horrifying things” he has ever had to do.

The Labour leader said his brother Andrew died from a brain haemorrhage and he was forced to transport his body to Australia where his devastated wife and children were able to say their goodbyes.

Mr Corbyn, who is the youngest of four brothers, said he was very close to Andrew who was the second brother and worked as a geologist until he died of high blood pressure in the remote island nation.

Mr Corbyn recounted the ordeal during a TV interview with comedian John Bishop, saying: “He was in his fifties. We got on very well actually, we were very close. We were all close”.

He added: “It was a brain haemorrhage, which was very sad. I was eventually phoned about it and I just remember the devastation of it.”

”And so I then went to Papua New Guinea basically to pick up his body and take it to his wife and children in Australia, where they were living. I'd been to Papua New Guinea with him once before ... it was one of the most horrifying and horrific things to do, you know.”

The 68-year-old, who has been the MP for Islington North since 1983, revealed he was never supposed to be called Jeremy.

“I was supposed to be called something else. My mum and dad agreed what I was going to be called and he took the papers to go off and register the birth, and then he changed the name,” he said.

The politician said his parents had never revealed their first choice of name for him. Probed about whether his father, David, made the name-swap without conferring with his wife, he replied: "Yes. To her dying day, she would never tell me what it was.

"I said, 'Can't you tell me what it was going to be?' She said, 'I can't tell you.' So we can only speculate."

Mr Corbyn is frequently referred to by just his first name, with the chant “Jez we can” becoming a cornerstone of his leadership campaign rallies. What’s more, as so-called “Jeremania” swept Glastonbury this year, the chant "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn", belted out to the tune of the White Stripes' 2003 hit “Seven Nation Army”, was sung across the Somerset event and festival-goers were pictured sporting the words “Jezza” on their foreheads.

Festivalgoers with a flag supporting Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn seen as he makes a guest appearance at the Glastonbury Festival Site on June 24, 2017 (Getty)
Festivalgoers with a flag supporting Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn seen as he makes a guest appearance at the Glastonbury Festival Site on June 24, 2017 (Getty)

Mr Corbyn also revealed that one of his neighbours put a bet on him to win the Labour leadership at a time when he was the 200-1 rank outsider.

He said: “Every day I go out on that campaign, he says 'are you going to win? I said 'I don't know!'. He said 'Look, I've put a lot of money on this, you've got to win'. No pressure, like. I was like 'I've got to win this for him, now'.”

TV channel W's John Bishop: In Conversation with Jeremy Corbyn programme, airs at 9pm on Thursday.