First signs of Labour dissent during Corbyn’s first week as leader

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has faced criticism from his own party for not singing the national anthem at a memorial service yesterday.

Labour peer Admiral Lord West of Spithead said “I cannot believe that the people of our great nation could contemplate a prime minister who lacks that loyalty".

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn said he had stood in “respectful silence”.

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Members of the newly-appointed shadow cabinet have also played down a policy statement by their new leader.

Last night Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Owen Smith told BBC Newsnight Corbyn’s opposition to the benefits cap, which he told TUC congress in Brighton yesterday he would scrap under a Labour Government, was not party policy.

This was echoed by Shadow Women and Equalities Minister Kate Green on the Today programme.

"The present policy position of the party, decided collectively by the party - and that is the way we make policy in the party; Jeremy is very respectful of that collective approach - is that we accept the principle of the cap but it is not currently before Parliament to have a vote to remove it altogether," she said.

Green also said the fact Corbyn did not sing the national anthem “will have offended and hurt people”.

She did, however, say that she hoped the party’s leader would change the mood of Prime Minister’s Questions, which will take place later today.

“Jeremy has had tens of thousands of people already contacting him with questions they’d like him to raise on their behalf with David Cameron. He is very determined that this will be a serious opportunity to put serious questions to the Prime Minister to which people want real answers,” she said.

Corbyn has said he wants “less theatre and more facts" during the exchanges, urging ordinary Labour members to submit questions for the session.