LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has promised to lift people in Glasgow out of poverty with initiatives such as a real living wage.

Mr Corbyn made his vow as he visited the city yesterday as part of his three-day tour of Scotland.

He first went to Govan before travelling to Parkhead to back local businesses.

Meeting activists and prospective parliamentary candidate Councillor Matt Kerr, who organised the event, Mr Corbyn spoke of the need for better working and housing conditions.

In an area with the busiest foodbank in Scotland, the focus, according to Mr Corbyn, should be on securing better wages for people in the city and undoing the damage done by current social policies and the effects of austerity.

As well as endorsing the local candidate, Mr Corbyn answered questions from constituency party members and handing out leaflets at a stall at Govan Cross.

He then visited the Mary Barbour statue, which commemorates the activist who led Glasgow’s 1915 rent strikes.

After the visit, Mr Kerr told the Evening Times that with so many Glaswegians affected by Universal Credit, a concerted effort needs to be made to lift people out of poverty.

He added: “Our message is so many people have been affected, and we want to move on, and move on from that immediately. I am sure it is a message that will resonate well in Govan.”

Further events with supporters will take place in Glasgow over the weekend.

A rally against a no-deal Brexit with Glasgow North East MP Paul Sweeney is planned for this morning in Springburn, followed by a visit to a conservation group protecting the Faskine and Woodhall Greenbelt in North Lanarkshire.

Politics aside, Mr Corbyn also discussed his recent

trip to watch Celtic in Romania.

The Labour leader attended the Parkhead club’s away tie with CFR Cluj after meeting a group of fans on his flight

to the eastern European country.

Having met on the plane, the fans tracked him down and offered Mr Corbyn a chance to join them at the game.

And the politician has revealed the people he met on the plane were waiting for him at his hotel when he arrived in Transylvania.

Speaking at an event in Glasgow, Mr Corbyn told constituents about his trip to see the Parkhead side, including the very high temperatures the team faced that night, which rose to 35 degrees.

Following the match on August 7, he posted on social media about how impressed he was with the team, including Odsonne Edouard.

As he visited Parkhead yesterday afternoon Mr Corbyn met activists from the USDAW union outside the Forge shopping centre to discuss its campaign to save local shops and support retail workers.

He also chatted with his party’s candidate for the Glasgow East seat, Kate Watson.

Mr Corbyn said: “High Streets are not just a place where people shop, they are also that place where

there’s a sense of community, and communities coming together.

“So the USDAW campaign for decent pay and conditions in shops, but also retaining shopping by empowering local authorities with

sufficient planning powers to keep that diversity of shopping, is very important.

“A high street is where we belong, where we meet each other and where we enjoy that social interaction.”