Mr Corbyn was heavily criticised recently for his performance in an ITV interview with Julie Etchingham, released as part of the 2019 election coverage. He was asked if he watched the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day, to which to replied that he “watched in the morning”. As all royal fans will know, the speech is actually aired at 3pm, so many viewers began to accuse the Labour leader of not being a patriot. Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner came out and defended the Labour leader by suggesting he might watch the speech on catch-up on Christmas morning, although that wouldn’t be possible if the speech is actually in the afternoon.

Back in 2015, when he had just been elected Mr Corbyn was also filmed not singing the national anthem, God Save the Queen during a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to honour 75 hours since the Battle of Britain.

As political editor for the Mirror Online Dan Bloom explained, this led Mr McDonnell to make a surprise excuse for the Labour leader.

He is known to be a republican, but would “not be drawn on his reasons for staying silent and later confirmed he will sing the anthem in future”, according to Mr Bloom.

Speaking on BBC’s Question Time programme in September 2015, Mr McDonnell defended his long-term friend and Labour leader: “He said actually ‘I normally do sing’ but it was quite a moving event and it was casting his mind back to the war.”

Former Question Time presenter David Dimbleby asked if Mr Corbyn wanted to remove the monarchy altogether.

Mr McDonnell responded: “He does, yeah. He is [a republican] but at the same time the national anthem isn’t just for those who are monarchists.

“It’s for everybody and represents the whole country.

“Jeremy said, ‘Look, I was actually very moved by the occasion’.

“It was all about the 75th anniversary and his parents were ARP wardens and all the rest in the Blitz.

“He was thinking of that and he said, ‘I just was carried away by it.’

“I said, do you normally sing it?’ [He said] ‘I generally do’.”

“But the media then just seized upon it and it was very much a personal attack.”

However, Conservative minister Liz Truss – promoted to International Trade Secretary this year – commented it was a difficult excuse to accept.

She said: “Jeremy Corbyn is the leader of the opposition.

“That carries with it responsibilities like attending services like that and respecting those who have given their lives for our country.

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“Being a politician is living in public.

“We all have to deal with appearing at events, being on TV and that does require carrying yourself in a particular way and respecting the people around you.”

Mr Corbyn also has a history of being anti-monarchist.

When he was a councillor in Haringey during the Eighties, he deliberately avoided turning up to an event the Queen was attending, according to biography Tom Bower.

Mr Bower explained: “On 13 May 1981, the Queen opened a new shopping centre in Haringey.

“Corbyn made sure he was absent – another move calculated to drive moderates out of his local party.”

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