An emotional miner's daughter told the Labour leadership hopefuls how she had apologised to her Dad as she voted Tory.

Louvaine, who is from a traditional mining family and community, could not bring herself to back Labour.

In an emotional intervention she explained how hard it had been for her voting in the December election, while taking part in the Channel Four News debate.

She said: "I've been a life long Labour supporter who, sadly, voted Conservative this time because of Brexit.

"I did it with a very heavy heart because my dad was a miner for 50 years, Labour councillor, I went into the ballot booth and put the x on and said 'sorry Dad'. 

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Wiping back tears she told the candidates: "I want to know how you're going to win me back."

Krishnan Guru-Murthy who was hosting the debate said to her: "It's emotional for you isn't it?"

Louvaine replied: "It is emotional, it's a very hard thing to do. You feel like a traitor.

"It's a mining community, I'm from Cannock in the West Midlands and you just feel awful but I was a Leave voter and I didn't get from the Labour Party that you were going to support me."

Asked if Labour would learn from its "mistakes" or "will we try Corbynism again", Rebecca Long-Bailey Ms Long-Bailey insisted that "Corbynism" does not exist.

She said: "There is no such thing as Corbynism. There is our Labour values.

"If we believe in building more council homes, investing in our futures through education and industrial strategy – that's socialism. That's not Corbynism and we shouldn't throw away those policies."

And she described Brexit as the "elephant in the room" and said she could feel the "anger" in her Leave-voting constituency.

Keir Starmer said: "We've got to learn".

"We've lost four elections in a row, and if we lose the next one – probably in 2024 – then The Labour Party, our party, will be out of power for a longer period since the Second World War."

In the wide-ranging debate the candidates were also asked how they would vote in a referendum on the future of the Monarchy.

Lisa Nandy has revealed she would vote to scrap it – breaking ranks with her rivals in the Labour leadership race.

Keir Starmer said he would "downsize" the Royal Family but both he and Rebecca Long-Bailey said they would vote to keep the institution if there was a referendum on its future 

Asked how she would vote in a referendum on the Monarchy, she replied: "I'm a democrat so I would vote to scrap it."

Answering the question in a quick-fire round during the Channel Four News debate, she added: "This is not our priority as a country, we've just left the EU without any kind of plan about where we're going next."

Keir Starmer replied: "No I wouldn't, I think I'd downsize it and by the way it didn't come up on the door steps. We've been talking about why we lost the election and what we need to do next – this isn't one of the priorities for the leader of the Labour Party."

Rebecca Long-Bailey agreed saying: "I think we've got more important things to worry about. I wouldn't vote to abolish the monarchy."

Ms Nandy added: "I would quite like to see Queen Meghan at some point."

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