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Is Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn slowly transitioning to a plant-based diet?

Reports published within the last couple of hours certainly think so. This piece in The Telegraph states: “Lifelong vegetarian Jeremy Corbyn has hinted that he is considering switching to becoming a vegan.

“The Labour leader, who has been a vegetarian for decades, said that he is ‘going through the process’ of changing his diet because dishes that do not include eggs or milk has improved.”

Lush

The left-wing politician made the comments when questioned by workers at an event at Lush Cosmetics.

According to Lush employees: “Britain’s first vegan Prime Minister would be something worth fighting for.”

Better food

Corbyn, who has been a vegetarian for 50 years, said: “I eat more and more vegan food, and have more and more vegan friends, indeed there are quite a lot of vegan MPs actually – not a lot, but there are some.

“I think what has improved so much is vegetarian and vegan food – [it] got so much better in recent years.

“I got fed up of going on a plane in the 80s and everyone would get their regulation rubber chicken, and whatever with it.

“I would say ‘Where is my lunch?’ and they would say ‘Yours is a special meal’, like there is something badly wrong with you, and they would bring this thing along. 

“It was usually pretty grim when it got there.”

“The food has got a lot better and vegan food – one of my close relatives has just become a vegan, and I went to her house for dinner and it was absolutely brilliant.

“So I’m going through the process, alright? I won’t go any further than that.”

Denial

But a spokesperson for the Labour Party said Corbyn will not be plant-based anytime soon.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, the spokesperson said: “Jeremy Corbyn isn’t turning vegan. 

“There’s been a bit of mischief in the reporting of what he said… He actually meant that he is ‘in the process’ of eating more vegan food. 

“That’s all.”

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Maria Chiorando

Maria is the editor of Plant Based News. As a former magazine editor, newspaper reporter, and features writer, her work has been published by The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and various regional newspapers, as well as Vegan Life magazine and Vegan Trade Journal. She has interviewed a huge range of people, from Prime Ministers to authors, activists, pop stars and actors, and enjoys the varied range of topics writing for PBN allows her to tackle.