ORGANISERS of the Durham Miners’ Gala have denied reports they are holding a grudge against Labour MPs deemed disloyal to party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Last year, amid a bitter leadership battle, the late Davey Hopper banned "traitors" from the Racecourse speakers’ platform.

Yesterday, The Guardian reported several North-East MPs were still not welcome to enjoy Durham Miners’ Association’s hospitality at the event.

But new general secretary, Alan Cummings, last night told The Northern Echo that the national newspaper was "making a mountain out of a molehill."

Mr Cummings, from Easington Colliery, said: “It is not a matter that we have carried out a vendetta on anybody.

“The main reason we have had to cut down on people is to cut costs. It is purely on a financial basis. They have tried to blow it out of all proportion. It is a dead story.”

Mr Cummings said the DMA’s funds were limited and had been hit by £3 million legal costs in recent years.

“The reason we have had to cut numbers down, which includes council leaders, because we have not got the money.

“We get donations for the Gala from the public and trade unions but that goes on the band allowance.

“It does not go on hospitality. That falls on Durham Miners and we have got a limited income. It is not that we are picking people out. There was nobody more critical of Jeremy Corbyn last year than Robert Blackman-Woods. She is invited.”

The Guardian said MPs who had been dis-invited this year included Phil Wilson, the Labour MP for Sedgefield; Helen Goodman, the MP for Bishop Auckland; Anna Turley, the Redcar MP; Emma Lewell-Buck, the South Shields MP, and MPs for Sunderland.

Over 200,000 people are expected in Durham city centre for the 133rd Durham Miners’ Gala today, 50,000 more than last year.

The current wave of ‘Corbynmania’ following the General Election is being credited with the increased forecast in numbers.

Phil Wilson, MP for Sedgefield, who distanced himself from Corbyn on his campaign literature, reportedly said he was "not bothered about being blacklisted" and would be marching in memory of his late father, who was a miner for 40 years.

The Guardian quoted him as saying: “Just because I’ve been critical of Corbyn is not going to stop me going to the miners’ gala, which is as much a part of my heritage as it is anybody’s who is going to be on the platform, in fact even more so than a lot of the speakers, to be honest with you.

“They can’t stop people from attending, if they don’t want to officially invite you, that’s a matter for them.”