CONFUSION surrounded the climax of Jeremy Corbyn's speech at the Durham Miner's Gala as he was interrupted by a woman.

The Labour leader had almost finished a wide-ranging speech, in which he invited Theresa May to step down and call a general election, when there was a disturbance on stage.

The Northern Echo:

Jeremy Corbyn speaking to a large crowd at Durham Miner's Gala

As people booed, the woman who came within a few feet of the Labour leader appeared to be pleading with him to speak to her and he said he would talk to her after he finished his address.

One onlooker said: "He had been speaking for quite some time when the incident happened. No one seemed to know who the woman was or what was happening, it could have been anything.

"She was on stage for about a minute. At first I thought she could be a protestor or raising an issue about public safety."

There were chants of "Ooh Jeremy Corbyn" from the crowd throughout the afternoon and he was cheered loudly when he finished, holding his arms aloft.

Mr Corbyn had told the crowds at the Old Racecourse in Durham that he would tackle Donald Trump on environmental issues if he was the Prime Minister attending the G20 summit.

The Northern Echo:

Jeremy Corbyn poses for a photo with people attending Durham Miner's Gala

If he were in Theresa May's place, he said he would also challenge the "economic orthodoxy" of austerity, which he said was creating inequality around the world.