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Jeremy Corbyn has denied that Labour has lost touch with its core working class voters.

And he pledged: “I will fight to win the 2020 election.”

He called for all sides of the party – including Tony Blair and Lord ­Mandelson – to unite to regain power.

But he acknowledged his message was not getting through and more needed to be done to reconnect.

“I don’t believe we have lost touch with working class communities,” Mr Corbyn said after touring the People’s History Museum in Manchester.

“But I think there’s a perception that we need to be stronger in those ­communities and I understand that.

“We want to talk about an ­economic strategy that reaches everyone.”

He said parts of Britain have been suffering for decades and not enough was being done to help them.

“There are areas where industries closed at the end of the miners’ strike,” he said. “Other heavy industries were closed in the 1980s by Margaret Thatcher.

“Those areas still have high levels of unemployment, very low wages and low levels of union membership.

“One example is at Sports Direct in Shirebrook in Derbyshire but there are many more across the country.

(Image: PA)

“Our economic strategy is to reconnect with all those communities. We’re having economic conferences from the bottom up, listening to people.

“It’s a simple message. A Labour government would not cut taxes for corporations and the rich.

“It would keep those taxes at that level to invest in an economy that grows for all. We would also properly fund health, education and housing.”

Mr Corbyn admitted that Tony Blair won the 1997 election through being united and having a strong message.

He said: “I didn’t agree with some of the economic ideas of the Labour ­government, particularly the market- isation of health and local government and of course the Iraq war.

“But I recognise that the strength of united communication can win. That’s what we’re trying to achieve. The party has to come together to do this.

“The important thing is getting the message out there. The mandate is in place. We’ll bring more policy forward. And I’ll fight to win the 2020 election. We look to the fight to come.”

He added: “The strategy since 2008 of making the poorest in our society pay for the excesses of the banking system at that time is still with us.

“Local authorities getting their budgets slashed by central government, social care being underfunded and the NHS in crisis.

“There has to be a redistribution in our society and that’s the fundamental point Labour is making. Real

wages have not gone up for eight years as we are still in recovery from the 2008 ­crisis. I want us to win an election and make this country a fair and equal place.”