Jeremy Corbyn has rejected claims that Labour would split if he is elected leader.

In an interview with the Financial Times (£) the leadership contender says that he “appreciates” only a small number of MPs willingly nominated him. However, he notes that the number of MPs making ‘noises off’ at the moment is “actually quite small.”

This comes after some have suggested that Labour could split if Corbyn were elected leader.

Corbyn told the paper that many MPs will wait to see what happens and what role they can play after the election. He argued that they are united by their desire for the party “to be a vehicle for social change”.

“I don’t think there is any appetite for people to walk away from this and I look forward to the party working together with this great spirit on the ground, which wasn’t there before. There will be appointments offered to a very wide range of people and I hope they will recognise the results of the election, the enthusiasm of members and work together to develop a much better economic policy and a much more trenchant opposition,” he said.

The Islington North MP also used this interview to say that he would look at pay inequality in “every organisation”. He said that the salary levels and bonus levels in corporate organisations must be examined. He also said that Britain need a media “that is not controlled by a very small number of very big interests” – perhaps signalling plans for changing media ownership rules.

Corbyn – a long time anti-war campaigners – addressed the issue of foreign policy. In particular he noted that he had met with people with whom he doesn’t agree – comparing his experiences to those of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

“Sure, I have met lots of people I don’t agree with. Actually, Tony Blair has met Hamas more than I have and he has now been criticised for that by the Palestinian Authority because they say he is acting on behalf of Israel in trying to do a deal with Hamas in Gaza,” he said.

This comes after last week’s reports that he had met a Lebanese activist who was later banned from the UK on the grounds of extremism – a meeting he had initially forgotten. He remarked at the time: “As an MP I have met thousands of people over the years. Because I meet them, it does not mean I share their views or endorse their views.”

Corbyn said that he is “no defender” of Russian president Vladimir Putin or of Russian foreign policy. But as an outspoken critic of Nato, he said he is uncomfortable with Nato’s eastward expansion and argued for a “better-developed relationship with Russia” .

The leadership contender also defended immigration – saying it is time “we recognised the huge contribution that migration has made to the economic growth of this country” – and said that he would vote against a third runway at Heathrow because “we have to use underutilised capacity elsewhere”.