Comic Coogan 'ambivalent' on Labour leadership Published duration 6 September 2015

image copyright Festival No. 6

The actor and Labour supporter Steve Coogan has said he doubts that leadership challenger Jeremy Corbyn can appeal to voters in middle England.

Coogan told a festival audience that he "ostensibly supported Andy Burnham," but that he had become "ambivalent" about the leadership race.

He was one of the star turns at Festival No. 6 at Portmeirion, Gwynedd on Saturday.

Sunday sees Grace Jones headline the final day of the three-day event.

The comic actor was in discussion with an audience at the central plaza of the Italianate village, designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis over a 50-year period.

"I don't know any more what the best thing is," said Coogan, who fronted a Labour broadcast during the general election campaign.

"I think that a lot of the ideals that Jeremy Corbyn is espousing, I share."

But he warned that "middle England is a very conservative group of people, and I don't know whether Jeremy Corbyn is going to speak to those people."

image copyright Getty Images

The winner will be revealed on 12 September, following a ballot of party members, registered supporters and affiliated supporters.

Coogan, who was a victim of phone-hacking, was asked what he made of Rebekah Brooks's return to the UK to run Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper business after being cleared of any involvement in the hacking scandal.

"I'm delighted that she has been rehabilitated so quickly, and I look forward to seeing her take part in some genuine public interest journalism that shines a light on corruption and malpractice in the press," he said.

He added: "That's called sarcasm."

image copyright Festival No. 6

Festival No. 6 is now in its fourth year, and was completely sold-out this year, opening to visitors on Friday.

Describing itself as a bespoke banquet of music, arts and culture, it has already won a string of awards

Sunday sees singer and actress Grace Jones headline the main Stage No. 6, with Shaun Ryder's Black Grape and former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes on the bill.