Labour's push for working class vote with 48 hours until EU referendum

His speech came as Labour stepped up their campaign to Remain in the EU with events spanning the length and breadth of the UK.

Leader Jeremy Corbyn and senior Labour figure and Chair of the Labour In For Britain Alan Johnson spoke to voters in Manchester at the People's Museum and this lunchtime former Labour leader Neil Kinnock will address a rally in Cardiff.

With just 48 hours to go until the polls open, Labour are attempting to capture the working class vote by arguing that British workers rights, jobs and pay are best protected by staying within the EU.

Mr Corbyn said: "For too many people in Britain work is still very insecure today. We want to stop the exploitation of zero hours contracts. How can you plan your life if you don't know how many hours you're going to work and you don't know what your income is going to be?

"Why is it in Britain we allow these things to happen? I want us to eliminate zero hours.

"They are not permitted in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Poland and Spain..."

He said he wants to create a European wide minimum standard of rights at work to eradicate zero hours and a European wide minimum wage based on the cost of living in different countries.

While his speech took aim at many flaws in current EU employment practices - including the Posted Workers Directive - he said when it comes to rights for workers the EU prevents undercutting and is a force for good in improving employment practices.

He said current protections such as 28 days annual leave would not exist without EU membership, nor would levels of maternity and paternity leave.

"Several Leave supporters have stated clearly that they want to leave Europe to water down workers rights. To rip up the protections that protect work-life balance. It's a bit odd when you've got an employment minister who announces that the first thing she wants to do on Friday if there is a leave vote is to tear up at least half of the employment regulations.

"Which half is it? The holidays? Paternity leave? Maternity leave? The end of discrimination against people on their gender?

"It's a Tory led Brexit campaign that is a real threat to working people in this country. I say we Remain to right improve living conditions and standards across the continent," said Mr Corbyn.

The museum was an apt choice for today's campaigning, Mr Johnson said as it was founded on the site of the Peterloo massacre in St. Peter's Field, Manchester, where almost two hundred years ago ordinary workers rose up to defy the "dark forces of suppression".

Mr Johnson, a former postman, said: "It’s working people whose jobs will be placed in jeopardy if we leave, good high skilled well paid unionised jobs in manufacturing that will be amongst the most vulnerable as companies that have set up in Britain as a gateway to tariff free trade with Europe suddenly lose that access and look to find it elsewhere.

"There are those who say that when the last referendum was held on membership of what was then the European Economic Community, we only voted for a Common Market. Not True.

"I was a postman back then in 1975. I delivered the leaflets on both sides in that referendum. Here’s what the Yes leaflet said on page 4 in relation to what that vote was about:

"To bring together the peoples of Europe, To raise living standards and improve working conditions, To promote growth and boost world trade To help the poorest regions of Europe and the rest of the world, To help maintain peace and freedom."

"That vision is as relevant today 41 years later."