General election 2019: Jeremy Corbyn in Wales for final election push

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Jeremy Corbyn behind the counter of a coffee shopImage source, Victoria Jones | PA Media
Image caption,

Jeremy Corbyn visited a coffee shop in Barry while on the campaign trail on Saturday

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has denied the party is on the defensive during his first visit of the election campaign in Wales.

With less than a week to go to the vote, Mr Corbyn is spending two days touring the country.

He held a rally in Swansea between visits to Barry and Carmarthen on Saturday.

"It makes sense to elect a Labour government and that means gaining constituencies," he said.

Mr Corbyn said the party would "make our voices heard this weekend" with just days left to win votes ahead of Thursday's poll.

He is the last of the major party leaders to visit Wales since election campaigning began last month.

It is also the first time he has visited since Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford described him as a "Marmite figure" among the party's supporters.

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Drakeford said Mr Corbyn appealed to younger voters but some traditional Welsh Labour voters were put off.

However Mr Corbyn responded: "A lot of people like Marmite, it's good for them."

He added: "I am campaigning on our manifesto and it's getting a good reception because people are fed up with the levels of poverty and inequality all across the UK and a Labour government would invest properly in the future.

"We would reverse the injustice of the universal credit system and help end some of that.

"But it's also a government that will not allow our NHS to be sold to the United States and we would expose what this government is doing."

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Mr Corbyn refused to comment on opinion polls, which show Labour lagging behind Boris Johnson's Conservatives.

Asked if this election was a test of Labour's resilience in Wales - where it is defending 28 seats - Mr Corbyn said his party was "very determined" to win the election.

"We are going out with a transformative, fully-costed manifesto that will improve the life chances of all of the people across the UK. I'm very proud of it."

Image source, Getty Images

Having served coffee in Barry and pulled pints in Carmarthen, Mr Corbyn will travel to Bangor and Conwy on Sunday.

"I'm excited to be back in Wales on the last weekend before polling day to bring our message of hope that Labour will build a fairer, more equal society," he said.

"I have been to more constituencies that any other party leader, and I have travelled further than any other party leader. I enjoy it."