Jeremy Corbyn has received some unlikely backing in the Labour leadership contest in the shape of UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
Speaking at an event in London on Thursday, Farage praised Corbyn for "standing for something" and suggested a Corbyn victory would help UKIP's surge of support in the north of England and speed up the UK's exit from the EU.
"I don't particularly support Jeremy Corbyn's politics, but at least he stands for something," said Farage. "At least he has some ideas and some principles that he's prepared to defend. Whether they're whacky or not is up to each individual to make their mind up."
Corbyn, who is now odds on favourite to win the Labour leadership, has benefitted from an influx of new Labour members joining the party for £3 to vote for him in the leadership contest. His campaign received a further boost on Wednesday afternoon when he won the support of the Unison trade union.
Farage said a Corbyn victory would help UKIP win over more "moderate" Labour voters put off by Corbyn's left-wing politics, and would bring victory a step closer for the No campaign in the EU referendum who want Britain to exit the EU.
"What does [a Corbyn victory] mean for UKIP?" said Farage. "The success we've had already with politically very moderate Labour voters in the midlands, the north, and Wales, under Corbyn that will continue.
"What it means for the referendum is potentially more interesting. Actually, as [Corbyn] takes the lead, he's trying to pretend that he really wants to reform the European Union.
"I suspect somewhere inside Jeremy Corbyn is a real democratic socialist that wants to get out and realises, particularly after the way that Greece has been treated, that the EU is a fundamentally undemocratic place to be."