Here's The Full Timeline Of The Completely Batshit Row Between Virgin Trains And Jeremy Corbyn

    This is the most British political row there has ever been.

    Last week Jeremy Corbyn was pictured sitting on the floor of a packed train to Newcastle.

    Corbyn turns down 1st class upgrade as he sits on the floor during three-hour train journey https://t.co/XNEYrXJiaD

    He was filmed saying: "This is a problem that many passengers face every day, commuters and long-distance travellers. Today this train is completely ram-packed. The staff are absolutely brilliant, working really hard to help everybody.

    “The reality is there are not enough trains, we need more of them – and they’re also incredibly expensive.”

    He added: “Is it fair that I should upgrade my ticket whilst others who might not be able to afford such a luxury should have to sit on the floor? It’s their money I would be spending after all.”

    But today, Virgin Trains responded that Corbyn had in fact had a seat on that train. The company said it had “to take issue with the idea that Mr Corbyn wasn’t able to be seated on the service, as this clearly wasn’t the case”, and released CCTV that it said proved there were plenty of available seats.

    Whereupon a lot of people took the piss.

    Jeremy Corbyn is the Ryan Lochte of public transport.

    Last time I saw Jeremy Corbyn surrounded by this many empty seats he was delivering a statement in Parliament

    Right: MPs debating their pay Left: The 11:32 to Reading #traingate

    Spare a thought for Corbyn. All this comes just a week after he couldn't get a seat at the diving...

    The pictures Virgin Trains and the MSM doesn't want you to see. #TrainGate

    HOWEVER. Things then took a twist.

    PLOT TWIST: a spokesperson from Corbyn's campaign has texted to say that the train *was* full, with people sitting in the aisles.

    This gave rise to one possible scenario, which was that the CCTV showed Corbyn sitting in the always unreserved Coach H, but that he then gave up his seat and sat on the floor.

    We'll come back to that, but let's just watch some more people take the piss first.

    Here's some more CCTV Virgin Trains don't want you to see.

    I've had it with the lying mainstream train CCTV

    Corbyn actually gave his seat to Harambe but you won't read that in the MSM https://t.co/PuvwruwLLL

    This is Corbyn’s train crossing the border, Promising to Britain a new political order, 1/2 #traingate

    Back to the thorny issue of exactly what happened on that train. Corbyn's team issued a denial of Virgin Trains' statement.

    Corbyn's team say Virgin Trains' claims are a "lie" https://t.co/bp6YycxLkt

    And a friend of the man who shot the original video said Corbyn had been stitched up.

    The man who brought the Corbyn-sitting-on-floor story to the nation stands by his story.

    There were also plenty of people asking questions about how real all the footage was.

    The reader verdict on traingate is in. They're not buying it.

    Train A leaves London at 1100 travelling at 80mph. Train B leaves Newcastle at 1130 travelling at 70mph. When does the MSM report the TRUTH

    By now journalists were still struggling to get a grip on claim and counterclaim.

    I've put together a timeline of events. You don't get journalism like this at other outlets. https://t.co/GlhhUaSCbM

    Was this a Blairite conspiracy?

    BREAKING: Richard Branson of @VirginTrains reveals temporary staff member who combed CCTV for #traingate footage

    Would Labour conference delegates still get their Virgin Trains discount?

    Well this is awkward https://t.co/W7Ayk1TU64

    Update: Virgin Trains has got in touch to confirm they will.

    Questions were also being asked about the ethics of releasing CCTV that shows passengers.

    I like the way that one of the CCTV images Virgin has released is apparently a close-up of a man picking his nose.

    Owen Smith also tried to make a joke. ☹️

    My campaign remains on track. Proud to be genuinely standing up for ordinary people.

    BUT THEN we had another twist. A woman who took a selfie with him claimed Jeremy Corbyn DID get a seat.

    Woman on train with Corbyn claims he got a seat after Virgin staff moved people around to make room for his team.

    Another theory was mooted on social media that involved Jeremy Corbyn being filmed walking through a first-class carriage only, but it was debunked after internet research revealed the image being circulated was of a Pendolino carriage and not, crucially, one on an East Coast Mainline train.

    A sentence no one thought they'd be writing today.

    By now it felt like there was only one man whose opinions on trains we'd yet to hear.

    *Ken bursts into the studio* "You know who made trains run on time with efficient seating? HITL" *he is dragged out by security* #traingate

    Thank God.

    That said, there were many other bones of contention.

    My only comment on the Virgin/Corbyn story is that "ram-packed" is not a thing. Jam-packed or rammed, Jeremy. Pick one.

    Anyway, here are some more people taking the piss.

    Doctors' Office is so ram packed, I'm having to answer bleeps on the floor.

    "I did not have a seat in that train carriage." #traingate

    BREAKING: Corbyn's team release more images of how they were forced to travel on Virgin Trains #traingate

    There was a 12yr old boy on that train. He sat on the floor with Corbyn and told him a story about hope. That boy's name? Albert Einstein.

    Reporters were still hard at work trying to find out the TRUTH...

    This still from Guardian footage is conclusive: Corbyn went whole train and sat in doorway at *far end* in Coach B.

    ...when this happened.

    That's right, after several hours of Twitter carnage it has finally been revealed that Jeremy Corbyn couldn't get a seat on the train to Newcastle, and then he could.

    At least that's what we think happened, for now.

    Update: this has happened.

    So the Guardian now has a Corbyn source saying he ignored empty seats because he wanted two together

    And this.

    Jeremy Corbyn's team say some of the unreserved seats he walked past had bags on them https://t.co/kOMxe2UFwa

    In summary:

    Remember when a single still image of awkwardly eating a bacon sandwich was seen as a Public Relations mess? Happy days.

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