Jeremy Corbyn's supporters laud 'fetching' Labour leader for polished GQ magazine cover

It would be fair to say Jeremy Corbyn is not your average Gentleman’s Quarterly cover star. The international monthly men’s magazines recent cover stars might include pop megastars, rappers, Hollywood actors, professional wrestlers, members of the royal family, and comedians but there are no Labour party politicians in sight.

But this has not stopped onlookers from heaping praise on GQ for its unlikely January/February cover star. Dressed in a suarve navy blue Marks and Spencer suit and postbox red tie, pulling a serene and unflappable pose, the Labour leader looked undeniably polished.

Mr Corbyn's fans immediately drew attention to his smart clothing and praised the MP for Islington North for his attire on social media. People also expressed shock at seeing him on the magazine cover and argued it would have been unfathomable a short period ago.

“Jeremy Corbyn on the cover of GQ's best-dressed men issue wearing a knit tie: Things I didn't ever expect to see,” said fellow journalist, Alex Spence.

Others said the politician, who increased Labour's share of the vote by more than any other of the party's election leaders since 1945 in the June election, looked “fetching”, “polished”, and "smart".

But Dylan Jones, the GQ editor who has previously said he supports the Conservative party, has criticised Mr Corbyn and claimed the photo shoot was "as difficult as shooting any Hollywood celebrity".

Jones said despite the Labour leader's "rock star persona" he was "underwhelming" in person.

"When he actually turned up for the shoot it was almost like he was being pushed around like a grandpa for the family Christmas photograph. He wasn't particularly aware of what was going on. But we're very pleased with what we ended up with," he told the BBC's Today programme.

Mr Corbyn's former spokesman Matt Zarb-Cousin claimed Mr Jones had not been in the room for the interview, saying the editor's politics were "well known".

"It's slightly puzzling that the editor of GQ would put Jeremy Corbyn on the cover of his magazine looking like a prime minister in waiting, only to go on the Today programme and say the complete opposite," he told the BBC.

“Pretty sure if Jeremy Corbyn had turned up in Tom Ford and pumped for his GQ cover shoot, hinting he was up late reading Critique of Pure Reason, Dylan Jones would have slagged that off as well,” said Guardian political reporter Jessica Elgot.

The interview, a short version of which appears on the GQ website, includes the Labour leader rejecting claims that he had avoided outrightly stating that he supported remaining in the EU during the 2016 referendum campaign.

Mr Corbyn also said he would be happy to meet President Donald Trump and would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin if he were to become prime minister.

GQ’s recent cover stars include Adam Driver, Liam Gallagher, Alec Baldwin, Cara Delevingne, the Duke of Cambridge, Casey Affleck, Anthony Joshua, and Drake.