‘Not save the Queen’: Britain’s new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn under fire for not singing national anthem

The new leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party faced heavy criticism on Wednesday for remaining silent while the national anthem was sung at a religious service to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s air attacks on Britain.

The front pages of Britain’s mainly right-leaning press carried pictures of left-winger Jeremy Corbyn, an anti-war campaigner and anti-monarchist, standing silently as those around him sang "God Save The Queen" during the service at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Headlines included "Corbyn snubs Queen and Country" and "Not save the Queen".

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The decision by Corbyn, who was elected on Saturday with strong backing from his party’s members but has less support among Labour lawmakers, was criticised both by members of the armed forces and by some within his party.

"It will have offended and hurt people," Kate Green, a Labour lawmaker and member of Corbyn’s policy team, told BBC Radio on Wednesday.

Asked if he should have sung the anthem, she said: "I think it would have been appropriate and right and respectful of people’s feelings to have done so."