Corbyn: let Labour members decide which infrastructure must be built

The re-elected leader of Labour Jeremy Corbyn is to seek a voice for the party's half a million members in deciding which capital investment projects should be prioritised.

Corbyn told the BBC's Andrew Marr yesterday that he has asked the executive of the party to "look at involvement". He said: "I want more power for members and supporters to ensure we get policies that get support across the party. There's a lot of thirst for change out there. People want to see things done differently." Labour members should decide how the £500bn in new investment proposed by Corbyn to "invest to grow" should be spent, he said.

"Yes, we're opposed to what the Government's overall economic strategy is, but it's also a question of what you invest in, how you invest in it, which railways you upgrade, which roads you change, which broadband you bring in, which new industries you support." This would involve "real-time discussions" about policy on-line. He added that the £500bn figure was based on a calculation based on "the rough [infrastructure] needs of the country".

The move comes after Lib Dem members rejected any caveats in their leadership's support for HS2.