JEREMY Corbyn has said that Labour will deliver the money the NHS needs after a “Black Alert” was declared at Royal Bolton Hospital this week.

The Labour leader spoke to supporters at a rainy rally this morning after appearing on BBC Breakfast live from Blackrod Community Centre.

During his address, which Labour candidates Yasmin Qureshi and Julie Hilling joined him for, he waved a copy of The Bolton News as he spoke about the NHS.

He said: “What’s happening here in this town, the Black Alert on the hospital because of the insufficiency of funding and the insufficiency of supplies to our NHS. That has to change.”

“Our manifesto is bold, yes, it is ambitious, yes, and it is fully costed. We will deliver the money the NHS needs in order to ensure that there is patient safety, there is an end to privatisation and NHS staff are properly paid and properly treated because they are the people that we rely on.”

Speaking to The Bolton News on the election battle bus after the rally, he said that there is more to Labour’s plan to fix the NHS than simply throwing money at it.

He said: “Obviously, money is an important part of it, but there’s a number of other areas. One is to do with the staff crisis which is about training and recruiting nurses – there’s 40,000 vacancies across the NHS – that is done by a combination of reinstating the nursing bursary and ending university fees.

“Also, there’s a shortage of other specialities across the NHS. Doctors, but also radiologists who can analyse cancer samples for example. It’s a problem. So, it is about recruitment.”

READ MORE: Bolton Hospital 'de-escalates' pressure level after 'Black Alert'

Mr Corbyn also said that hospital buildings need maintenance work and he stressed the importance of access to social care.

He added: “With the best will in the world, if there’s a shortage of social care places, often older patients are going to be kept longer than necessary in hospital. A week too long means a week somebody else can’t get a bed.”

The Labour leader promised to be an “honest broker” for a new Brexit deal who would appoint a negotiating team made up of both Leavers and Remainers.

He promised to negotiate a credible leave option which maintains a trade relationship with the EU and the Good Friday agreement.

The Bolton News asked whether he thinks Labour MPs should take a neutral stance if there was another referendum under his leadership, as he has committed to doing himself.

He said: “I don’t want to represent 48 or 52. I want to represent the whole population and our candidates are very well aware of the policy and actually, the party as a whole is behind that policy because it does provide the final decision to be made by people of this country.”

Mr Corbyn said that it was disappointing to lose Labour councillors in Bolton, but said that the general election will be different. Labour lost control of Bolton Council in May, ending four decades of dominance in the Town Hall.

He said: “General election is a much higher turnout, much greater debate and discussion about it. This Thursday’s election is the future direction of this country. Do we continue with austerity and underfunding of public services or do we invest in the future?

“Our manifesto, very ambitious it is, but it is there, and it will make a difference in a lot of people’s lives.”