Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn says investment to create jobs is the key to recapturing support among disaffected supporters who switched to UKIP at the election in Kent.

Mr Corbyn was given a rousing reception by a crowd of several hundred who were at the Winter Gardens in Margate yesterday for his latest rally in the campaign to become the next party leader.

In an interview with the KM Group political editor Paul Francis, he said more public investment in jobs and housing were key if the party was to appeal to voters who had deserted it in Kent at the election.

Asked how the party would improve its prospects, he said: “By investment to create jobs, investment in housing and the regulation of the private rented sector to give real security to tenants rather than the insecurity of six months shorthold tenancies and the danger of having to move over that.”

The party saw its support plummet across the county and in many seats it slumped to third place behind UKIP.

Mr Corbyn, who delivered a 40-minute speech punctuated by applause, said he was running a campaign based on optimism.

“This is a campaign about optimism and a campaign about the possibilities of doing things.”

Asked if those who had turned away from Labour because of immigration and concerns about jobs, he said: “We need proper wage regulation and to ensure a real living wage is paid; we also need to ensure collective bargaining arrangements particularly in the construction industry are enforced and adhered to, so we end up with people working in better quality jobs and wages.

“There are no solutions in blaming minorities; there are solutions in everyone working together to achieve better working conditions.”

He said that party membership had “gone up massively” in many areas, including constituencies in Kent. “I think we are on the way and Labour is becoming very much stronger in the country.”

During his speech, he drew loud applause when he attacked the government welfare reforms and the threat of the privatisation of the NHS.

He was also cheered when he told the audience: “We cannot go on having remote policy making based on focus group 'x' or opinion poll 'y.'”

On welfare, he said there should be a “national outrage” about the number of deaths among those who were on certain benefits who had been told that they were well enough to work despite their conditions.

He accused the government of wanting to privatise the NHS in a way that would force people to take out insurance.

"Underneath their rhetoric, Tory government want the NHS to be service of last resort for those that cannot afford to pay privately.”

On the growing numbers of refugees fleeing persecution, he said: “I want to live in a world where we have compassion for the victims of war.”

In a question and answer session after his speech, he was asked how he would deal with “the Labour establishment” trying to destabilise him if he won. “Whatever happens, we are not going away,” he replied.

The results of the Labour leadership battle will be declared at a special conference on Saturday.