Birmingham MP Jess Philips has called on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to apologise, after he was present at a wreath-laying for people involved in the murder of 11 Olympic athletes.

Mr Corbyn has admitted he was "present" at an event which apparently commemorated the people behind the 1972 Munich terror attack, when a Palestinian group killed 11 Israeli athletes.

He said: "I was present at that wreath-laying, I don’t think I was actually involved in it."

Photographs taken at the event, in Tunis in 2014, show him holding a wreath.

Ms Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, said on Twitter: "Sorry is what is needed. Admission of an error is not the worst sin. It was wrong and being sorry and really trying to understand the hurt would be the kindest path."

MP Jess Phillips.
MP Jess Phillips.

But speaking in the Walsall North constituency on Monday night, Mr Corbyn insisted Labour was succeeding despite a hostile media.

And he attacked "mainstream media newspapers" for failing to report what Labour is saying and doing.

Mr Corbyn made no reference to the row over the wreath but made it clear he was continuing as Labour leader.

He said: "I was elected to lead this party three years ago, and I'm very proud to lead our party.

"Very proud of the membership we've attracted, and very proud of the activity that there now is within the party.

"We hold these campaigning days and 400 events are organised in one day all across the country.

"That's not because the Daily Mail says there is a Labour event in Corby on Sunday, get along there.

And it's not because the Daily Express says Labour's doing some really good stuff in Livinsgtone in Scotland.

"No, it's nothing to do with that. It's about people getting out and talking to others."

He said Labour was challenging the Government, but told his audience: "You're not going to hear a lot of this in the mainstream media newspapers. You might hear some of it on television."

Jeremy Corbyn

The event was organised by trade union Unite, which published Mr Corbyn's speech on YouTube .

The Labour leader also set out plans to end rough seeping.

He said: "First off we'd purchase 8000 properties so that all the rough sleepers could get somewhere to live, albeit temporarily but at least a roof over their head.

"And we'd start a house building programme to build half a million council houses during the lifetime of the first Parliament of that Labour government."

He said this would also create jobs.

"I want to see that house building explosion take place all over," said Mr Corbyn.

And Mr Corbyn also said too many children are not getting nursery places, or are going to school hungry.

He pledged: "A free nursery place for all two to four year olds, proper funding of all our primary schools, a free school meal for every primary school child and music and art education for all children in schools."

He welcomed the election of Eleanor Smith, who is African Caribbean, as MP for Wolverhampton South West. The seat was once held by Enoch Powell, who stirred up racial hatred with his "rivers of blood" speech in 1968.

Mr Corbyn said: "The idea that his constituency is now represented by Eleanor Smith makes me very very happy indeed.

"It's what I call real justice."