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New film pays homage to veteran left MP

A NEW documentary film about socialist hero Dennis Skinner is set to be released later this year, the Morning Star can reveal.

The Beast of Bolsover, which has been funded by trade union donations, will pay tribute to the Labour MP’s 45 years in Parliament and give a rare insight into his personal life.

Daniel Draper, a left-wing film-maker from Liverpool, hopes his final cut will be ready to pitch to broadcasters and high-profile film competitions by the end of the year.

The 28-year-old told the Star he had approached Mr Skinner about the possibility of making the film after interviewing him for his last production, a documentary about Robert Tressell and his classic novel the Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.

“As a working-class person, he’s a hero of my type,” Mr Draper told the Star. “I sent him an email just hoping for him to get in touch and he rang me.

“You don’t realise he’s just a normal chap and you can have a chat with him. But for this to be happening is massive for myself.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pays tribute to Mr Skinner in the film as the “authentic working-class voice in Parliament — unchanged, unbowed, uncorrupted.”

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