Sir Keir Starmer has been roundly criticised for appearing to laugh "in disdain" when asked a question about Coventry.
In a video interview, the Labour leader was quizzed on the current situation between Coventry City Council and the Unite union.
When quizzed about the striking workers, Sir Keir appeared to belittle the workers of Coventry.
This provoked a serious backlash on Twitter, with a number of people claiming this attitude towards former Red Wall heartlands was one of the reasons Labour lost the last election.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to the Prince's Trust South London Centre in London
Victoria Jones
Novara Media co-founder Aaron Bastani said it was "candid and obvious" how Starmer views placed outside of the London bubble.
He said: "The way Starmer says Coventry with such utter disdain and contempt is how too much of Westminster views [the] country outside London.
"But here it is really candid and obvious."
Political correspondent Ava Santini wrote: "The laugh on Coventry might not be great optics."
Sam Lowry said: "And with one smug sneering laugh Starmer dismisses the people of the great city of Coventry as being irrelevant compared to the North London elite to which he belongs …"
Coventry has always been seen as a Labour stronghold, but like many traditional Red Wall areas, is seeing Conservatives gaining ground, particularly in the recent city council elections.
Sir Keir had urged the Coventry union workers and the Council to end their dispute.
He told the BBC: "In relation to the strike it's obviously industrial action, and what I want to see is pretty well what everybody wants to see which is an end to the dispute.
"That's only going to happen if both sides are talking, they are talking at the moment. And I hope that resolves the issue because that's the best thing in relation to this industrial dispute and most industrial disputes.
"On the funding, I don't think an industrial dispute in Coventry should influence relations between the Labour Party and its trade unions, its affiliated trade unions, so it's very important I make that clear as well."
