Jeremy Corbyn said during a visit to Stevenage this morning that he would tackle the lack of affordable housing in the town by investing in councils and public services.

The bookies’ favourite was joined by fellow Labour leadership contenders Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall at the BBC Radio 5 live hustings in Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre.

Mr Corbyn, MP for Islington North, said: “We need to invest in public services, particularly in housing, for those who need it most. It is so crucial because it is a growing crisis. Councils need support to build more social housing and address the problem that many people face in places like Stevenage.”

Mr Corbyn also said he dislikes NATO’s expansionist policies, was against Trident – the UK’s nuclear deterrent – and would scrap tuition fees and pay for it by raising cooperation tax.

He then explained that if he was elected leader all of his policies wouldn’t necessarily be adopted by the party. He said: “My campaign has put out a very large number of policies. They are all there for debate. We are electing a party leader, not a dictator.”

Presenter Nicky Campbell acted as compère for the show. He asked Mr Corbyn about why he described Islamist militant organisations Hamas and Hezbollah as friends in a tweet.

He replied: “The issue has to be that if we want to bring about peace we have to speak with people with who we profoundly disagree.”

All four candidates answered questions from the audience and listeners about what they would do if elected Prime Minster and why they were suited to the job.