by Luke James and Ros Sitwell

JEREMY CORBYN “refused” to attend the opening game of the Rugby World Cup — because he was helping this family with a housing problem.

The Labour leader was accused of “snubbing” the English rugby team for turning down a free ticket to watch their Twickenham clash with Fiji on Friday.

Tory MP Boris Johnson claimed he did not attend to avoid signing God Save the Queen, branding Mr Corbyn a “national joke.”

“Come on Jezza: Scrum down for England,” he goaded.

But Mr Johnson was left red faced this weekend when constituents revealed the real reason Mr Corbyn did not join Mr Johnson in the VIP box.

The Islington North MP held a marathon seven-hour advice surgery for his constituents on Friday.

And Daisy Barber revealed that Mr Corbyn helped her sister-in-law and two children long after the match kicked off at 5pm.

In a Facebook post that has been shared over 20,000 times, she explained: “He sat down for a private meeting with my sister in law to talk about her housing situation.

“Despite a waiting room full of people outside, and having recently been elected leader of the opposition, he nevertheless took his time to listen to her story and fully understand the issues.

“He treated her with compassion and dignity throughout and promised to personally look into the case.”

Ms Barber added: “On top of that, he insisted she return later so he could meet her kids, and then took the time to explain to my nieces the exact process required to make jam (there are things called pectins which are apparently very important).

“By this time it was gone 5pm on a Friday, when he should otherwise have been on route to the RWC.”

Two photos posted by Ms Barber from the meeting on Friday shows Mr Corbyn and the family in a group hug resembling a rugby scrum.

After going viral across social media, the post has dealt a blow to the latest in a deluge of right-wing smears aimed at discrediting Mr Corbyn.

BFAWU bakers’ union president Ian Hodson wrote: “Corbyn meets people and shuns corporate invite to rugby. Quite refreshing to see a politician putting people first.”

After finishing his advice surgery on Friday, the Labour leader addressed the attacks on him in a speech to activists in his constituency.

Alluding to the rugby row, he said “someone told me that some of the media have been slightly unkind.”

But he told them: “It is Parliament that is out of touch. Editorial newsrooms that are out of touch. What we are seeing is barnyard politics.

“People are now convinced that the world doesn’t have to be like this.”