VETERAN left-winger Tony Benn is the new face of a former pit village's banner.

The Labour MP, who retired last year after 50 years in Parliament, is depicted on a new version of the Blackhall Lodge banner.

Mr Benn, a regular speaker at the Durham Miners' Gala, appears alongside heroes of working class politics Keir Hardie, founder of the Labour Party, revered miners' leader AJ Cooke, and Aneurin Bevan, father of the National Health Service, who are featured on the original.

"We added Tony Benn to the new banner because he is a man who has stood by the miners over the years," said Barry Chambers, chairman of the village's banner committee.

Blackhall's original banner was repaired and paraded at last year's gala but is now considered too fragile to withstand further outings.

It will be kept in a glass case at Blackhall Community Centre.

Mr Chambers, the village's former National Union of Mineworkers secretary, said: "The original had the slogan 'leisure through modernisation' on the back, but we decided to change it because of quips about leisure through redundancy, what with all the pit closures. It is now 'need before greed'."

The committee has raised about £4,500 but needs £7,000. A glass case is needed for the new banner.

Mr Benn, who said he had quit the House of Commons to "devote more time to politics", travelled to County Durham to see the banner unfurled.

He will see it again in July at this year's Big Meeting.

Blackhall's colliery began production in 1913 and produced coal until 1981. A team of 40 workers was kept on until 1986 to deal with mine water problems.