LABOUR'S Shadow Chancellor visited a town's 40th May Day festival as a guest speaker.

Thousands of people travelled to Towneley Park, the largest park in Burnley, for the Burnley May Day festival to listen to to guest speaker Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.

The Labour MP celebrated international workers day and Labour's plan for government, including investing more money in services such as the NHS.

Previous guest speakers have included Sir Kier Starmer, who is the shadow Secretary for Brexit, and the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn.

He also said the party would have the most radical form of government since Prime Minister Clement Attlee took power in 1945. Attlee's government implemented a number of postwar socialist reforms, including the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948.

Speaking less than a week after Labour retained 25 seats on the council in the local elections, Burnley Council leader Mark Townsend, who also the leader of the Burnley Labour Party, said: "It was a fantastic event.

"There were thousands of people in Towneley and John gave a really inspiring speech that was received enthusiastically by all those who attended.

"(John) knows Burnley well and has family who live in the area.

"His daughter is a teacher at one of primary schools and so he could speak with great knowledge about the town."

Burnley MP Julie Cooper, who is also a member of the Labour Party, added: "I'm always asked if I can get a Labour colleague down to speak at the event, so I decided to ask John McDonnell this year, who accepted.

"It was brilliant he came along and it demonstrates Labour are committed to towns such as Burnley."