Jeremy Corbyn's closest advisor Seumas Milne has quit his job at The Guardian

LONDON - Seumas Milne, the Labour Party's strategy and communications director, has quit his job at The Guardian to continue advising Jeremy Corbyn.

Milne was working on loan in Corbyn's office from his permanent role at The Guardian. Rumours about his future have circulated for some time, with reports in September last year suggesting that he might return to the newspaper.

But Milne has decided to stick with Corbyn. A Guardian spokeswoman confirmed his departure, while politics blog Guido Fawkes published editor Kath Viner's email to staff.

"I'm writing to let you know that, following a period of unpaid leave from Guardian News & Media, Seumas Milne has decided to continue in his role as the Labour party's strategy and communications director, and is leaving the staff of the Guardian," Viner said. "I would like to thank Seumas for his brilliant Guardian journalism, and we hope he'll write for us again in the future."

Milne oversees Corbyn's press strategy, but his approach is not universally popular. Corbyn has favoured social media over the traditional press. In an investigation by Business Insider last year, prominent political journalists said the Labour leader's lack of engagement was "unprecedented." This has showed signs of softening in recent weeks, however, with Corbyn's team attempting to put him up for regular broadcast interviews.