Jeremy Corbyn made his weekly appearance at the Prime Minister's Questions sporting a prominent "heart unions" badge.
The lapel badge was issued by the TUC in relation to a week-long campaign it is running highlighting the work unions do and its opposition to the Government's Trade Union Bill.
The Labour leader, however, chose not to raise the issue with David Cameron, instead focusing all six of his questions on the shortage of affordable housing.
Asked why Mr Corbyn had chosen to wear the badge on a day when voters were being disrupted by the junior doctors' strike, a senior Labour source said: "He was wearing an 'I love the unions' badge because he loves the unions.
"This week is I Love Unions Week against a number of things, including the Government's aggressive Trade Union Bill. We are working with trade unions, trade unions are a very important part of affiliates to the Labour Party. We're not frightened to say that we are proud to work with trade unions who represent over 6 million people."
Any inconvenience to NHS users was being caused by "a strike that Jeremy Hunt has created from his own blunders", said the source, adding: "There's still a lot of public support for the junior doctors and I think people recognise the hard work they do and their seven-day week and Jeremy Hunt needs to return to the table.
"It 's important that we push the blame where that belongs, for the fact that the strike is taking place today."
The source said neither Mr Corbyn nor shadow chancellor John McDonnell was expected to join NHS picket lines during the current strike, but insisted that there had been "no change of attitude" from Labour towards the strike.
Asked if the Labour leader backed the walkout, he said: "What politicians do and say about the strike is neither here nor there."
The source said Mr Corbyn had decided not to mention the doctors' strike in any of his six questions to David Cameron at PMQs "because we decided to go on the housing crisis, which is also affecting millions of people in the UK".
He added: "We have choices every week. We've dealt with junior doctors in the past, we've been consistent in our message."
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