‘Nauseating’ Corbyn’s U-turn on shoot-to-kill

JEREMY Corbyn was described as “nauseating” last night as he tried to claim he now supports a shoot-tokill policy on terrorists.

The Labour leader, who in the recent past has called Islamic terrorist groups and the IRA “friends” and opposed every piece of anti-terror legislation, attempted to rebrand himself as strong on security.

In a speech, less than 24 hours after terrorists had killed seven people and wounded dozens of others in London, Mr Corbyn tried to use the tragedy for political gain.

Despite promising to suspend national campaigning in respect for the victims of Saturday’s attack, Mr Corbyn decided to make a speech last night, attempting to pin the blame for the tragedy on the Government instead of the terrorists.

After decades of refusing to support tough measures against terrorism, he vowed in his speech in Carlisle to take “whatever action is necessary and effective” to preserve public safety.

He sought to end the earlier controversy over his lack of support for police use of “shoot-to-kill” tactics against armed attackers, by stating that he backed the “full authority for the police to use whatever force is necessary to protect and save life as they did last night, as they did in Westminster in March”.

But his words were met with disbelief and ridicule. As recently as 2015 he said of shoot to kill: “I’m not happy with the shoot-to-kill policy in general – I think that is quite dangerous and I think it often can be counterproductive”.

In 2011 he said: “I’ve been involved in opposing anti-terror legislation ever since I first went into Parliament in 1983.”

Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, described it as “physically sickening to listen to Corbyn parading himself as a suitable man to deal nauseating”.

Security Minister Ben Wallace, a former army officer, said: “This was a hastily arranged speech designed to help him run from his record on counter-terrorism policy, but it failed.

“He has boasted about opposing every single counter-terror law, opposed the use of shoot to kill, and gave cover to the IRA when they bombed our citizens.

“Voters will judge him on his views and actions in the last 30 years, not his desperate promises and evasive soundbites three days out from polling day.” with terror. Just