EU is bad for the poor, Corbyn told dictator pal

JEREMY Corbyn has accused EU institutions of being ‘detrimental to the poor’, it emerged last night.

A recording from 2014 of the Labour leader discussing the European Union with Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro suggests it is a barrier to ‘building socialism and the fight against capitalism’.

He also singles out the European Central Bank (ECB) for criticism, saying its policies were ‘detrimental to the poor of Britain and other countries’.

Mr Corbyn faced criticism from pro-EU Labour MPs last year over his lukewarm support for the campaign to keep Britain in the EU. Critics believe he sees Brussels as an obstacle to his vision of turning Britain into a socialist state – a view he appeared to confirm during the conversation with Maduro.

The Labour leader had rung in to a radio show hosted by the dictator to discuss the death of his hero, the former Labour politician Tony Benn, who inspired the Venezuelan regime. Mr Corbyn praised Mr Benn as ‘a leader in the struggle against the economic policies of the European Bank and others, which were detrimental to the poor of Britain and other countries.’

Labour sources last night suggested Mr Corbyn’s comments were a criticism of ‘the suffering inflicted on southern European countries, such as Greece, through austerity’ as a result of policies pursued by the ECB.

The recording reveals Corbyn’s close links to the Venezuelan president, who has been branded a dictator by the opposition after the role of the elected national assembly was sidelined. Mr Corbyn, who idolised Venezuela’s former socialist leader Hugo Chavez, has refused to criticise its leadership, despite its slide into chaos and repression under Maduro.

‘Lukewarm support’