Berkoff: Why you can’t trust dangerous, dodgy Corbyn

THE unlikely rise of Jeremy Corbyn has, since the day he became Labour leader in 2015, been bolstered by the support of luvvies including Sherlock star Martin Freeman, comedian Steve Coogan and Hollywood actress Emma Thompson.

But has the honeymoon finally come to an end? British film star Steven Berkoff, best known for playing baddies in Hollywood blockbusters Rambo, Beverly Hills Cop and James Bond’s Octopussy, has unleashed a furious attack on Corbyn and his ‘shocking’ anti- Semitic Party. The outburst from Berkoff, who was born to Jewish parents in Stepney, East London, is especially surprising as the 79-year-old was once a fierce Socialist, drawing inspiration from Karl Marx for his own writing in the Seventies.

‘Jeremy Corbyn seems to be pressing the right buttons, being very Left-wing and humanistic, free education, and free this and free that, but he’s only pressing buttons,’ fumes Berkoff.

‘He could be good, but he’s too selfconsciously aggrandising. He’s smug now that he’s got a little bit of power and his attitude is one of self-righteousness — and even when he’s being interviewed he’s egocentric and charmless. I think that’s a dangerous

feature to have, so I think that man is a dodgy character.’

Berkoff, whose film roles have been complemented by his success as a director, author and playwright, admits he is distressed by Labour’s problem with anti-Semitism. Earlier this year, the party was divided over whether or not former London mayor Ken Livingstone should be expelled for claiming Hitler supported Zionism.

‘Everybody has a problem with antiSemitism,’ adds Berkoff, speaking to me at the VIP screening of In This Climate in London. ‘Unfortunately, it’s become inflamed by people like [Israeli prime minister] Netanyahu. That’s a great tragedy because it only takes one man like that to add his poison to the well.

‘It’s shocking. And that has spread to the Labour Party.’

Despite his despair, Berkoff happily lives in East London’s Labour-voting Limehouse, where he has an apartment on the Thames with his classical pianist girlfriend, Clara Fischer.

He has been married twice, firstly to painter Alison Minto in 1970, then to choreographer Shelley Lee in 1976.