Corbyn reaction ‘sounded like the Kremlin’

JEREMY Corbyn yesterday refused to blame the Syrian regime for the gas attack.

The Labour leader also failed to condemn Moscow, which is backing Bashar Assad’s offensives against rebel forces.

One Cabinet minister said Labour’s official response to the attack ‘could have been written by the Kremlin’.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid berated the Opposition for failing to mention the role of Russia and Iran.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said Labour’s leaders were ‘consorting with evil’ by not condemning Vladimir Putin. There was no formal response from the Opposition until late on Sunday night – nearly 24 hours after the assault.

It called for ‘all sides’ to start peace talks and spread the blame for ‘atrocities’ committed during the conflict to both rebels and the regime.

Appearing to raise doubts about who was behind the attack, it said ‘anyone found responsible’ for using chemical weapons should be brought to justice.

‘The Syrian people have suffered too long from the atrocities and brutality of this war, whether committed by the Assad regime, by jihadist militias, or by their respective international supporters, and it is time for that suffering to stop,’ it said.

The comment was attributed to a party spokesman rather than any named member of the shadow cabinet – exposing Labour divisions over Syria.

Responding on Twitter, Mr Javid wrote: ‘This Labour press release could have been written by the Kremlin.

‘No mention at all of Russian and Iranian complicity. Wonder why? How did a once great political party come to this?’

Mr Corbyn has enraged MPs on his own

backbenches by failing to condemn Assad – and its backer Russia – in the protracted civil war. At the launch of Labour’s local election campaign yesterday, he was asked for his views on the attack and whether he believed the dictator was responsible. He said he condemned the attack ‘absolutely’, and called for an urgent UN investigation to gather evidence about who carried it out.

But he failed to name Assad and called on ‘Russia and the United States’ to ensure a ceasefire in Syria. Later, in an LBC interview he said: ‘I condemn all violence from wherever it’s come.’