Anger as Corbyn says Tories have sent death rate soaring
JEREMY Corbyn provoked outrage last night after claiming that the Tories had ‘almost certainly increased the death rate’ with their policies.
The Labour leader suggested in an article that the Government may have contributed to thousands of extra deaths.
Describing Tory policies as ‘deadly’, Mr Corbyn said: ‘Austerity has almost certainly increased the death rate. The full consequences of eight years of cruel and counter-productive Tory austerity are devastating.’
He made the incendiary claims as fears grew within his party that the anti-Semitism crisis would limit gains in yesterday’s local elections.
Last night, Conservative MPs branded his remarks ‘disgusting’, citing the fact that Ken Livingstone remained in the Labour Party despite claiming Hitler was a Zionist.
Andrew Bridgen said of Mr Corbyn: ‘This is a man who referred to Hamas and Hezbollah as friends, has voiced his support for murderous regimes like Venezuela and has refused to condemn Russia, Syria and the IRA.
‘He has also created a safe space for anti-Semites after failing to expel people like Ken Livingstone after he was accused of being a Nazi apologist. His remarks are disgusting.’
Writing for the Mirror, Mr Corbyn highlighted a report stating that there had been over 10,000 extra deaths at the start of this year, attributing it to the British Medical Journal. He said the authors ‘strongly implied’ that the deaths were due to underfunding to health and social care.
He concluded: ‘These figures are the result of Tory choices which have damaged the health of the many to swell the bank balances of the few.’
Mr Livingstone, who is currently suspended from Labour, denies that his comments make him a Nazi apologist.
It came as Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell claimed people ‘want’ to pay higher local taxes in a signal that Labour will put up council charges.
Residents are already paying higher council tax after they rose by their highest level in 14 years, adding £ 1 to the cost of the average annual bill.
‘The council tax issue is interesting,’ he told The Guardian. ‘We’re getting on the doorstep – “I’d rather pay a bit more to get a decent service”.’