Corbynwanted peace talks to help tackle IRA

Political Correspondent JEREMY Corbyn said he was calling for “peace and dialogue” during the 1980s at a time he has been accused of giving open support for the IRA.

The Labour leader and Prime Minister Theresa May were quizzed by a studio audience and host Jeremy Paxman with less than two weeks until the General Election

Mr Corbyn was put under the spotlight on reports of support for the IRA, foreign policy, taxing businesses, i mmigration and nuclear weapons by the audience.

In the Channel 4/Sky News programme, Mrs May was asked about cuts to police numbers, the NHS and funding for schools.

Mr Corbyn said there shouldn’t be a softening of policy in the face of terror like the attack in Manchester and acts of terror should be met with “absolute condemnation”.

He said he was calling for dialogue in Northern Ireland during the 1980s and supported the peace process which finally came about.

On his response immediately after the Manchester terror attack, he said: “My point was absolute condemnation. My point was that we need more police not less – that’s why we’ve pledged to provide 10,000 more police on our streets – and we need a foreign policy that doesn’t leave large areas of the world ungoverned so that we have a more secure future.”

Asked about claims of support for the IRA, he said: “The contribution I made to that meeting was to call for a peace and dialogue process in Northern Ireland.

“It’s only by dialogue and process we brought about peace in Northern Ireland and I think that’s a good thing.”

Mr Paxman also challenged the Labour leader on his manifesto and said he failed to get his own principles and policies in the document. Mr Corbyn said the polices were decided by the party and reflected the views of the membership.

Ms May reverted to the David Cameron and George Osborne tactics of blaming the previous Labour government for Conservatives spending cuts.

She said: “What we had to do when we came into government in 2010 was to ensure that we were living within our means and that was very important because of the economic situation we had inherited.

“It’s not just about the numbers of police – people often focus on the numbers of police. It’s actually about what the police are able to do and how they are being deployed.”

Mrs May was also put under pressure on Brexit, and her belief that the UK should have remained in the EU, and challenged that she is stuck with delivering something she believes is bad. The Prime Minister said she accepted the result of the referendum and said Britain can benefit from opportunities arising from Brexit.