Frankenstein Nato is a threat to peace, says Corbyn in car crash interview
JEREMY Corbyn last night declared he still believes Nato is a ‘very dangerous Frankenstein of an organisation’ and a ‘danger to world peace’.
In an interview on BBC1, the Labour leader admitted he wanted the military alliance ‘wound up’ at the end of the Cold War. Mr Corbyn stood by comments made three years ago about Nato being a ‘danger to world peace’.
Asked by Andrew Neil if he still believed the same, Mr Corbyn said: ‘I want to work within Nato to achieve stability. I want to work within Nato to promote a human rights democracy and under a Labour government that’s exactly what we’d be doing.’
Pushed again on whether he had changed his mind, he replied: ‘No.’
In a car crash interview, Mr Corbyn also refused six times to say whether he supported the renewal of Britain’s nuclear deterrent – and was forced to admit he had honoured the IRA dead.
Mr Corbyn said he would order a review on whether to keep the UK’s nuclear missiles if he wins the election. He repeatedly refused to answer whether he personally backed the renewal of Trident, which was voted on by MPs last year.
Mr Corbyn, who is a CND member, said: ‘I voted against the renewal, everybody knows that, because I wanted to go in a different direction. That decision has been taken, I respect that decision.’
Pushed on whether he personally supported the renewal though, Mr Corbyn said: ‘We are going ahead with the programme that has been voted on by Parliament and the Labour Party. My views on nuclear weapons are
well known. What I want to do is bring about peace.
He said the position adopted by the party would be carried out but asked again whether he backed renewal, Mr Corbyn said: ‘Listen do we really want to live in a world where there is a danger of a nuclear holocaust? No we don’t.’
As he faced renewed questions over his links with the IRA, Mr Corbyn insisted he did not support the republican terror group.
He also denied claims he supported the armed struggle for a united Ireland. Asked why people would want him as PM given his previous support for the IRA, Mr Corbyn replied: ‘I didn’t support the IRA. I don’t support the IRA.
‘What I want everywhere is a peace process. What I want everywhere is decency and human rights. We went through the horrors of Northern Ireland – through the period of the Troubles – and eventually came from that a peace process, and now relative peace and stability.’
Mr Corbyn said a minute’s silence Jeremy Corbyn paid tribute to the victims of Manchester last night, wearing a badge with the city’s coat of arms during his interview with Andrew Neil he observed in 1987 for eight IRA members killed by the SAS was ‘for all who’d died’ in Northern Ireland.
Questioned if he urged the IRA to stop the bombs, Mr Corbyn replied: ‘I never met the IRA.
‘I obviously did meet people from Sinn Fein, as indeed I met people from other organisations, and I always made the point that there had to be a dialogue.’