Corbyn must explain Czech spy meetings
Among his fellow politicians there has largely been a shrug of indifference to the allegations that the Leader of the Opposition once had regular contacts with an agent of a Soviet-bloc country when he served as a backbench MP in the 1980s. Similarly, the shadow Chancellor is also implicated in activity that was at the very least questionable and, at worst, of potential assistance to this country’s enemies. Jeremy Corbyn and John Mcdonnell are well-known, long-standing Leftwingers, but this does not mean they should escape the scrutiny that would attach to anyone else for such behaviour.
Mr Corbyn aspires to be the Prime Minister and has even indicated that he thinks he might be in Downing Street some time this year were the Government to fall over Brexit. The country is entitled, therefore, to ask questions about the character of its political leaders, not least where its interests and security are concerned.
We already know that Mr Corbyn had a predilection for fraternising with enemies of the British state, notably the IRA. Now Jan Sarkocy, a former Czech spy, claims he paid the Labour leader – known to his employers as source “Cob” – for information to pass on to Prague and Moscow.
These are serious issues. Imagine, for instance, that a leading Conservative had been accused of collaborating with an apartheid-era South African spy: Labour would be screaming for an inquiry. Nor can these claims be dismissed simply because Mr Corbyn vehemently denies them. After all, the party had no compunction in demanding a police investigation into accusations of sexual abuse against a long-dead former Tory leader on the testimony of a fantasist.
Mr Corbyn does not deny meeting Mr Sarkocy but says he was working to reduce Cold War tensions. If he has nothing to hide, perhaps the Labour leader would agree to his Cold War files – held in the archives of the various Iron Curtain security agencies – being made public. As Theresa May said yesterday, politicians should be open and transparent
Furthermore, the Commons is quick to set up committees to investigate all sorts of allegations against businessmen, charity leaders or sports stars. Why are MPS so reticent where one of their own is concerned? Mr Corbyn needs to explain himself and a parliamentary inquiry would offer him the chance to do so.