Media reforms ‘are not retaliation’

Jeremy Corbyn has insisted his proposals for the media are not in retaliation for reports about antisemitism in the Labour party.

The leader of the opposition said he support journalists “who want us to have a strong and vibrant democracy”.

He also stressed that there is “no place” for anti-semitism within society and added that he has spent his life “opposing anti-semitism in any form”.

“This isn’t about any retribution or retaliation to anybody,” he told an audience in Edinburgh.

The Labour leader outlined a series of reforms for what he described as the “failing” news media in a speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

He spoke of a desire to “break the stranglehold of elite power and billionaire domination over large parts of our media”.

Mr Corbyn was later questioned on whether his proposals could be seen as an act of retaliation over they way traditional newspapers have “shone a light on anti-semitism within the Labour Party”.

Mr Corbyn replied: “I’ve spent my life opposing anti-semitism in any form. What I want to have is the ability to have a legitimate, proper discussion.”