Risible Corbyn would demean highest office

IN times of crisis, it is a mark of statesmanship to ditch party politics and work with opponents to serve the national interest.

Facing the greatest emergency since the Second World War, Theresa May offered an olive branch to Jeremy Corbyn to help solve the Brexit deadlock.

But displaying tediously familiar sectarian small-mindedness, the irascible Labour leader refused to join the talks. With the clock ticking to Britain’s departure on March 29, this preposterous Marxist instead opted to play partisan games.

His price for face-to-face discussions? A list of insane demands the Prime Minister could not possibly agree to, including discarding her trump card when dealing with the financially stricken EU – the threat of a ‘no deal’ exit and not paying £39billion.

For Mrs May, this was quite a snub. Selfstyled ‘ man of peace’ Mr Corbyn piously claims he believes in dialogue with all sides. Or that’s his habitual excuse for consorting with terrorists and their cheerleaders, from the IRA to his viscerally anti- Semitic ‘friends’ in Hamas and Hezbollah.

But it is clear that the Kremlin apologist is a politician who cynically speaks out of both sides of his mouth.

Despite a lifelong hatred of the EU, Mr Corbyn’s stand on Brexit is one of ambiguous evasion. He might, or might not, support a second referendum. And if he does, Labour might back Remain… or might not. No wonder his MPs are tearing their hair out.

He spuriously claims he could conjure up a better deal from Brussels, but his demands are wildly unrealistic: single market benefits, specially-tailored customs union and state aid to prop up ailing industries. That’s not just one unicorn, but a whole zoo-full.

In truth, he has no desire to break the impasse. He instructed senior Labour figures to shun No10 (only to be humiliated when they defied him).

He dreams of Brexit chaos prompting a general election. And, as we report today, that may come true, with top civil servants preparing for a snap poll amid fears the gridlock will not shift.

The public, sick of being invited to the ballot box, will be aghast. The Mail takes no pleasure in saying we warned squabbling Tories that failing to back Mrs May’s imperfect, but realistic, deal risks Mr Corbyn in Downing Street by default.

Catastrophically, they are now in danger of losing Brexit, the Government and their country. On their heads be it if a man so utterly unsuitable for high office becomes Prime Minister.