Corbyn in firing line over stance on terror

Labour leader is accused by Home Secretary

JEREMY Corbyn came under fire over his attitude to terrorism and his divided party after he made the surprise decision to take part in the BBC’s televised leaders’ debate.

The Labour leader had earlier accused Theresa May of “weakness, not strength” after she did not appear in last night’s seven politician debate in Cambridge.

It came after a YouGov/Times poll yesterday suggested the Tories would fall short of an overall majority by 16 seats leading to a hung parliament.

A new poll for Kantar put the Conservatives back ahead, on 43 per cent compared to Labour’s 33, with the Liberal Democrats on 11.

But Mr Corbyn faced attacks from Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who accused him of believing politics was like a game of Monopoly, in which a banker gave out pretend cash.

“It’s as though he thinks it’s some sort of game – a game of Monopoly perhaps where you ask the banker for the red money to pay electrics, the green money to buy the railways and the yellow money to buy the gasworks,” she said. “It’s not like that. This is people’s hard-earned money. We will protect that. We won’t roll the dice.”

She told the studio audience Mr Corbyn would not secure a good Brexit deal, as he could not even secure the support of most Labour MPs.

She said: “The sure way to bust our economy, to lead to danger, is to have false negotiations with the EU, to have the sort of leader – like Jeremy Corbyn, supported perhaps by the people here – who would create just confusion when trying to deal with the 27 different states.”

Mr Corbyn responded Labour would negotiate tariff-free access to the single market to protect manufacturers.

Ms Rudd said it was “chilling” the Labour leader voted against many pieces of anti-terror legislation since he became an MP.

She said: “We have to make sure we have the right legislation. I am shocked Jeremy Corbyn just in 2011 boasted he had opposed every piece of anti-terror legislation in his 30 years in office. I think he must be held accountable for that because I find it chilling.”

Mr Corbyn responded Mrs May and other senior Conservatives had voted against anti-terror laws in 2005.

He said: “My opposition to anti-terror legislation isn’t opposition to protecting us from terrorism. It is simply saying there must be judicial oversight over what is done in our name,” he said.

Labour has also accused the Tories of putting forward uncosted pledges at this election.

While Mr Corbyn did not deny he had lost a vote of no confidence among his own MPs, he said he was “proud” 300,000 people had elected him Labour leader.

Ms Rudd also attacked the SNP’s Westminster leader Angus Robertson over his party’s calls for a second independence referendum, saying there was “no referendum result he will accept”.

Earlier, Mr Corbyn had stoked the ongoing row over his stance on another independence vote by again saying he planned to discuss the issue with the SNP.

He also failed to rule out an informal deal with the SNP in the event of a hung parliament, just hours after a new analysis suggested that could be the outcome of next month’s election.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has claimed she can offer

This is people’s hard-earned money. We will protect that. We won’t roll the dice

voters a “cast iron” guarantee that Labour will oppose a second vote.

But Mr Corbyn threw the party into turmoil this week when he said he would “open discussions” with the SNP.

Earlier, the Labour leader had tweeted Ms Dugdale “and I are both against independence and a second independence referendum because of the turbo-charged austerity it would cause”.

Asked if he would urge the SNP to take another referendum off the table, Mr Corbyn said: “Obviously the Scottish Parliament has taken a view. I believe the last thing Scotland needs now is that debate.

“What is needed now is a serious debate about the problems of underfunding of public services in Scotland and the way in which the SNP government has declined to use the tax raising powers it has.

“I think it would be extremely wrong and unwise to go into a referendum while the Brexit negotiations were going on so the invitation I would give to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament is think again, the important thing now is to get a deal (on Brexit).”