Was Jeremy Corbyn’s pro-Assad pizza pal really just a ‘member of the public’?

This week, Jeremy Corbyn got himself into a spot of bother when photos emerged of the Labour leader enjoying a pizza alongside a pro-Assad campaigner. Marcus Papadopoulos, who denied genocide in Srebrenica, shared a picture of the pair – praising ‘a wonderful dinner and discussion’:

I'm having a wonderful dinner and discussion with hopefully the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom…@jeremycorbyn pic.twitter.com/VnHc7gDDzH

— Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos (@DrMarcusP) July 10, 2017

The Leader’s Office have been quick to distance Corbyn from Papadopoulos. A Labour spokesman says that Corbyn had dinner with friends from Cypriots for Labour ‘during which they were joined briefly by Mr Papadopolous’ who asked for a quick snap – they say ‘photographs of Jeremy with members of the public do not mean he endorses their views, as is the case on this occasion too’.

But is Papadopolous really just a member of the public to Team Corbyn? Mr S was curious to note that Corbyn’s director of communications previously took part in a panel discussion with Papadopoulos, on Russia Today (natch):

Here is Labour head of comms Seumas Milne on a panel with Marcus Papadopoulos on the Russian propaganda network https://t.co/fQRKzk24HM

— Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) July 12, 2017

What’s more, Papadopoulos stood for election as a Labour councillor in Sutton in 2014:

lf Corbyn really doesn’t know Papadopolous, perhaps Milne can assist with an introduction.