Sebastian Payne

Watch: Jeremy Corbyn’s cantankerous interview on his ‘friends’ in Hamas

Jeremy Corbyn is finally receiving the scrutiny he deserves. On Channel 4 News this evening, the hard-left Labour leader hopeful was quizzed by Krishnan Guru-Murthy on comments about engaging with ‘friends’  in Hamas and Hezbollah over the Middle East conflict. Corbyn refused to apologise for using the word ‘friends’ and snapped several times at Guru-Murthy for not letting him finish a long-winded answer:

‘I’m saying that people I talk to, I use it in a collective way, saying our friends are prepared to talk.

‘Does it mean I agree with Hamas and what it does? No. Does it mean I agree with Hezbollah and what they do? No. What it means is that I think to bring about a peace process, you have to talk to people with whom you may profoundly disagree.

‘There is not going to be a peace proccess unless there is talks involving Israel, Hezbollah and Hamas and I think everyone knows that.’

The clip of the exchange (above) is worth watching, not least for how easily Corbyn is riled by a perfectly acceptable line of questioning. If Corbyn inexplicably wins the Labour leadership contest, television interviews will become tedious. Already, folks of the left on Twitter are pouncing on Channel 4 for so-called ‘tabloid journalism’:

https://twitter.com/Glinner/status/620661820383232000


Putting Corbyn on the ballot paper is a decision some in the Labour party are beginning to regret. What was seen as a jolly jape by supporters of Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper to weasel him into the contest has backfired. Corbyn is judged by some as the second favourite to win the contest, plus he’s got the backing of Len McCluskey and Unite the Union, as well as plenty of support from constituency Labour parties.

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