Jeremy Corbyn has launched a sharp criticism of Labour leader Keir Starmer, accusing him of making space for Nigel Farage’s brand of politics.
Speaking to ITV News, the former Labour leader said Starmer’s “hostile” approach to asylum seekers and refugees has played directly into Farage’s hands.
“What we need is people to stand up against Farage,” Corbyn said. “Instead, Keir Starmer has actually opened the door for him. His endless statements, which are very hostile towards asylum seekers and refugees, play straight into the hands of Farage.”
Corbyn warned that Farage’s “simplistic populist approach” is a real danger, making clear he doesn’t want to see either Starmer or Farage running the country.
The Islington North MP claimed Labour MPs regularly approach him in private, unhappy with the direction of the party. “They come seeking me out to tell me how bad it is, how shocking it is,” he said. “And I tell them there’s an alternative — we are the alternative.”
On Angela Rayner
Corbyn also addressed the controversy around deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, who admitted she underpaid stamp duty on a second home.
Rayner, who worked closely with Corbyn during his leadership, has faced calls to resign. But Corbyn refused to give a straight answer on whether she should step down.
“I think she made an enormous mistake, and it’s a real problem for her and Starmer,” he said. “Clearly, somebody advised her she didn’t need to pay, and somebody else advised her she did. Well, that’s odd to me. If you buy a place, you have to pay stamp duty.”
Pressed again on whether Rayner should resign, he replied: “That’s up to Keir Starmer and her to decide. I’m not in the Labour Party. What I want is a government that deals with the housing crisis, not one that obsesses about second homes.”
A new party on the horizon
Corbyn, now an independent MP after being blocked from standing for Labour, hasn’t ruled out leading Your Party — a new political movement he’s building alongside MP Zarah Sultana.
The party was launched in July after Starmer barred Corbyn from running as a Labour candidate in the last general election, a decision rooted in the fallout from the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report into antisemitism under his leadership.
When asked if he’d take on the leadership role, Corbyn said: “I’m very happy to take the helm in getting the party established and set up. I rule nothing out — I’m happy to serve.” Photo by Jeremy Corbyn, Wikimedia commons.