Jeremy Corbyn

ISLINGTON North MP Jeremy Corbyn has instructed lawyers over what he called “disgusting” and “defamatory” comments made about him by Nigel Farage.

During an appearance on the TV channel GB News at the end of February, politician-turned-presenter Mr Farage was discussing Prime Minister’s Questions when he launched into a diatribe about Mr Corbyn and conspiracy theories.

Posting on X this week, Mr Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party, said: “We are a movement for peace – and we cannot stand by and let these disgusting and malicious lies go unchallenged.”

Referencing Israel’s bombing of Gaza in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks, he said: “Our demonstrations for a ceasefire are made up of people of all ages, faiths and backgrounds, united in a desire to end human suffering.

“We continue to march because people continue to die – and we will not allow others to cynically and deliberately distort our calls for peace.”

While Mr Corbyn is not suing the GB News presenter and Reform UK founder, his legal action is similar to past incidents in which the longstanding MP has sought an apology, a retraction and financial compensation towards a charity of his choice.

Nigel Farage has regularly appeared on GB News

In  2018, Tory MP Ben Bradley apologised for posting a tweet in which he said Mr Corbyn had passed British secrets to a spy from communist Czechoslovakia, and released a statement saying: “I have since deleted the defamatory tweet. I have agreed to pay an undisclosed substantial sum of money to a charity of his choice, and I will also pay his legal costs.

“I fully accept that my statement was wholly untrue and false.”

And in 2021 a Yorkshire Tory councillor, Paul Nickerson, claimed he had been made “penniless” after tweeting a fake photo of Mr Corbyn. He apologised.

Despite being a Labour MP for most of his 41 years in parliament, in 2020 Mr Corbyn had the party whip removed by Sir Keir Starmer after his reaction to the findings of a report into allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party during his leadership. He said the situation had been “dramatically overstated” for political reasons.

He had said he accepted the recommendations of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and that all cases of anti-semitism needed to be dealt with, but he now sits as an independent.

He is yet to confirm rumours that he could now stand as an independent candidate in Islington North at a general election due to take place this year.

Labour has not announced its new candidate for the constituency.