Boris blasts ‘IRA supporter’ Corbyn saying the Labour leader has ‘an agenda to break up the union’

Boris blasts ‘IRA supporter’ Corbyn saying the Labour leader has ‘an agenda to break up the union’ and would be a political, moral and economic ‘catastrophe’ as he woos Northern Irish Tories

  • Tory leadership favourite highlighted himself as a staunch defender of the union
  • Mr Corbyn is a well-known supporter of Irish reunification 
  • Belfast hustings dominated by what will happen in the province after Brexit

Boris Johnson blasted Jeremy Corbyn as a ‘shameless’ supporter of the IRA who backs the reunification of Ireland as he set out to woo Tories in Belfast today.

The Conservative leadership favourite branded the Labour leader a ‘catastrophe’ as he played up his own skills as a staunch defender of the union in a hustings in Ulster.

Addressing 150 of the Tories’ small band of followers in Northern Ireland he also said there will ‘under no circumstances’ be a hard border on the island, saying the issue will be resolved in a free trade deal after Brexit. 

Mr Corbyn is a well-known supporter of Irish reunification who met Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and the late Martin McGuinness on many occasions, including in the Houses of Parliament in 2017.

Mr Johnson said today that Corbyn had ‘an agenda to break up the union, not to mention his support for the IRA and the rest of it.

The Tory leadership front-runner added: ‘He would be a political, moral catastrophe, he would be an economic catastrophe. 

‘We cannot let him in No 10. This is a guy who would favour a united Ireland, who would break up Union, who has been quite shameless in his support of IRA.’

Mr Johnson said today that Corbyn had ‘an agenda to break up the union, not to mention his support for the IRA’

The Tory leadership front-runner added: 'He would be a political, moral catastrophe, he would be an economic catastrophe'

The Tory leadership front-runner added: ‘He would be a political, moral catastrophe, he would be an economic catastrophe’

Mr Johnson refused to back the legalisation of same-sex marriage and abortion in Northern Ireland, saying they are devolved issues for Stormont - which has been suspended since 2017

Mr Johnson refused to back the legalisation of same-sex marriage and abortion in Northern Ireland, saying they are devolved issues for Stormont – which has been suspended since 2017

In May last year Labour confirmed Mr Corbyn still backed a united Ireland and believed the idea was backed across the island on the eve of his first visit to Belfast as Labour leader.

Hunt vows Brexit WON’T derail the Peace Process

Jeremy Hunt today vowed he will not allow Brexit to derail the Peace process as he faced the latest Tory hustings in Northern Ireland.

The Foreign Secretary said the Good Friday Agreement was seen around the world as a ‘shining example of what is possible’.

He said if he became PM he would ‘personally put in the time’ to get Stormont back up and running – and would ensure leaving the EU does not get in the way. He argued that ‘all sides’ wanted to avoid a hard border, but the Irish border backstop thrashed out between Theresa May and the EU ‘has to change’.

For his part, Boris Johnson said the ‘Union will come first’ if he gets the keys to No10. He said ‘under no circumstances’ would there be a hard border. But he added: ‘We should not be terrified of a No Deal Brexit.’ 

A spokesman for the Labour leader insisted he also endorsed the mechanism in the Good Friday Agreement for triggering a referendum on breaking up the UK.

The Labour leader went to Belfast to talk to parties on both sides of the community divide about Brexit and powersharing.

The trip was widely criticised by unionists because of Mr Corbyn’s long-held Republican sympathies.

The hustings in Belfast today was dominated by the issue of what will happen in the province, which shares a land border with Ireland, after Brexit.

 Mr Johnson said: ‘Of course we need to sort out the problems of the Northern Irish border, where those problems should be sorted out in the context of the free trade deal that we are going to do when we have left on October 31.

‘I think it’s absolutely vital here in Northern Ireland to stress two things.

‘Number one: that we will under no circumstances have a hard border. There will be no physical checks or infrastructure at the border in Northern Ireland.

‘And number two: we will make sure we have an exit from the EU, a Brexit, that allows the whole UK to come out entire and undivided and we keep our union absolutely intact.’

Jeremy Corbyn with Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams at the House of Commons in the mid-1990s

Jeremy Corbyn with Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams at the House of Commons in the mid-1990s

But he refused to back the legalisation of same-sex marriage and abortion in Northern Ireland, saying they are devolved issues for Stormont.

The Northern Irish Assembly has not sat since January 2017 amid a breakdown of power-sharing between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

‘I think this is preeminently a matter for the people of Northern Ireland,’ Mr Johnson said.

‘That is why, to risk sounding like a cracked record, I hope the government of Northern Ireland can be resumed as soon as possible so this issue can be decided in the forum where it properly belongs, in other words at Stormont.

‘This is for the people of Northern Ireland and their politicians.’

Mr Johnson rejected the idea of a snap referendum in Northern Ireland on temporary membership of a customs union, saying: ‘The only thing it would snap would be people’s patience.’

Following the hustings event Boris Johnson travelled to Stormont to meet DUP leader Arlene Foster.

During his visit Mr Johnson was given a tour of the building including the Assembly chamber and historic Senate chamber.

Mr Hunt remained at the Culloden Hotel for a short time before departing.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk