Evening Standard election hustings: Candidates trade blows over claims Jeremy Corbyn is 'extremist'

Fiona Simpson7 June 2017

Emily Thornberry and Greg Hands traded angry blows over security after he said Jeremy Corbyn would put Londoners in danger.

The pair were at the Evening Standard's election hustings in Westminster, where they were joined by Liberal Democrat Sir Vince Cable and Sian Berry from the Greens.

Ms Thornberry, the Labour candidate for Islington South, accused Tory Mr Hands, who is running in Chelsea and Fulham, of “lying” as he claimed it would be “dangerous for the capital” if voters elected “someone with the extremist views of Corbyn” in Thursday’s election.

In a heated debate over the need for more anti-terror resources across London, Mr Hands questioned whether Mr Corbyn would “back the police” if he was elected.

Heated: Emily Thornberry (NIGEL HOWARD)
NIGEL HOWARD ©

Speaking at Westminster Church House, at the event hosted by Evening Standard editor George Osborne, Mr Hands said: “What would be dangerous for this city and for this country would be a Prime Minister with the extremist views of Jeremy Corbyn.

“Somebody who refused to apologise for the IRA, somebody who calls Hezbollah his friends.

“The question is, would Jeremy Corbyn, as Prime Minister, back the police? That is an important question in this election.”

Greg Hands: He said Jeremy Corbyn would put Londoners in danger. (NIGEL HOWARD)
NIGEL HOWARD ©

Ms Thornberry furiously interjected: “That’s a lie, you’re lying, that’s a lie.”

Green party candidate for Holborn and St Pancras, Sian Berry, likened the comments to a “smear campaign” against Sadiq Khan in the 2016 Mayoral Election.

She added: “That is not a very respectful way to treat your opponents. Nobody is going to believe that he is going to be supporting violent terrorists. I hope London is going to show it the door, the way it did last year when the Tories tried to do the same to Sadiq Khan.”

Hustings: Greg Hands, Emily Thornberry, Sian Berry and Vince Cable 

Tensions rose as the trio, along with Sir Vince, were grilled by chair Robert Peston on the capital’s need for more police officers as it emerged two terrorists involved in the London Bridge terror attack had been known to intelligence services.

Ms Berry called for more “police officers in local communities” to act as the “eyes and ears of the Met” as Sir Vince agreed Scotland Yard lacked “the resources to have the intelligence gathering, the low level gossip, that is needed.”

A round of applause broke out among the audience as Ms Berry announced Green Party plans to build 100,000 homes a year in a bid to tackle the capital’s housing crisis.

Green: Sian Berry likened the comments to a smear campaign
NIGEL HOWARD

She claimed newly built affordable housing would “pay for itself as it would lower the amount of people claiming housing benefits”.

Sir Vince branded London’s housing issues “insane” and called for more public sector contribution in a bid to tackle the “affordability crisis”.

Ms Thornberry sparred with Mr Hands over claims the Tories had built more houses in the last seven years than the Labour Party had over 13 years.

Housing crisis: Sir Vince Cable branded London's housing issues as 'insane' (NIGEL HOWARD ©)
NIGEL HOWARD ©

She hit back at the suggestion and said: “We didn’t build enough homes, the Tories haven’t built enough homes. We must build affordable homes and we have to be serious about it. Half of it ought to be affordable homes for local people. Rich or poor, our children cannot afford to live in London.”

In a heated discussion on university tuition fees, in which Sir Vince admitted the Lib Dems had “failed” to lower debts for students, Ms Berry called for payments to be scrapped in favour of low-grade maintenance loans for poorer students.

Ms Thornberry, who appeared at the debate as a last minute stand-in for shadow home secretary Diane Abbott later admitted she had been “running around like a blue-arsed fly” and had been unable to properly read other parties' manifestos.

Ms Abbott pulled out of the event on Tuesday morning citing illness.

She stepped down from the event just hours after missing an appearance on Women’s Hour following a disastrous interview on Monday’s Sky News.

Ms Abbott was left floundering after being grilled over details of a report on London’s preparedness for a terror attack.

Her vague answers during the interview sparked criticism on social media over whether she had read the report by Labour peer Lord Harris.

During the exchange with presenter Dermot Murnaghan she said the report was about “preparedness” but could not say what it entailed or any of his recommendations.

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