Labour activists last night slammed Jeremy Corbyn's performance on the Andrew Neil show as 'truly horrific' as they vowed to 'push images and stories with positive messages' to try and deflect from the 'awful' appearance.
During the interview which aired last night on the BBC, Corbyn refused four times to apologise to the UK Jewish community after the Chief Rabbi slammed the party for how it deals with anti-Semitism.
The Labour leader was challenged over Ephraim Mirvis's allegation that the party's claims it is doing everything to tackle anti-Jewish racism was a 'mendacious fiction'.
'No, he's not right. Because he would have to produce the evidence to say that's mendacious,' Mr Corbyn replied. But he floundered when Mr Neil detailed specific cases of anti-Semitism by Labour members who faced little or no sanction.
Corbyn was also forced to admit Labour would breach its longstanding promise not to raise taxes on workers earning under £80,000. He repeated that claim for the past two years, but he conceded last night it was not the case, in an admission that threatens to undermine the party's fiscal credibility.
The messages which are alleged to have been sent between so-called Corbynistas attacked the Labour leader's performance on the show, before discussing how they would try and rectify it. They are thought to have been leaked from a private WhatsApp or Apple group chat and start with one user saying 'folks need to listen up for a sec'.
They then go on to state how the interview was pre-recorded, and mention his non-apology to the Chief Rabbi. The messages seem to have all come from one user.
'Jeremy has pre-recorded the Andrew Neil interview already and apparently it's truly horrific.
'Like awful. Ten minutes purely on AS. The chief rabbi ect. JC refused to apologise to the Rabbi so it's going to be brutal'. The same person then calls for the group to 'flood all hashtags relating to the programme with the above'.
'Stories with positive messages and push integrity policies'.
It also urges them to 'not attack Andrew Neil' and also tells them to 'ignore Brexit', an issue which has so far divided many Labour supporters who feel the party does not have a clear message on leaving the European Union.
In last night's half-hour grilling, the Labour leader also:
- Admitted his party could not pay for its £60 billion plan to compensate so-called 'Waspi' women who lost part of their pension – and said the party would have to borrow the cash;
- Conceded low earners could face higher taxes under Labour, despite his previous pledge to limit rises to the rich;
- Repeatedly refused to say whether he would authorise the killing of the Islamic State terror group leader if UK special forces found him;
- Could not say who would lead the campaign for his Brexit deal in a second referendum in which he has pledged to remain neutral;
= Acknowledged that Labour would keep free movement in all but name;
= Did not know that the top 5 per cent of earners, who he has targeted for tax rises, already pay 50 per cent of all income tax.
- Mr Corbyn was also pressed tonight over his plan to broker a 'credible' Leave deal with the EU and then be neutral in a referendum along with Remain within six months of taking power.
'I will be the honest broker that will make sure the referendum is fair and make sure that the Leave deal is a credible one,' he said. 'That seems to me actually an adult and sensible way to go forward.' But Mr Corbyn was unable to say who would campaign for his Brexit deal, with much of his shadow cabinet eager to campaign for Remain.
On his taxation plans, Mr Corbyn denied that a significant part his income tax base would leave the country if he took power. 'No, it doesn't crumble at all,' he said. 'They can see all around them the crumbling of public services and the terrible levels of child poverty that exist across Britain.
'There is no reason why they would have to leave the country and they shouldn't.'
He was quizzed over how he would increase borrowing.
'We are not going to willy-nilly borrow, what we are going to do is deal with the worst aspects of what's happened in austerity, the worst aspects of poverty in Britain,' he said.
The Labour party was unable to be reached for comment last night over the content of the messages.
Following the interview which has been dubbed as a 'car crash', many took to social media to discuss the outcome.
Journalist Robert Peston said he had been 'slightly surprised' from comments by Corbyn supporters who 'thought it went well'. He added: 'But I am mainstream media, and I am in the bubble, so maybe I know literally nothing.'
This is while another user Julie Lenarz added: 'I am of the strong belief that Corbyn intentionally harbours anti-Semitic views. 'And unlike some who see him as a misguided old man, I think Corbyn knows exactly what he’s doing.'
Some even joked that Corbyn's interview had been worse that that given by Prince Andrew earlier this month. 'The only people who think the Corbyn interview went well are Aaron Bastani and Prince Andrew', one user commented.
Another added: 'Corbyn won't apologise because he isn't sorry. It's not complicated'.
The messages come as the Chief Rabbi faced a torrent of sickening abuse from Corbyn supporters yesterday after his unprecedented condemnation of anti-Semitism under his leadership of Labour.
Ephraim Mirvis was labelled a 'sewer rat' after claiming that the vast majority of British Jews were 'gripped by anxiety' at the idea of Mr Corbyn in No 10 after the election in December.
Other critics used anti-Semitic tropes, complaining of 'Israeli interference' in the election after South Africa-born Mr Mirvis's intervention. Others accused him of being a close friend of Boris Johnson, suggesting he was speaking out for party political reasons.
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