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Corbyn loses libel appeal brought against him by a political blogger

JEREMY CORBYN has lost an appeal against a High Court judge’s findings in a libel claim brought against the former Labour leader by a political blogger.

Commentator Richard Millett is suing Mr Corbyn over remarks he made in an interview on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show in 2018, when he was leader of the opposition.

During the broadcast, Mr Corbyn was asked if he was an anti-semite and shown a recording of a speech he made in 2013 in which he referred to “zionists” who “don’t understand English irony.”

In response, Mr Corbyn referred to two people having been “incredibly disruptive” and “very abusive” at a meeting in the House of Commons the same year at which Manuel Hassassian, then the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to Britain, was speaking.

Mr Corbyn says he was defending himself against allegations of anti-semitism when he made the comments and is contesting the case.

However, Mr Corbyn’s appeal was dismissed by three senior judges at the Court of Appeal today, who ruled his comments were defamatory at common law.

Unless a settlement is reached between Mr Corbyn and Mr Millett, the case will now proceed to a full libel trial.

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