EXCL Zac Goldsmith condemned after accusing Jeremy Corbyn of supporting 'radical Islamists'
2 min read
Tory MP Zac Goldsmith has been accused of "smearing" Jeremy Corbyn after accusing the Labour leader of supporting "radical Islamists".
The former London mayoral hopeful made the controversial claim on Twitter as he took a swipe at Donald Trump for re-tweeting anti-Muslim videos posted by the far-right group Britain First.
The Labour leader has come under fire for attending meetings with representatives of Hezbollah and Palestinian militant group Hamas, and describing them as “friends”.
Mr Corbyn has since said he regrets using the word, but stressed that he was working to facilitate a peaceful dialogue on the Middle East.
But Mr Goldsmith himself has been the subject of fierce criticism after repeatedly trying to link Sadiq Khan to extremism during last year’s mayoral election campaign
The head of the Conservative Muslim Forum, Mohammed Amin, said he had been “disgusted” at Mr Goldsmith’s tactics, while former minister Baroness Warsi described the campaign as “appalling”.
Hitting back at the Richmond Park MP, a Labour source told PoliticsHome: "Zac Goldsmith disgraced himself last year with a racist, Islamophobic campaign based on smears.
"He should take a long hard look in the mirror before smearing his opponents again."
Mr Trump's re-tweets have sparked a trans-Atlantic row, with a spokesman for Theresa May saying he had been "wrong" to endorse Britain First.
But the president hit back overnight, insisting the Prime Minister should instead "focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom".
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