Jeremy Corbyn did what many have been fearful to do. While squarely laying the blame for the horrific attacks with the extremist perpetrators, he has done two things; he's brought the attacks and policing, security, and foreign policy issues right into the centre of the general election campaign, and, at the same time, he's expressed an opinion many have been afraid to voice: "The #War On Terror is simply not working,".
In the aftermath of the horrendous events in Manchester, questioning British policing and foreign policy may not be the most popular approach, however, in his interview with Andrew Neil on Friday, Corbyn calmly outlined his long-held views that British Foreign Policy may contribute to the rise of terrorism and added that British foreign policy was relevant in the overall handling of the #war on terror.
Corbyn's political opponents disagree
Theresa May, along with Boris Johnson, Sir Michael Fallon, and even the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, were quick to condemn Corbyn's remarks, accusing him of laying the blame for the attacks at the feet of the British and of failing to deal with the tragedy of the events in a sensitive manner.
Reacting to Theresa May's comments, the Labour Party issued a statement:
"Once again, Theresa May is not telling the truth. In his speech, Jeremy said "protecting this country requires us to be both strong against terrorism and strong against the causes of terrorism. The blame is with the terrorists, but if we are to protect our people we must be honest about what threatens our security."
Jeremy Corbyn has been involved in peace campaigns throughout his political career and has stated, he would only commit British troops to fight abroad if there was an unequivocal need, and only if a plan for lasting peace subsequent to the war existed.
Corbyn calls for increased police funding
Speaking at Labour's resumption of the election campaign, Corbyn called for additional resources for policing and law enforcement, emphasising that his government would make sure people "were not cared for and protected on the cheap". Referring to Theresa May's record as Home Secretary, he made sure to mention that she had overseen cuts in policing.
While some may criticise the timing of Jeremy Corbyn's questioning of British foreign policy only days after the atrocities in Manchester, everyone is familiar with his long-held views, and he could hardly have been expected to veer away from his own convictions at the height of the election campaign.
During the interview with Andrew Neil, Corbyn also mentioned that the head of MI5, the Commons select committees, and even Boris Johnson had shared his view that there was a relation between foreign policy and terror.