General election 2019: Boris Johnson blasts Jeremy Corbyn as 'naive to the point of dangerous' over Islamic State leader

James Morris13 November 2019
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Boris Johnson has labelled Jeremy Corbyn "naive to the point of being dangerous" after he suggested the leader of Islamic State should have been arrested and put on trial.

The Prime Minister defended the US special forces raid last month which led to the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

He said at a general election campaign rally in Coventry: "Al-Baghdadi was an absolute diabolical foe of this country, of our liberal values, everything we believe in and support.

"I think his [Mr Corbyn's] approach is naive and it is naive to the point of being dangerous."

Jeremy Corbyn pictured campaigning on Wednesday
AFP via Getty Images

The Labour leader had earlier told LBC: "If we preach international law and international legal process through the International Court of Justice in the Hague, then we should carry it out. And if it's possible to arrest somebody and put them on trial, then that is what should have been done.

"That is what I said about the death [of bin Laden] in 2011 and it will continue to be my principle."

General Election 2019 - In pictures

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In a separate attack on Mr Corbyn, the Prime Minister also said a Labour-SNP coalition would cause months of uncertainty.

He claimed Mr Corbyn had a "mind-boggling" position on Brexit, and said: "One thing is clear: the Sturgeon-Corbyn alliance would consign this country to months, if not years, of dither, delay, discord, division.

"When every month of pointless delay, insisted on by Corbyn by the way, is costing this country a billion pounds for nothing."

Mr Johnson also spoke of Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage's decision to withdraw candidates from 317 Tory-held constituencies from the 2017 election.

He said: "I just want to say about Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party. It is always a very difficult thing for any party leader to withdraw candidates from an election and I understand that.

"But all I can say... for the avoidance of doubt, to repeat my central message, there is only one way to ensure that we get Brexit done - get this thing finished, get us out, do a fantastic free-trade deal - and that is to vote for us and the Conservatives.

"You vote for any other party and risk a coalition of chaos and two chaotic referendums next year."

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