in an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen, former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed many issues, including the war on Yemen, the war in Ukraine, the Palestinian cause, and other topics related to the United Kingdom and its international role.

Jeremy Corbyn affirmed his opposition regarding the war in Ukraine, deeming Russia's military operation in Ukraine "fundamentally wrong." 

"Pouring arms in isn't going to bring about a solution, It's only going to prolong and exaggerate this war," he asserted, expecting that this war will drag on for years.

The former Labour Party leader touched upon NATO's expansion and the implications it has to the global economy and world peace: "Expanding NATO isn't going to bring about a longer-term peace, [but it] will only bring about greater, greater strain and greater stress."

"Then the world woke up and suddenly realized that Russia and Ukraine are the world's biggest grain exporters and something has to be done. So they came to an agreement , and I hope it holds, to export grain through Odessa and through the Bosphorus to the rest of the world. That is a good move, but at the same time, putting more and more arms into Ukraine isn't going to bring about it [peace]."

It is noteworthy that last month, the British government announced that it will be providing $1.2 billion in military aid to Ukraine. 

Corbyn continued, "Ukrainians are dying. Ukrainians are going into exile here; Thousands and thousands. And Russian soldiers are dying, conscripted. Young Russian soldiers are dying. This war is disastrous for the people of Ukraine, for the people of Russia, and for the safety and security of the whole world. And therefore, there has to be more much more effort put into peace."

Corbyn spoke of the racist, double standards that Europe holds towards refugees: "Europe has been very welcoming of Ukrainian refugees, and that's good, that's right. Sadly, they're not so welcoming and not so enabling of refugees coming from Yemen or anywhere else."

Read more: Selective humanity; who stood with Yemen?

"It's about the gap between the richest and the poorest."

Jeremy Corbyn on the economic crisis in the #UK, in an exclusive interview with #AlMayadeen.@jeremycorbyn @MoussaSrour pic.twitter.com/MMcLyzf3nq

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 30, 2022

Corbyn also said that the impact of the war on Europe was "huge" for several reasons: "One is the very large number of refugees that have come in. Secondly is the disruption of energy supplies, because Britain relies less than most of Europe on energy from Russia. But there is still some importing. Most British gas oil comes from Norway or from our own production. But other European countries, particularly Germany, rely very heavily on Russia and Ukraine."

He continued, pointing towards the isolation of Russia in terms of energy supply, "the idea that you're going to build a new Cold War wall between Russia and the West and the rest of Europe isn't going to solve that issue - there has to be an understanding of the need for those energy supplies, albeit I would hope in the longer term, a reduction in fossil fuel burning." Corbyn affirmed that "the German economy is going to suffer very greatly because of this. They cannot exist without Russian gas.”

Jeremy Corbyn said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "a man of many illusions", explaining that Johnson "believes he's Winston Churchill," and believes that by continuing to visit Ukraine and taking pictures with President Volodymyr Zelensky, "he's somehow a heroic war leader." 

"He has dragged Britain very, very close to being directly involved in this particular war. I think that is unwise and dangerous."

The Balfour Declaration is a historic mistake

Related News

Corbyn to Al Mayadeen: New party to fight for justice and Palestine

Heatwave politics: Could air conditioning become a UK election issue?

Speaking on the Palestinian cause, Corbyn hoped that "at some point, the government in Britain is prepared to recognize the historical wrong that was done to the Palestinian people... by actually an interpretation of the Balfour Declaration that wasn't there in the declaration."

Corbyn said that the "Declaration itself said it also recognized the rights of the inhabitants of what is now Palestine, which had never, never happened. Instead, their rights were ignored and still largely are," adding: "The rights of the Palestinian people to me are central to our thinking."

Saudi oil and the children of Yemen

Regarding the war waged by the Saudi coalition on Yemen, Corbyn said that "Britain's responsibility for Yemen is enormous, partly as a former colonial power of Aden and southern Yemen, and mainly because of the huge supply of arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which has undertaken the bombardment of Yemen.”

He continued, “Our government goes to Saudi Arabia to talk to the Saudi government about oil prices, about importing oil and gas from Saudi Arabia. It seems that supplies of oil and gas are more important than the rights of children in Yemen."

Living standards crisis in the UK

The former head of the British Labour Party said that his country is witnessing a "crisis of living standards and poverty and inequality."

Corbyn said that in light of this crisis, all major UK companies have made huge profits, specifically energy companies. He divulged, "What we have is a massive amount of government money that was spent on failed experiments during the COVID crisis, such as £35 billion on a track and trace system that didn't work. And what we have is industrial-scale tax evasion and tax avoidance by the biggest companies and the richest people in Britain."

On the UK's willingness to accept a Prime Minister of color, Corbyn said: "Rishi Sunak has, obviously, an Indian heritage and I welcome diversity in our politics. Is this country of Conservative Party prepared to accept somebody who is a nonwhite prime minister? Yes, I think it is, and I hope so because I want to be proud of living in a culturally diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-racial society,” adding that he criticizes “Rishi Sunak for his politics, not anything else.”

Reasons for his expulsion from the presidency of the Labour Party

Corbyn said that he spent his “life opposing racism in any form whatsoever,” noting that “there is racism within our society. It has to be opposed. Being anti-black, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic.. any form of racism has to be opposed. And I will always be the one opposing it. “

"I want to be proud of living in a culturally diverse, mutli-ethnic, multi-racial society."
Will the #UK accept a non-white Prime Minister?@jeremycorbyn @MoussaSrour pic.twitter.com/YOeAd1kwPJ

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 30, 2022

"I believe that the way I was dealt with in the Labour Party, and the allegations made against me were shameful, and I regained my right to membership unanimously, and I am proud to be a socialist and to be a person who believes in global solidarity, through peace and justice projects." He further asserted, "all the work that I do will always contribute to justice, peace and global understanding."

He continued, "It was very clear to me since I was a candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party, that I was dealing with powerful forces that oppose me because I was proposing a different approach in dealing with foreign relations and international policies," explaining: "I wanted to establish foreign relations based on justice and human rights and democracy and this posed a major threat to others.” 

Regarding the UK sending forces to fight in wars, he said, "I have also proposed a new law to prevent the British government from sending any British forces, including special forces, to participate in military operations without specific parliamentary approval for this operation, a matter that was strongly opposed by many members of the army and intelligence."

Corbyn said: "I faced clear threats from some military figures when I was elected. First, there were statements against me from Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, and a group of other personalities, and it showed me how strong the forces opposed to me were." 

Corbyn announced that he is currently working with others to "study the power of arms dealers in the British Parliament and elsewhere."

Read next: Assisted 'genocide': How allied weapons embolden Saudi crimes in Yemen

"So if they want to view me as a threat, so be it, I do not want our sons, men, and women to be sent to the conflicts to die, and if someone thinks that the interventions that we do outside the country and outside our borders are useful and lead to good results, I will ask them to look at what happened in Afghanistan and what happened after 20 years.”

Jeremy Corbyn expressed his regret for his loss in the 2017 and 2019 elections, commenting: “It turned out later that some of the forces that joined us were working against us from within the campaigns (...) Brexit was an important element in this failure, in addition to the direct attack on me.” 

He added that he does not doubt that his clear support for the Palestinian people played a key role in opposing him, but this "will remain my position, and has always been, and will remain in the future."