Jeremy Corbyn refuses to say if he would authorise killing of Isil leader

Telegraph - Jeremy Corbyn has signalled he could refuse to authorise a drone strike against the leader of Isil, would scrap the UK’s nuclear deterrent and end airstrikes in Syria.

Asked whether he would be prepared to authorise a drone strike on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Isil leader, he refused to commit.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show said: "What I would tell them is give me the information you have got, tell me how accurate that is and tell me what you think can be achieved.”

He continued: "What is the objective here? Is the objective to start more strikes that may kill many innocent people as has happened or is the objective to get a political solution in Syria?

"My whole point would be does this help to get a political solution in Syria?”

Mr Corbyn was pushed on whether he believed killing the Isil leader would help deliver a political solution.

He said: "I think the leader of Isis not being around would be helpful and I’m no supporter or defender in any whatsoever of Isis, I’m sure you would concede, but I would also argue that the bombing campaign has killed a large number of civilians, many of whom were virtually prisoners of Isis, you have got to think about these things.”

Meanwhile, he also said he wanted airstrikes in Syria to stop.

The Labour leader said: "At the end of the day the only solution in Syria is going to be a political one. There is no other way of getting it. There has to be a reconvening quickly of the Geneva process.

"I would say to President Trump, listen, it’s in nobody’s interest for this war to continue let’;s get the Geneva process going quickly and in the meantime no more strikes, have the UN investigation into the war crime of the use of chemical weapons in Syria and take it on from there.”

He added: "I want us to say listen, let’s get people around the table quickly and a way of achieving that, suspend the strikes possibly, that’s one way.”

Mr Corbyn, who has previously said he would not push the nuclear button, was asked if he would authorise a nuclear strike in "any circumstances”.

He said: "I have made clear my views on nuclear weapons. I have made clear that there would be no first use of it. I have made clear that any use of nuclear weapons is a disaster for the whole world.

"I think we should look at the process by which we achieve peace and security because actually nuclear weapons are not the solution to the world’s security issues, they are the disaster of the world’s security issues if ever used.”

One of the first jobs Mr Corbyn would have to do upon being elected prime minister would be to write letters to the UK’s submarine commanders telling them how to respond in the event of the UK being attacked.

Asked what he would write in the letters: "What I’ll be saying is that I want us to achieve a nuclear free world, what I want us to do is to adhere to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and take part in negotiations surrounding that and crucially immediately promote the six party talks on the Korean peninsula as a way of de-escalating nuclear tensions around the world.”

He said the commanders would be given "strict instruction to follow orders when given”.

Mr Corbyn also raised the prospect of scrapping the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent.

He said a Labour government would launch a strategic defence review "immediately which would include all aspects of defence as most incoming governments do” as he refused to commit to Trident renewal being in the party’s manifesto.  

He said: "We haven’t completed work on the manifesto yet, as you would expect, we are less than 100 hours into this election campaign.

"We are having that discussion within the Labour Party and we will produce our manifesto early in May.”