JEREMY Corbyn has announced he will be taking legal action against Nigel Farage.
The former Labour leader said his decision followed an allegedly “highly defamatory statement” made about him by the GB News host.
Corbyn wrote on social media: “I have asked my lawyers to take the first steps in commencing legal proceedings against Nigel Farage, following a highly defamatory statement about me.
“We are a movement for peace — and we cannot stand by and let these disgusting and malicious lies go unchallenged.”
It is believed that the action follows a statement made by Farage, while presenting on the GB News channel, in which he linked Corbyn to antisemitic conspiracy theories.
The "repetition rule" in defamation law means newspapers may become liable if they publish the initial statement which is alleged to be defamatory.
Farage was mentioned by current Labour leader Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions on February 28, leading to a retaliation during his slot on GB News.
Starmer had said: "This diverse Tory party does welcome Nigel Farage. Two months ago, the Prime Minister said that ‘the Tory party is a broad church. I welcome lots of people who want to subscribe to our ideals, to our values.’
"That is the same Nigel Farage who said he agreed with the basic premise of Enoch Powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ speech and bemoaned the influence of the Jewish lobby.
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"Is the Prime Minister simply too scared to stand up to the gaggle of Tory MPs who moonlight as GB News presenters, or does he genuinely think that Nigel Farage shares the ideals and values of the Tory party?"
In October 2017, Farage had said that the "Jewish lobby" was one of the "very powerful foreign lobbies" working in the US political system.
Farage is currently believed to be considering a return to frontline politics ahead of the General Election.
He owns Reform UK, which is registered with Companies House, but as a political party it is notionally led by Richard Tice.
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