Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell compares terrorists with 'Brexit extremism'
FORMER Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell has sparked outrage by appearing to compare terrorism with Brexit-supporting newspapers.
Alastair Campbell has come under fire for his London terror attack comments
Barely 12 hours after jihadis killed seven during the London terror attack in London Bridge and Borough market, Mr Campbell hit out at the pro-Brexit media and Theresa May.
He said the Prime Minister was “happy enough” to tolerate newspapers supporting Brexit, who he accused of “spewing hate”.
Tony Blair’s former spin doctor later deleted the controversial tweet, offering a brief apology.
Mrs May is happy enough to tolerate the extremism of the Brexitremist Lie Machine newspapers spewing hate day after day
However he followed this up with a fresh attack on the PM, accusing her of politicising the tragedy.
Shortly before 12.30pm this afternoon he tweeted: “Mrs May is happy enough to tolerate the extremism of the Brexitremist Lie Machine newspapers spewing hate day after day.”
He quickly deleted the tweet and posted a new message to his 385,000 followers.
This post said: “Previous tweet deleted. Agreed it was over the top.
“But was genuinely angry at Mrs May's speech which was highly political and ill judged.”
Alastair Campbell appeared to compare terrorism with Brexit 'extremism'
His comments sparked outrage on social media, with Piers Morgan blasting the comments as “outrageous”.
He said: “You're equating Brexit media coverage with murderous Islamist terrorism that YOU helped promote by waging illegal Iraq War? Outrageous.”
Chilling moment London Bridge attackers enter Borough Market
Mrs May had said in the speech criticised by Mr Campbell: “We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the threat we face as terrorism breeds terrorism and perpetrators are inspired to attack not only on the basis of carefully constructed plots after years of planning and training.
“And not even as lone attackers radicalised online but by copying one another and often using the crudest means of attack.
“We cannot and must not pretend things can continue as they are. Things need to change and they need to change in four important ways.”
The three jihadis were killed within eight minutes of the attack beginning
UKIP Home Affairs spokeswoman Jane Collins responded to Alastair Campbell's tweet saying, "This is the man who was involved with the 'dodgy dossier' which embroiled the UK Armed Forces in the Iraq which cost British lives and now he thinks democracy and honest debate is the same as murdering innocent people?"
"Let's not forget that it was Blair's government with Campbell as chief spin doctor who sent us into an illegal war without a decent exit strategy that left a power vacuum in Iraq which contributed to the rise of ISIS."