Labour rift widens as Benn opposes Corbyn on Isis talks

A fresh rift opened today at the top of Labour after Hilary Benn contradicted Jeremy Corbyn’s idea of holding talks with IS terrorists.

It means an alleged truce between the men engineered as part of Mr Corbyn’s first reshuffle barely lasted two weeks before their differences spilled into public.

Mr Benn’s flat rejection of talks with the terror group follows Mr Corbyn’s suggestion that IS has “strong points” and that a “back channel” should be opened to the group.

Shadow foreign secretary Mr Benn dismissed the idea of talks with IS at a think-tank event. He said: “I don’t think there’s much to negotiate with Daesh about, unless someone’s going to take a different view. There are times where groups like that have to be defeated.”

Mr Benn previously rallied Labour MPs to support RAF air strikes on IS in a speech to the Commons in December, angering Mr Corbyn who opposed military action in Syria. The dispute led to speculation Mr Benn would be sacked but he kept his job following reports of a reshuffle deal that he would not publicly oppose Mr Corbyn.

Mr Benn’s latest comments come after Mr Corbyn compared the group to the IRA and Taliban, adding that ministers had kept a “back channel” to both.

Mr Corbyn told the BBC: “There has to be a route through somewhere. A lot of the commanders in Isil — particularly in Iraq, but also in Syria — are actually former officers in the Iraqi army.”

AMERICA, Britain and other nations must strike harder to destroy IS, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said today. At a meeting in Paris, he was due to call for air strikes to be stepped up to degrade the group’s key infrastructure and supply lines. He added Britain is “increasingly disturbed” by Russian air strikes on “moderate” opposition forces and reportedly civilians in Syria.