Public support for Jeremy Corbyn falls following wreath-laying row

Public support for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has fallen following allegations he took part in a wreath-laying ceremony for terrorists.

Sixteen per cent of people said the allegation he took parth in a wreath-laying ceremony for some of those accused of taking part in the 1972 Munich terror attack has made them ‘think worse’ of Corbyn.

His leadership rating has also slipped from 27% of people thinking the Labour leader was ‘doing well’ in late July to 20% now. On the other hand, Prime Minister Theresa May’s figures have slightly improved with the proportion of people who think she’s doing well increasing from 24% to 27%.

The figures were released following a survey by political pollsters YouGov.

‘ Likewise, the proportion saying he is doing badly has risen from 59% to 65%,’ said YouGov.

‘Among those who voted Labour in 2017, the “well” figure has fallen from 53% to 44%, and the “badly” figure has risen from 37% to 45%.’

The Labour leader has been criticised over the 2014 event in Tunis, including from the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Corbyn was pictured with a wreath near memorials to members of the Black September organisation.

This was a Palestinian group which killed 11 hostages from the Israeli Olympic team and a West German police officer in a high-profile attack during the 1972 summer games.

However, the Labour leader has refused to apologise and said he was at the ceremony to ‘promote peace’ in the Middle East.

Asked about the controversial wreath, the Labour leader replied: ‘I was present when it was laid. I don’t think I was actually involved in it (laying it).’

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He said the wreath he laid at the Tunis ceremony was to commemorate the bombing of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s headquarters in the Tunisian capital in the 1980s.

‘I remembered those that had died in an attack on Tunis by the Israeli air force which was condemned by the whole world,’ said Corbyn.

The furore over the ceremony follows accusations about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

However, YouGov said it was not possible to see how much the fall in support is down to the wreath-laying controversy itself and how much might be down to other factors, such as the anti-Semitism row.