Jeremy Corbyn is facing a backlash over a speech on defence in which he linked British foreign policy with terror attacks on UK soil.
Conservative ministers rounded on the Labour leader after a speech in which he said Britain needs to tackle the causes of terror, and appeared to link policing cuts to domestic attacks.
In his first campaign speech since 22 people died in Monday night’s bombing in Manchester, Mr Corbyn said: “The blame is with the terrorists, but if we are to protect our people we must be honest about what threatens our security.
"No rationale based on the actions of any government can remotely excuse, or even adequately explain, outrages like this week's massacre. But we must be brave enough to admit the war on terror is simply not working. We need a smarter way to reduce the threat from countries that nurture terrorists and generate terrorism."
But Mr Corbyn’s comments drew criticism from senior Tories including Security Minister Ben Wallace, who said the remarks were "totally inappropriate and crassly timed".
Defence Minister Michael Fallon added that Mr Corbyn was “too quick to make excuses for the actions of our enemies”.
“Jeremy Corbyn is a very consistent man, he has a very long track-record of siding with people who want to damage and attack Britain,” he added.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron accused him of trying to use the "grotesque act to make a political point".
Senior Labour figure Mike Gapes, a former chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said Islamic State terrorists "hate us for what we are", not "for what we do".
"Our foreign policy is used as justification for their crimes. It is not the reason," he said.
