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Jeremy Corbyn arrives to join the West Belfast Talks Back panel at St Louise's College. Picture by Niall Carson, Press Association
Jeremy Corbyn arrives to join the West Belfast Talks Back panel at St Louise's College. Picture by Niall Carson, Press Association Jeremy Corbyn arrives to join the West Belfast Talks Back panel at St Louise's College. Picture by Niall Carson, Press Association

LABOUR leadership frontrunner Jeremy Corbyn said the British government needs to fund Northern Ireland's welfare system properly and warned of increased poverty because of Tory plans.

Stormont is at an impasse over measures to cut the cost of benefits.

The government says the cuts are necessary to reduce the deficit, but Sinn Féin believes they will hurt the most vulnerable.

Labour leadership candidate and anti-austerity campaigner Mr Corbyn, who appeared on a discussion panel at the Féile in west Belfast last night, said the government must fund the north's welfare system.

He told BBC Radio Ulster earlier yesterday: "The British government is the one that should step up to the plate on this because what they are essentially doing is not providing either the resources to the assembly to fund the welfare system properly or allowing the assembly to do it itself with the money, so we need a change by the British government more than anything else."

Mr Corbyn attracted British criticism in the 1980s for his support of Sinn Féin and a united Ireland.

He was a champion of the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four before their releases.

Mr Corbyn has also defied acting Labour leader Harriet Harman by voting against the government's welfare bill.

The other leadership candidates fell into line by backing the opposition's "reasoned amendment" to the legislation - which was defeated - and then abstaining on whether it should progress to the next Commons stage.

He said: "It seems to me that we should not be allowing the welfare reform bill to go through in the British Parliament.

"Essentially this is a budget issue at the present time and the British government should be funding Northern Ireland properly."

He said there would be increased poverty because of the welfare plans.

A Northern Ireland Office spokesman said: "The SHA (Stormont House Agreement) is a good deal for the people of Northern Ireland and represents the best hope for a brighter, more secure future. It needs to be implemented in full, including welfare reform.

"Without welfare reform the executive's finances are increasingly unsustainable, hitting public services and undermining the credibility of the devolved institutions.

"The UK government cannot fund a more generous welfare system in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the UK.

"But the top-ups agreed by the five Executive parties in December would give Northern Ireland the most generous system of anywhere in the UK. All parties need now need to fulfil the commitments they made."