Military Madness > Putin speaks to Europe, but will Europe listen? Not a snowball's chance in Hell

 

The other day I asked the question, "Where's the evidence that Russia wants to invade Europe?" Of course, there is none. The Soviet Union and it's communist paranoia is long gone. The fear Europe has of Russia has been the very purpose of NATO since the fall of the Berlin Wall. They needed a raison d'être - The Balkans, Libya, were too short-term, so they have been developing the demonization of Russia for more than 12 years and probably close to 20.

NATO, now the storefront for the Western War Industries has convinced hapless European leaders that they need to spend billions, if not trillions of Euros buying War Industry inventories for a war that will never happen. It is madness fed by spectacular gullibility and stupidity. With Trump's help, it has spread absolute panic on the continent.

Trump needs you to buy America's War Industry inventories if he's going to end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The War Industry must be fed or Trump will never survive this term.

Alternative News

@AlternatNews

On Croatian Television channel 4. Vladimir Putin was allowed to speak. He addressed the Europeans: "Russia has never been and will never be your enemy! We do not want European raw materials and wealth, we have our own raw materials and wealth, we absolutely do not need your raw materials. Russia is the richest country in the world in terms of raw materials. We do not want your land or your territory. Look at how wide Russia is on the map. Russia is twice the size of the whole of Europe in one place. What would we need your land for, what do we do with it? Why do you think Russia is an enemy of Europe? What damage has Russia done to you? Have we sold you gas and raw materials at lower prices than the prices at which your "friends" are currently selling you? YES Did Russia sacrifice 20 million people in World War II to get rid of the Nazis? YES Was Russia the first country to help Europe during the Covid pandemic? YES Did we help Europe when there were fires and natural disasters? YES What has Russia done to you that you hate it so much? Russia is not your enemy; your real enemies are your leaders, those who lead you!”

4:01 PM · Mar 7, 2025

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‘Russia is NOT the Enemy’ - Czech President calls on NATO to focus on terrorism

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‘Russia is NOT the enemy’: After failure in Afghanistan, Czech

president calls on NATO to focus on terrorism instead of Moscow

18 Aug, 2021 11:23

Czech President Milos Zeman attends the inauguration ceremony at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic.

© Reuters / David W Cerny

The enemy of NATO is not Russia, but international terrorism. That’s according to Czech President Milos Zeman, who spoke on Tuesday about the failure of the American-led military bloc to defeat Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

Yeah, but the problem, Milos, is that the military industrial complex can't get rich fighting terrorism.

Zeman’s comments, given to Prague-based newspaper Parlamentní listy, echo remarks given by French President Emmanuel Macron in November last year, when he urged NATO leaders to shift focus away from Russia and China, noting that terrorism is a “common enemy” for all nations.

The Czech leader also slammed NATO for failing “dramatically” in Afghanistan but noted that he supported the war and the mission to beat Islamic terrorism. He claimed he told both US Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden during NATO summits that troop withdrawal was “cowardice.” The legitimacy of the bloc’s existence is now in question, he said.

The president’s criticism of NATO comes less than a week after militants from the Taliban entered the Afghan capital of Kabul and declared that they had taken control of the entire nation. The situation intensified following Washington’s decision to withdraw its troops from the country.

Zeman is a controversial politician in his home country and has been described as both pro-Russia and pro-China. 

Yeah, but if you are not vehemently anti-Russia and anti-China, then you are labelled pro...

Earlier this year, a group of Czech senators revealed they would be considering a lawsuit against the president after he expressed doubt over allegations that a Russian security service operation had been involved in blowing up an ammunition depot in 2014.

Last week, Moscow daily Vedomosti revealed that Czechia had become the biggest importer of Russian defense products in the entire world, spending $683 million in the first half of 2021. This outlay comes despite Prague being placed by Moscow on its official list of ‘unfriendly countries,’ alongside the USA.

Curious Change of Narrative from NATO regarding Russia; Why?

NATO changes tone: Chief of US-led bloc tells EU officials its members face ‘no imminent military threat’ from Russia or China

15 Mar, 2021 18:43

Russian and Chinese marines taking part in joint excercises in Russia's Far East. © Sputnik / Vitaliy Ankov

There is no imminent threat of a military attack from Russia – or China – against any NATO member states, but the bloc’s very existence is the main reason for this situation, its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has told the EU.

Stoltenberg made the statement – somewhat unusual given NATO’s typically harsh anti-Russia rhetoric – during an address to the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday.

“I was asked about whether I see any threat against NATO allies from China or from Russia. I don't see any imminent threat of a military attack against any NATO ally,” he said.

“But one reason for that is that we have NATO” and its system of “all for one and one for all” collective defense, the Secretary General said – a reference to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which stipulates that an attack on one member state triggers a response from the whole alliance.

"That's one of the main reasons why we’ve been able to preserve peace in Europe for more than 70 years,” he insisted.

However, one shouldn’t expect a major shift in NATO’s relations with Moscow and Beijing, as Stoltenberg still lamented what he called “Russia’s destabilizing behavior” and “the rise of China” among the main security challenges for the bloc – along with terrorism, cyberattacks and climate change.

Last month, the NATO head insisted that the military alliance of 30 European states and the North American countries would be “glad” to cooperate with Russia, but was also “ready” for a confrontation if the need arises. He also called for more funds to be allocated to boost the bloc’s presence near Russia’s borders.

That's called 'Empire Building'! And it is the greatest threat to peace in Europe as NATO seeks to virtually surround Russia with NATO-friendly countries. This is completely against the spirit of the agreement between Russia and NATO when Gorbachev broke up the Soviet Union. 

Tensions between NATO and Moscow have been running high since 2014 when Crimea rejoined Russia following a referendum, which the West refuses to recognise, amid the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The bloc responded by deploying more troops and military hardware in Eastern Europe, while sharply intensifying aerial and naval patrols in the region.

Contrary to repeated claims from Poland, the Baltic States and others, Moscow has denied harboring aggressive intentions against any NATO members – and has labeled the alliance’s buildup and military games on its doorstep as a major security threat for the continent, arguing that it only increases the chances of real conflict.

This is a real, or, at least apparent turn-around from the relentless demonizing of Russia by NATO, UK, US, and several EU countries. How are they going to sell weapons systems to Russia's neighbours with a message like that?

Is this message showing concern about the growing relationship between Russia and China? Are they trying to slow that down? 

Or is he just trying to cool the rhetoric, like the article below?

Biden White House resorting to ‘siege of Russia’ by sending troops to NATO borders & ships to Black Sea – leading Moscow senator

15 Mar, 2021 10:59

FILE PHOTO: US servicemen participating in the Saber Strike exercises in Estonia. © Sputnik

With little prospect of scoring a decisive military victory over Russia, Washington is increasingly locked into a strategy of surrounding the world’s largest country with its forces, one of Moscow’s top politicians has claimed.

Aleksey Pushkov, a senator and former head of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, argued in comments on Telegram on Friday that the White House was struggling to demonstrate the tough stance it had promised against the Kremlin, because it had run out of viable options.

“The hesitation about Russia in Washington is evident,” he said, “not because there is a tactical pause, or as a negotiating tactic – [President Joe] Biden is in no mood to negotiate with Russia at all – but for another reason.”

While the new US leader has slammed his predecessor for supposedly making concessions to Moscow, Biden has since found that “the potential for hostility towards Moscow has been almost entirely mobilized by [former president Donald] Trump, both bilaterally and through NATO,” Pushkov wrote.

The senator believes that there are only three possible options for the White House if it seeks to make good on those election promises and strike an even tougher note against Russia.

“Sanctions from hell,” such as the still unapproved package proposed in 2018 by a group of senators including John McCain and Lindsey Graham, “would hit US and European investors, and bring US relations with Russia to a dangerous line, as with Iran,” he argued. “Only Russia is not Iran.”

The second option, Pushkov argues, would be to “push Ukraine into a new war in the Donbass, with US support.” However, the politician says, Kiev’s starting position in the region is unfavorable and it is hard to see how it could change its fortunes. So, he added, “it is not in the US plans to interfere in hostilities on the side of Ukraine.”

Finally, the only remaining option Biden has to punish Russia would be “building up the armed forces on the borders with Russia and in the Black Sea,” Pushkov claims. But, far from being a departure from his predecessor’s policies, “this is simply a continuation of the US’ previous approach under Trump.”

“For these reasons,” he said, “Biden’s toughness on Russia has so far been largely rhetorical. There will be anti-Russian actions, but their aim will be a prolonged siege of ‘Putin’s Russia’ rather than a set of abrupt and risky steps that could bring the situation to the brink of military conflict.”

Russia has already warned that increased activity by NATO members near its borders could lead to disaster, with the US-led bloc staging a series of exercises and flybys across the frontier. Russia’s Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Fomin said that, throughout 2020, NATO air and naval presence “has increased significantly, and situations that can lead to serious incidents are increasingly emerging.”

Last week, the Kremlin expressed concern at reports in the New York Times which claimed that the White House was mulling “a series of clandestine actions” aimed at Moscow. The steps, it said, were intended as a response to the SolarWinds hack for which Washington holds Russia responsible. President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that “the fact that the newspaper doesn’t rule out that the American state could be involved in cybercrime is definitely of great concern to us.”

A Reading Error, or Freudian Slip? - Esper Says NATO Must 'Avoid Peace' in Europe

‘A momentary lapse of honesty?’ US Defense Secretary Esper

says NATO must ‘avoid PEACE in Europe’

FILE PHOTO. © Pool via REUTERS/Greg Nash; REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper seemingly mistook the word ‘peace’ for ‘war’ when he made a gaffe in the middle of a speech on the relocation of American troops in Europe.

Esper was delivering important news to reporters: the Pentagon has laid out a plan to withdraw nearly 12,000 American soldiers from its NATO ally Germany.

The blunder occurred just when Esper was arguing that Germany, as the “wealthiest country in Europe,” can and should boost its defense spending.

I’ve said that very publicly, I’ve said that very privately to my

counterparts as well – about the importance of NATO, any

alliance, sharing the burden so we can all deter Russia and…

avoid peace in Europe.

The awkward phrase spurred jokes on Twitter, with some users calling the slip “a momentary lapse of honesty” and “the NATO slogan 2020.”

The Pentagon is planning to pull out a third of its forces stationed in Germany and relocate a part of them across other NATO countries, including Belgium, Italy and Poland.

So, I have been saying for years now that NATO's Raison d'être disappeared with the iron curtain. They have been looking for an excuse to exist ever since. How many wars have they been complicit in fanning the flames? How many times have they demonized the leaders of Syria and Russia in order to justify their continued presence? How many countries have they pursued in violation of the peace agreement with Gorbechev? How many weapons systems have the USA, UK, and France sold to trembling countries which were never under serious threat? NATO's new purpose is to sell weapons. No doubt Secretary Esper accidentally spoke the truth, inconvenient and accidental, but truth.

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‘Security Risk & Lawbreaker’: German MP Says 70yo NATO Should Retire

Like I've been saying for a few years now...

German lawmaker Alexander Neu lambasted NATO for conducting aggressive wars and raking up defense spending, suggesting Germany should quit its military command, and the bloc be dissolved altogether.

NATO’s 70th birthday is “not a reason to celebrate, but rather an occasion to finally rethink it, before it’s too late,” Neu wrote in Die Freiheitsliebe blog on Thursday.

The lawmaker from the opposition Left Party slammed the US-led military bloc as an organization that poses “significant security risk to the world” and “systematically violates international law.”

NATO revealed its true colors when it waged an “aggressive war” against Yugoslavia without the UN’s approval, and carried out numerous interventions, which claimed the lives of “countless victims,” Neu argued.

He pointed out that last year NATO’s member states spent more than $1 trillion on defense, which is far more than the defense budgets of its rivals, China and Russia, combined.

And how much do you want to bet that most of it went to the USA?

The imperialist competition and the fear of losing economic

and ideological supremacy drive NATO towards more

rearmament and confrontation.

In order to avoid global escalation, the lawmaker proposed that Germany should leave the alliance’s “military structures,” and then NATO itself should be dissolved and replaced by a new “collective security system,” which would include Russia.

Berlin’s contribution to NATO has caused a rift with Washington in recent years, as President Donald Trump repeatedly accused Germany, along with other EU nations, of not spending its “fair share” on the bloc’s collective security. German officials rebuked the criticism, but admitted the country won’t reach NATO’s spending target until 2024.

Founded in 1949, NATO was primarily seen as a bulwark against the Soviet Bloc during the Cold War. The alliance continued its existence after the Soviet Union collapsed, and expanded eastwards, despite vehement protests from Moscow.

And despite promises from western leaders to Gorbachev before Glasnost.

I have been saying for years that NATO begins or threatens wars as a way of justifying its existence and for the purpose of arms sales. They are clearly making the world a more dangerous place with their Russia hysteria policy. NATO is far more evil than Russia will ever be.

NATO's Only Purpose - To Sell Weapons for America

European governments are just beginning to see through the bullying of USA/NATO for the reality that it is - sales tactics for US armaments. Russophobia, or is it Russohysteria, is an integral part of it.

‘NATO solidarity clause is called Article 5, not article F-35’ – French defense minister

(L) Lockheed Martin F-35B © Reuters / US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago; (R) French forces

© Reuters / Guillaume Horcajuelo

Europe must move away from full dependency on American weapon supplies, the French defense minister stressed, slamming President Donald Trump’s “conditional” approach towards NATO and his European allies.

Expressing concern that Trump’s idea of NATO’s solidarity is “conditional on allies buying this or that equipment,” the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, wondered if the US commitment to the military block will continue to be “perennial.”

The alliance should be unconditional, otherwise,

it is not an alliance. NATO’s solidarity clause

is called Article 5, not article F-35.

Despite the White House pushing their allies to buy more American weapons, developing European autonomous capabilities in the military field is crucial to national security and essential to moving away from Washington's dominance, Parly argued, noting the US arms industry currently supplies NATO with 100 percent of its strategic bombers and missile defense systems, 92 percent of its drones, and 91 percent of its air tankers.

US arms industry currently supplies NATO with

100 percent of its strategic bombers and missile defense systems,

92 percent of its drones, and

91 percent of its air tankers.

In January, Germany’s Ministry of Defense officially ruled out purchasing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to replace its aging Tornado fleet and is currently considering upgrading its air power to a fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon. Competing against the Franco-German armaments cooperation is Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet. Unlike the Typhoon, the F-18 is certified to carry US-made nuclear bombs as part of NATO's nuclear sharing agreement.

While stressing that France and other NATO allies will do their “best” to spend two percent of their GDP on defense, Parly also called on the US to respect the “autonomy” of European nations to build up their own defense bloc independent of NATO.

“Building a European autonomy should never be seen as a move against the United States,” Parly told the Atlantic Council, in reference to the idea of a joint European Defense Force as advocated by French President Emmanuel Macron. “We need to step up to help without waiting for the US to always foot the bill.”

Weary of Donald Trump’s NATO diplomacy and use of European security as a bargaining chip, last year French President Emmanuel Macron resurrected a decades-old idea of creating a “real European army” independent from its key partner on the other side of the Atlantic. While Germany voiced support for Macron's proposition to better protect the continent against the perceived Russian threat, Trump found the idea simply “insulting,” reiterating that NATO members must spend two per cent of GDP on their protection.

Russia is no threat to Europe and hasn't been since Glasnost. NATO is entirely obsolete except for the hysteria they have created about Russia. This, and arms sales, is the only reason for NATO's continued existence. They should have been disbanded almost 30 years ago. 

I believe in the past 28 years, NATO has contributed to several wars, revolutions and rumours of wars (ie fear-mongering). They are a danger to peace on earth and a colossal waste of time and money. That's just my humble opinion!

Germany: US ambassador Richard Grenell should be expelled,

says FDP deputy leader

US Ambassador Richard Grenell is acting like "a high commissioner of an occupying power," the deputy leader of the Free Democrats (FDP) has said. Grenell has also drawn rebuffs from Germany's two governing parties.

 US Ambassador Richard Grenell in 2018 (Getty Images/O. Andersen)

Wolfgang Kubicki, the deputy chairman of the opposition Free Democrats (FDP), said Richard Grenell's repeated interference in German sovereignty should prompt Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to immediately declare Grenell persona non grata.

"Any US diplomat who acts like a high commissioner of an occupying power must learn that our tolerance also knows its limits," said Kubicki, who is also one of five deputy speakers of Germany's Bundestag parliament.

Wolfgang Kubicki during a plenary session of the Bundestag (picture-alliance/dpa/B. von Jutrczenka)

Grenell had on Tuesday criticized Germany's military spending plans within NATO as insufficient, prompting Kubicki to accuse the envoy of "interfering" repeatedly in political issues of a sovereign country.

Grenell's criticism of Germany's defense spending came weeks after he demanded that Berlin halt Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline being laid across the Baltic Sea to deliver gas from Russia to Germany, and threatened firms involved in the project with sanctions.

The USA does not want Russia's Nordstream 2 gas pipeline to be completed because they want Europe to buy American gas even though it would be considerably more expensive.

Carsten Schneider, caucus manager of the Social Democrats (SPD) within the parliament, told the German news agency DPA on Tuesday that "Mr Grenell is a complete diplomatic failure."

Grenell's behavior, said Schneider, reminded him of "a flail," a farmyard term for somebody who thrashes around wildly, adding that "Mr Grenell damages trans-Atlantic relations with his repeated clumsy provocations."

Turkey Can't Have Both F-35s and Russian Missile System,

NATO Commander Says

FILE - In this file photo taken Dec. 16, 2015 and provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service,

Russian S-400 long-range air defense missile systems are deployed at Hemeimeem air base in Syria.

(Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

Military.com | By Richard Sisk

Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti said Tuesday that the U.S. should block sales of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkey if it goes ahead with its plan to buy the advanced S-400 anti-air missile system from Russia.

"My best military advice is that we don't follow through" on supplying F-35s to NATO ally Turkey unless it backs out of the S-400 deal with Moscow, said Scaparrotti, who is dual-hatted as head of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Scaparrotti said he has two reasons for objecting to Turkey getting the S-400 system, which Russia has billed as a weapons system to counter the F-35 in its sales pitch to Turkey, Arab states and China.

"If they accept the S-400 to establish it in Turkey, there is first the issue that it's not interoperable with NATO systems, nor is it interoperable inside of our integrated missile defense system," he said.

"The second has to do with the F-35. It presents a problem to all of our aircraft, but specifically the F-35, I believe," Scaparrotti said.

And the real reason is, they want Turkey to buy American made missile defense systems!!!

The dispute over the F-35 sale comes at a time of increasing friction between the U.S. and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over concerns about the way forward in Syria as the U.S. plans to withdraw troops, as well as Turkey's growing ties with Iran and Russia.

Since 2017, Turkey has been negotiating the estimated $2.5 billion purchase of the mobile S-400 system, dubbed the SA-21 Growler by NATO and called the Triumf system by Russia.

In a two-day visit to Turkey last April, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "A priority task in the sphere of military technical cooperation is the implementation of the contract for supplies of S-400 Triumf missile systems to Turkey."

Then-Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said that Turkey was turning to Moscow after the U.S. and NATO allies refused help in upgrading its air defenses. "They don't agree to the transfer of technologies in the sphere of air defense systems to us" and "do not make price concessions," he said.

Under previous agreements with the U.S., Turkey also had plans to buy more than 100 F-35As, the conventional takeoff and landing model of the stealth fighter. Turkish pilots are already training on the F-35 at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

"I can confirm we have two Turkish jets [from the proposed sale] here at Luke flying in the 63rd Fighter Squadron and several Turkish pilots in training to fly the F-35," 56th Fighter Wing spokeswoman Maj. Rebecca Heyse said Tuesday. "All our jets at Luke are pooled within the squadrons, so on any day U.S. pilots assigned to the 63rd could be flying Turkish or USAF jets while the Turkish pilots could be flying Turkish or USAF jets."

To counter the Russian S-400 sale, the U.S. State Department in December approved the potential sale to Turkey of the Patriot missile system and related equipment for $3.5 billion.

The U.S. offer, if it were accepted by Turkey and approved by Congress, would include 80 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T), 60 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles, and related equipment, the State Department said.

"This is a huge decision for Turkey. I would hope that they reconsider this one decision on S-400," Scaparrotti said under questioning by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, at the hearing.

On Tuesday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer and James Jeffrey, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, were in Ankara for meetings with their Turkish counterparts. Palmer was expected to focus on the S-400 sale and the potential risk that going ahead with the deal would scrap the U.S. agreement to sell F-35s to Turkey, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.

In other words, we don't care if we've signed a contract; you buy our Patriot system or forget the F-35s. Personally, I think they should forget the F-35s. 

Is ‘Deep State’ Trying to Block Corbyn Govt? Labour Leader’s Adviser Fears Top Secret Conspiracy

Of course they are! Deep State cannot afford to have a UK PM who is not onboard with demonizing Russia. It would wreck their plans to sell Europe kazillions of dollars of weapons systems and continue to build their NATO Empire.

Demonizing Russia also gives the USA the moral authority to punish China and India, etc., with sanctions

for buying Russian advanced weapons systems. Never mind competing with Russia;

never mind free enterprise; it's buy from US or else. 

Jeremy Corbyn arrives to address a gathering of supporters demonstrating in Parliament Square. June 27, 2016.

© Toby Melville / Reuters

Jeremy Corbyn’s top adviser has questioned whether the ‘deep state’ is maneuvering to block any possibility of a Labour government under his leadership, because the establishment deplores his approach to foreign policy.

Corbyn adviser Andrew Murray has not, to date, been granted a parliamentary security pass, and asks in an article he’s penned in the centre-left publication, the New Statesman, whether such a move is a “political stunt” committed by the “deep state,” in an attempt to prevent a Corbyn administration ever coming into power.

Murray has questioned whether the Mail on Sunday revelations he’s been refused “Commons security clearance” in addition to being “banned from entering Ukraine,” is all just a “curiously-timed episode.”

The Labour adviser writes: “We are often told that the days of secret state political chicanery are long past and we must hope so. But sometimes you have to wonder – this curiously timed episode seems less rooted in a Kiev security scare than in a political stunt closer to home.”

The former chair of Stop the War and current chief of staff to Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, references the Mail on Sunday, which claims a Ukrainian secret service officer told them Murray’s Ukraine ban is because he’s “part of Putin’s global propaganda network.”

Which means, he doesn't adhere to the NATO/DeepState propaganda network. This is unforgivable!

Murray denies such a claim, suggesting the ban is in retaliation to a speech he “made more than four years ago protesting the takeover of Ukraine by ultra-nationalists.”

That's when the Orange Revolution, with help from western powers, overthrew a legally elected government because they were friendly to Russia. They were replaced with a NATO-friendly un-elected government that was and is hostile to Russia. Western/NATO involvement was in contravention to unwritten agreements between Russian President Gorbachev and NATO powers.

It’s Corbyn’s attitude to foreign affairs that Murray says the “deep state” cannot live with, claiming a prospective Labour government would put an end to acting aggressively on the world stage.

He says: “The powers-that-be can perhaps live with a renationalised water industry but not, it seems, with any challenge to their aggressive capacities, repeatedly deployed in disastrous wars, and their decaying Cold War world view.”

Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, has told BBC Radio 4s ‘Today Programme’ that Murray’s “deep state” interference claims are “highly unlikely,” and called  for Corbyn’s adviser to produce the evidence, “otherwise it’s just fake news.”

Watson said: “I genuinely don’t know why he has reached that conclusion and presumably he has more knowledge of that than me.”

Murray signs off his article with an apparent dig at the British intelligence services, stating: “Britain could soon have an anti-war government. Vet that, comrades.”