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Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was the subject of an "excruciating" Sky News interview this morning - and in a sensational moment, stabbed prime minister Keir Starmer in the back as he was grilled over the party's immigration policies. Anchor Wilfred Frost asked Corbyn about the measures the government is taking to stop small boats crossing the Channel, when the ex-Labour leader twisted the knife.

Corbyn said: "I think the Labour Party needs to think very carefully about what it's achieved in the past year in government. Like continuing with the two-child benefit cap, like the taking away the Winter Fuel Allowance then reinstating it, and like the continued attack on Personal Independence Payment for disability.

"There's some really bad news they've done in the last 12 months. They haven't done much to redistribute wealth, they haven't done much to empower people and indeed the public cynicism of this government is pretty deep."

Adding: "The endless discussion of small boats and refugees, rather than looking at the human issues of people involved in that, the people who are victims of that, is actually empowering Nigel Farage on the far right of our society.

"Surely the government is capable of making the moral case for dealing with asylum seekers by recognising them as human beings in a desperate situation, they're not doing that. Instead they're trying to criminalise people because they've crossed the Channel."

Later, Corbyn clashed with Frost as he confronted him on illegal protesting, asking whether the Independent MP would ever cross the line and attend one himself. Corbyn snapped: "I'm in lots of protests and I'll carry on being in lots of protests. Look, let's look at-" but his attempt to change the subject was thwarted by Frost, who said: "But you encourage people to break the law."

Corbyn replied: "No. I said I respected them for going there, I respected their principles, I know quite a lot of people there, they're constituents of mine, people of deep moral conviction and principle. Can't we just accept that they're people of deep moral conviction who are not prepared to see fellow citizens made into terrorists because they protested against the bombardment of children in Gaza? Can't the government think for a moment they just got it wrong on this legislation?"

Frost enquired: "But you won't go that far yourself?" as Corbyn said: "Let's see what happens."

The segment drew ire from viewers, with one tweeting: "I like Jeremy Corbyn's politics but oh my god he's soooo whiny, droning on and on #SkyNews."

Someone else said: "Who cares what he thinks... the man is not relevant in politics." As a third echoed: "This man shouldn't be given a platform, he is the reason the woke left are terror sympathisers."