Jeremy Corbyn has won an apology and payout from a Tory MP who tweeted the Labour leader had sold secrets to Communist spies.
Ben Bradley tweeted Corbyn sold British secrets to communist spies on Monday but then deleted it after he was threatened with legal action.
It came amid headlines alleging Corbyn had met a Czech spy in his early days an MP in the late 1980s
On Saturday, it was announced Bradley had agreed to pay Corbyn’s legal costs and an undisclosed substantial sum to charity for the tweet.
Labour said Bradley, who is also Tory Party vice chair, was due to tweet: “I fully accept my statement was was wholly untrue and false.
I accept that I caused distress and upset to Jeremy Corbyn by my untrue and false allegations, suggesting he betrayed his country by collaborating with foreign spies.
I am very sorry for publishing this untrue and false statement and I have no hesitation in offering my unreserved and unconditional apology to Jeremy Corbyn for the distress I have caused him.
The money will go to a homelessness charity and a foodbank in Mansfield, which is Bradley’s constituency, Labour said.
A spokesman for Corbyn added: We are pleased Ben Bradley has admitted what he said was entirely untrue and apologised, and that charities in Mansfield will benefit.
Following the botched smear campaign against Jeremy, this case shows we are not going to let dangerous lies go unchallenged.
Jan Sarkocy, a former Czech spy, has claimed the Labour leader was on his payroll during the Cold War.
The Labour leader issued a video message on Tuesday night rounding on the newspaper that ran the story over their smears.
He attacked their proprietors as billionaire tax exiles and warning them change is coming.
In the personal video message, the Labour leader hit out at The Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and The Express for printing allegations that he had worked with Sarkocy.
His office later said Corbyn was actually in Derbyshire the day he was alleged to have met Sarkocy in London.
These claims are a ridiculous smear and entirely false, his office has said.
The former Czechoslovak agent Jan Sarkocy’s account of his meetings with Jeremy was false 30 years ago, is false now and has no credibility whatsoever.