Barack Obama: Corbyn's Labour has lost touch with reality

Jeremy Corbyn has brushed aside criticism from Barack Obama after the outgoing US president suggested Labour had lost touch with reality.

Jeremy Corbyn is under fire from Barack Obama. Picture: PA

Mr Obama made the controversial remarks when asked if he feared a “Corbynisation” of the Democratic Party after its surprise defeat to Republican Donald Trump in the race for the White House.

In a wide-ranging interview with political strategist David Axelrod, who advised Ed Miliband in the run-up to the 2015 general election, Mr Obama was asked if he feared the Democrats could “disintegrate” like Labour had.

Mr Obama said: “I don’t worry about that, partly because I think the Democratic Party has stayed pretty grounded in fact and reality.”

He said even US left-wing senator Bernie Sanders was “pretty centrist” compared with Mr Corbyn. However, Mr Corbyn’s spokesman said the Labour leader represented what most voters wanted, and was “grounded in reality”.

He said: “Both Labour and US Democrats will have to challenge power if they are going to speak for working people and change a broken system that isn’t delivering.

“What Jeremy Corbyn stands for is what most people want: to take on tax cheats, create a fairer economy, fund a fully public NHS, build more homes, and stop backing illegal wars.”