AS a member of the Labour Party I was out campaigning in the forthcoming general election on Saturday. I was surprised by the number of members of public, whose conviction I cannot doubt, who told me the leader of my party was a terrorist sympathiser.

Now I don’t know every MP and what they have done in their past, but for one, the leader of the party of which I am a member.

I ask your readers to tell me how many people who are “terrorist sympathisers” are there in parliament? The answer might surprise some of you, but one who is not is Jeremy Corbyn.

How much chance would a “terrorist sympathiser” have of being elected in inner city London?

But what are the chances of them being re-elected many times?

As for this being “unpatriotic”. I, as a former member of the Royal Air Force can tell you I would never support an unpatriotic leader. To me patriotism is not demonstrated by ones attire nor ones demeanour.

It is demonstrated by voicing opposition to homelessness.

Patriotism is to try to protect our citizens when abroad.

Now I realise I have stirred the pot when I said there are “terrorist sympathisers” in parliament. Who are they? They are the members of the DUP. There can be no elected member of the DUP who has not demonstrated at some point in time their own support for the actions of one or more loyalist paramilitary group.

Roderick Oates, Tabley