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A Tory Cabinet minister has branded Jeremy Corbyn "very useful to the Soviet Union" - moments after admitting a 'spy' claim against the Labour leader was untrue.

Liam Fox said Tory vice-chair Ben Bradley was right to apologise and pay damages for claiming the Labour leader "sold British secrets to Communist spies".

But he still insisted Labour's left were "useful idiots" during the Cold War and acted in a way that was "damaging" to the country.

The International Trade Secretary told the BBC: "I certainly think that the Labour left were the Soviet Union's useful idiots during that period.

"I certainly believe and I think it is true that Jeremy Corbyn and others were very useful to the Soviet Union during the Cold War because they undermined the arguments of the West.

"I think in the broadest sense he was undermining the security of our country by siding with the Soviet Union in that argument and I think that was very damaging to the country.

"Luckily it was our side of the argument, not Jeremy Corbyn's, that won the day."

(Image: REUTERS)

Mr Fox added: "It is very clear that Jeremy Corbyn and his fellow left wingers were undermining the case for our security."

And despite also disowning Mr Bradley's comments, Tory Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told ITV: "It is concerning that somebody who would like to lead this country seems to have some very odd friends who would not be seen to be friends of this country."

Tory Mr Bradley tweeted an apology to Mr Corbyn last night.

The Mansfield MP also agreed to make a "substantial" donation to charity for a tweet making claims about his links to Cold War agents.

Mr Bradley’s apology read: “On 19 February 2018 I made a seriously defamatory statement on my Twitter account, ‘Ben Bradley MP (@bbradleymp)’, about Jeremy Corbyn, alleging he sold British secrets to communist spies.

"I have since deleted the defamatory tweet. I have agreed to pay an undisclosed substantial sum of money to a charity of his choice, and I will also pay his legal costs.

(Image: Getty)

"I fully accept that my statement was wholly untrue and false. I accept that I caused distress and upset to Jeremy Corbyn by my untrue and false allegations, suggesting he had 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."

Mr Corbyn will split the undisclosed sum of money between a homeless charity and a foodbank in Mr Bradley’s constituency of Mansfield.

Mr Fox told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: "If you say something that is untrue you have to say so."

(Image: Daily Mirror)

Mr Fox also distanced himself from comments made by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson about the Labour leader, saying: "I don’t think you can use the word - that I would use the word betray."

A series of newspaper stories have made allegations about Mr Corbyn's contact with a Czech intelligence agent in the 1980s.

Jan Sarkocy, a former agent of the Czech StB intelligence agency, has been described as a fantasist by Mr Corbyn's allies.

Mr Corbyn has said he met the Czech agent but has denied ever knowingly meeting a spy, and says Mr Sarkocy's claims he was paid are entirely false "smears".

A Labour party spokesman said: "Liam Fox should focus on his job and not give credence to claims that everyone knows are entirely false and ridiculous."