Jeremy Corbyn says terrorists can be released early from prison if they have been “rehabilitated”, as he linked the London Bridge attack to big government funding cuts.

Asked if anyone convicted of terror offences should service their full sentence – as Boris Johnson has now pledged – the Labour leader said: “Not necessarily, no.”

Mr Corbyn said the decision “depends on the circumstances, it depends on the sentence but crucially depends on what they’ve done in prison”.

The prime minister has vowed an end to early prison release for terrorists – and minimum sentences of 14 years – in response to fierce criticism of the freeing of Usman Khan.

But Mr Corbyn said what was crucial was “how our prison services work and what happens to them on release from prison”.

He pointed out that the Parole Board had no involvement in Khan’s release, adding: “There were apparently no probation service involvement in monitoring this former prisoner.”

Mr Corbyn said: “There has to be an examination of what goes on in the prison because prisons ought to be a place where people are put away because of major serious offences, but also a place where rehabilitation takes place.”

During the interview, on Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mr Corbyn also spoke out against removing citizenship from so-called Isis brides in Syria, including Shamima Begum.

“If you strip away their citizenship, where are they going to go?” he asked.

London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Show all 29 1 /29 London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Bystanders and police surrounding a person at the scene of an incident on London Bridge HLOBlog/PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Police and emergency services PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Armed police on London Bridge Twitter London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing A bystander holding a knife after police surrounded a person at the scene HLOBlog/PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing People fleeing from Borough Market PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Police during the incident Twitter London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing A white truck across part of London Bridge SophK05/PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing A British Transport Police officer runs after reports of an incident Getty London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Boats from the Metropolitan Police Marine Policing Unit patrol near the scene Getty Images London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing A lorry on the bridge crosses over lanes Luke Poulton via Reuters London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Members of the police and emergency services arriving at Monument tube station AFP via Getty Images London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Members of the public held behind a police cordon Getty Images London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Police at the scene PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Police evacuate people from Borough Market AP London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Police surrond a part of the bridge Timothy Johnson/Twitter London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing A person is assisted after falling when Police evacuated people from Borough Market AP London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing A Police Officer cordons off London Bridge Station Getty Images London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Members of staff are ushered into a Fitness First gym Getty Images London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Handout photo taken with permission from the twitter feed of @ShashD of police at the scene of an incident on London Bridge in central London. PA Photo. Issue date: Friday November 29, 2019. See PA story POLICE LondonBridge. Photo credit should read: Shash/Twitter/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Shash/Twitter PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing People head away from the vicinity of Borough Market PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Office workers look out of a window at a scene EPA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Armed police at the scene of an incident on London Bridge in central London. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday November 29, 2019. See PA story POLICE LondonBridge. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Dominic Lipinski PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Men in forensics suits walk away from the site REUTERS London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing People are evacuated from London Bridge PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing ArrowontheHill ArrowontheHill/Twitter London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Police at the scene of an incident on London Bridge PA London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Armed police on the scene Alexandra Carr /SWNS.COM London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Buses on London Bridge during the incident AFP via Getty Images London Bridge attack: Terror police shoot man after stabbing Police on the scene @joebxggs /SWNS.COM

“They are then going to become stateless people roaming around into ungoverned places like in Libya, like in parts of Syria, and they create another terrorist force of tomorrow, Isis or something else.

“Surely, if somebody is a citizen of any one country, then it’s up to that country to take responsibility for them, and that’s why we said that she should be brought back to Britain for questioning, possible charge, but certainly for questioning.”

The Labour leader also mounted a strong defence of human rights, after the Conservative manifesto sparked fears be saying they should be “updated”.

Rejecting the argument that terror attacks suggested the pendulum had swung “too far”, he said: “You have to create a secure society and you have to defend human rights at the same time.

“If you give up all your democratic and human rights then you have actually given in to those that would take them away anyway.”

Mr Corbyn backed the decision to shoot dead Khan on London Bridge, saying: “I think they had no choice.