A disused railway in Pakistan. Andrew Murray wrote that criticism of colonial slaughter was often tempered with praise for infrastructure improvements

Hitler is only seen as the worst figure in history because he killed white people, according to Andrew Murray, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s most senior aides.

The remarks — made in The Imperial Controversy: Challenging the Empire Apologists, a 2009 book he wrote with the help of Seumas Milne, Mr Corbyn’s communications director — risk adding to the row about antisemitism.

Mr Murray wrote: “Hitler is uniquely excoriated because his victims were almost all white Europeans, while those of Britain (and other classic colonialisms — French, Belgian, Dutch, Italian and Wilhelmine German) were Asian, African and Arabs.

“That Hitler’s regime is seen as the most bestial of modern times is not of course objectionable. What needs to be confronted is the view that the