Jeremy Corbyn is 'incompetent' says shadow Defence Minister

'The Tories are getting away with things that are not being properly scrutinised and the people who are suffering are the ones that we represent'

Kevan Jones, shadow Minister for Defence (Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images)

Labour's shadow Defence Minister says Jeremy Corbyn's "incompetent" leadership means the party is failing to scrutinise the Conservative Government over military intervention in Syria.

Kevan Jones says MPs are losing patience with the Labour leader and says "it is not about right or left" political leanings.

After allowing his party a free vote on the question of whether Britain should extend its military operations against Isis to Syria, Mr Corbyn made the case against bombing while shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn asked Labour MPs to back the Government.

Mr Jones told the Evening Chronicle: "What annoys me is that because of his position - right from the start he has not wanted to so anything about the issue - we have failed again to properly interrogate the Government.

"What I’m getting really frustrated about - as a lot of other people are - is that time and time again, because of his incompetence, the Tories are getting away with things that are not being properly scrutinised and the people who are suffering are the ones that we represent.

"It is not about left or right, this is about the incompetent way things are being done.

"This is a nasty, smaller-state Government and we are not taking the fight to them and exposing them for what they are."