Kelvin MacKenzie has prompted fresh anger after suggesting “Jeremy Corbyn knifed to death by asylum seeker” would be the fake newspaper headline the country would most like to see.
The controversial columnist’s comments, made in an interview with the New York Times, come almost a year after Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by terrorist Thomas Mair.
MacKenzie, a former editor of The Sun, was asked about headlines he would like to see if he were still in charge of the newspaper.
"I think the fake news headline that would give this country the most joy would be ‘Jeremy Corbyn Knifed to Death by an Asylum Seeker’," Mr MacKenzie.
He allegedly texted the reporter later asking her to change the headline, acknowledging the comments were in “poor taste” given Mrs Cox’s murder.
The comments have reportedly angered the Labour Party. The Daily Mirror quoted a source accusing Mr MacKenzie of “disgusting language [that] incites violence and hatred”.
Mr MacKenzie was being interviewed by the American newspaper about his famous Sun headlines, including his “Gotcha” front page following the sinking of an Argentine warship during the Falklands War.
Mr MacKenzie was suspended from the newspaper last month after he was branded a “racist” having compared England footballer Ross Barkley to a gorilla.
He claimed to be unaware of the Everton star’s heritage, whose grandfather is from Nigeria.
The Sun issued a full apology to Mr Barkley, claiming the comments were “wrong, unfunny and are not the view of the newspaper".
The Labour Party has been contacted for comment.
