Corbyn offers condolences to family of 'dead' policeman - who's alive

Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of making a "jaw-dropping gaffe" after he offered his condolences to the family of a "dead" policeman - who is still alive.

Theresa May opened her weekly Prime Minister's Questions session by saying her thoughts were with the officer, who was seriously injured in a shooting in Belfast at the weekend.

The Labour leader followed up her comments by "expressing condolences... to the family of the police officer who lost his life over the weekend in Northern Ireland".

:: PMQs: As it happened

However, the officer survived being shot in the arm three times and is currently recovering in hospital.

Mark Lindsay, chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said: "I'm appalled that the leader of Her Majesty's Opposition should get this so badly wrong on the floor of the House of Commons.

"It was a jaw-dropping gaffe and he should immediately apologise to the officer and his family.

"Mr Corbyn was either poorly briefed by his staff or he's that much out of touch with what is happening.

"Either way, it's a shocking error to make and needs to be corrected."

Speaking during PMQs, DUP MP for Belfast North Nigel Dodds used a question to Mrs May to put Mr Corbyn right, pointing out that the officer had "fortunately" not been killed.

The DUP's Ian Paisley later called for Mr Corbyn's mistake to be formally corrected.

He said: "For the family and for police officers generally, could we have that corrected by the frontbench spokesman as urgently as possible so as the record does not contain the spurious fact that a police officer was murdered in Belfast."

However, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said "it was a mistake" and there was "no need for any further correction".

A spokesman for the Labour leader later said afterwards: "He meant to say 'nearly died'. Obviously, the last thing that was intended was any offence."

Dissident republicans have been blamed for the shooting, which has sparked fears of a terror resurgence in the wake of the collapse of the Northern Ireland assembly.