Labour's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell apologises for 'honour the IRA' comments

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has apologised "from the bottom of my heart" for the offence caused by calling for Irish republican terrorists to be honoured but suggested his comments may have helped the peace process.

The senior Labour MP, appointed by Jeremy Corbyn to lead the party's economic policy, said it had been a "mistake" to use the words and accepted he had "clearly" caused offence.

David Cameron said Mr McDonnell should be "ashamed" of the comments when the issue was raised during Mr Corbyn's first session of Prime Minister's Questions as opposition leader.

The row follows Mr McDonnell's remarks in 2003 that "the bombs and bullets and sacrifice" of the IRA had brought Britain to the negotiating table.

Challenged about the comments on BBC1's Question Time Mr McDonnell said:

I accept it was a mistake to use those words, but actually if it contributed towards saving one life, or preventing someone else being maimed, it was worth doing because we did hold onto the peace process.

DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds said McDonnell's attempts to justify what he said did not go far enough and "undermined his expression of regret":

John McDonnell needs to be honest and not merely to say sorry but to mean it. He needs to understand why the thousands of innocent victims of terrorism were so disgusted by what he said and who he supported. He has been dragged by entirely justified public outrage to address his obnoxious remarks only once they were brought to general attention. He still has more to do.

Jeremy Corbyn has so far refused to answer questions about his new minister's comments: