FORMER Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn praised the legacy of assassinated former Chilean president Salvador Allende today as he arrived in Santiago for the inauguration of Gabriel Boric.

“His legacy is a very important one, on a personal level, one of incredible bravery in the way he stood firm against the military who were trying to take over the country and subsequently lost his life doing that,” Mr Corbyn told TeleSur.

The MP, who has had the Labour whip removed by current leader Sir Keir Starmer, said that Mr Allende had left an immortal legacy as a socialist and Marxist.

He was able to mobilise “huge forces to bring about social change” in the South American country, Mr Corbyn said, highlighting the gains made in social justice housing, full employment and public ownership of utilities. 

“He was only president for less than three years, and the legacy left behind is incredible.”

Gabriel Boric won a stunning victory in the Chilean presidential election in December, becoming the first leftist to be elected to the post for decades.

It marked a break with the right-wing forces that have dominated Chilean politics since the overthrow of Mr Allende in a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet in September 1973.