Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn defended himself on live television for calling Hezbollah and Hamas his “friends.” Photo: Screenshot.

The British Labour MP who infamously called members of terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah his “friends” is far ahead of his fellow candidates in the race for the party leadership, a YouGov poll has revealed.

Political analysts say Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn has attracted voters with his far-left economic policy that includes renationalizing Britain’s railroads and energy industries, removing tuition at British universities and imposing rent control to address the U.K.’s housing issues.

But for some, including former prime minister Tony Blair, a Labour Party with Corbyn at the helm will undoubtedly split the party and make it electorally irrelevant in the future.

Especially concerning for many is Corbyn’s apparently convivial affiliation with proud antisemites, such as Hamas and Hezbollah — which seek the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of Jews — but also individuals such as Raed Saleh, a member of the northern branch of Israel’s Islamic Movement, who was charged with inciting to violence against Jews in Jerusalem and sentenced to eight months in prison.

Corbyn defended his friendship with Hamas and Hezbollah saying it was in the spirit of all elements must be party to the peace process with Israel, though Hamas and Hezbollah openly declare opposition to a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Corbyn has also appeared on Iran’s Press TV, a station banned by the U.K. communications regulator as a propagandizing mouthpiece for the Iranian regime — also unabashedly anti-Israel and antisemitic —  and faced accusations that he donated money to self-proclaimed Holocaust denier Paul Eisen, though Corbyn offered a perfunctory denial of any association with him.

The poll put Corbyn at 53 percent of Labour voters, which could see him win the first round of party elections, though the voting mechanism could ultimately deny him the seat if he fails to secure a strong enough majority and enough voters put him last in their list of the four contenders, including Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall.