Jeremy Corbyn has attacked the media for publishing "unsubstantiated allegations" about David Cameron allegedly interfering with a dead pig at university, saying it distracts from serious issues such as "world peace".
In his first comment on the topic, the Labour leader attacked the media's decision to publish the single-sourced claim that the prime minister "put a private part of his anatomy" in a dead pig's mouth while at a University of Oxford party.
The claim was made in a biography of Cameron by Lord Ashcroft and journalist Isabel Oakeshott, serialised in the Daily Mail on Monday.
Corbyn, who has repeatedly criticised the media over coverage of himself and his family, told ITV News the pig story was "wrong" and urged a more grown-up approach to politics and politicians.
He told the broadcaster: "The media treatment of any politician on unsubstantiated allegations – be it David Cameron, me, or anyone else – is wrong and too much of our media is obsessed with personality politics, obsessed with personal criticism of politicians and therefore detracting from very serious issues around housing, living standards, jobs or world peace.
"I say that kindly. I'm a member of the NUJ, actually. Can we try to have more of a grown-up media? Or is that too much to ask?"