A
Jeremy Corbyn spokesperson, following the Sky and Channel 4
#BattleForNumber10 debate, said:
“In answering the audience’s questions, Jeremy showed the
clear choice on offer in this election is about the kind of country we want
Britain to be. The choice is between Labour’s plan to transform Britain for the
many not the few, and a Conservative Party that has held people back and put the
wealthy first.
"Jeremy was able to talk about our fully-costed manifesto – promises we
have made to students to scrap tuition fees, to pensioners to protect their
incomes with the triple lock and winter fuel allowance, to families struggling
with rising energy costs that we will take back control of the utilities
industry and bring down their bills and, crucially, to 95% of taxpayers that we
won’t put up their taxes. These are promises Theresa May cannot and will not
make.
"Jeremy connects with the public in a way that Theresa May doesn’t
because Labour has a clear plan to transform our economy and society, and
people recognise that. Theresa May has hidden from the public during this
campaign and run scared of debating Jeremy live on TV, while Jeremy has been
travelling around the country meeting people and addressing huge crowds.”
Ends
Notes
In response to the audience questions:
In his interview with Andrew Neil, Jeremy said: “I didn’t support the IRA, I
don’t support the IRA. What I want everywhere is a peace process, what I want
everywhere is decency and human rights. We went through all the horrors of
Northern Ireland, all through the 70s and 80s, through the period of the
Troubles, and eventually came from that a peace process, the Good Friday
Agreement and now relative peace and stability.”
On the commemoration referred to by the audience member, Jeremy has been very
clear that it was held for all those who died in the Troubles.
On leadership, Jeremy has said he sees leadership about listening, not
dictating. Listening to what people say, understanding the pressures in their
lives and ensuring government policies make a real and positive difference.
Being strong and standing up for people doesn’t mean shouting and dictating.
It’s not a sign of strength to cut taxes for the rich and powerful, it’s a sign
of weakness. Real strength is standing up to these vested interests and
governing for the many not the few.
On small businesses, Labour has pledged they will be protected by reintroducing
the lower small profits rate of corporation tax. Labour is the party of small
businesses, many of whom are exploited by bigger companies who delay payments
to them to maximise their own profits. Labour will declare war on late payment.
On Jeremy Paxman’s questions about Labour’s manifesto
Labour is a democratic party and our manifesto reflects that. The
Tories’ manifesto was compiled by a small group of people around Theresa May, and the chaos and confusion that has ensued as a
result reflects that.
On MI5
The claim that John McDonnell wants to disband MI5 is entirely
false and based on erroneous reports about an unrelated statement that John
signed.
Unlike the Tories that cut the budget for the intelligence
services in 2012 and have cut police numbers by 20,000 since 2010, Labour is
committed to giving our security services the resources they need and will
recruit 10,000 extra police officers.
On Hamas
Jeremy has spent his life campaigning for peace and has been very
clear that he does not support Hamas.
Questions Theresa May must now answer:
The Conservative manifesto has betrayed Britain’s pensioners,
threatened unspecified tax rises for tens of millions of working people and set
out a grim future of underfunding and understaffing for our vital public
services.
Theresa May has broken her flagship manifesto pledge on social care and there
is confusion over funding for our NHS and schools. She must answer these
questions:
- What will be the cap on social care costs for people with conditions such as dementia, how many pensioners will lose their winter fuel payments, and how will you fund the NHS?
- Will there be increases in National Insurance contributions and income tax?
- How will you fund your school breakfast proposal now you have withdrawn the original 6.8p figure?
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