Labour shadow minister admits voters have ‘reservations’ about Jeremy Corbyn taking power as the party leader unleashes his radical hard-Left manifesto
- Angela Rayner conceded the Labour leader was not proving universally popular
- Shadow education secretary said Boris Johnson was having a worse time
- She told Sky: ‘There have been some reservations about Jeremy on the doorstep’
- Added: ‘The leader of every party is not to everyone’s taste, I accept that’
A key member of Jeremy Corbyn’s top team admitted today that voters are expressing ‘reservations’ about him ahead of the general election.
Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner conceded that the Labour leader was not proving universally popular ‘on the doorstep’ as party activists canvas ahead of the December 12 vote.
But she claimed that he was not as much of problem as Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Donald Trump would prove for right-wing voters.
In a Sky interview ahead of the launch of Labour’s hard-Left manifesto this morning she was asked about Mr Corbyn dire poll ratings.
As well as Labour trailing the Conservatives, Mr Corbyn’s personal rating is appalling, with a net satisfaction score of -60.
Mrs Rayner tore into the Tory ‘purge of moderates’ after Mr Johnson took power, before adding: ‘Yes there have been some reservations about Jeremy on the doorstep, because every single leader of every single political party is not to everyone’s taste and I accept that.
‘I don’t think it’s anywhere near as big a problem as Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Donald Trump is for the Conservatives and the right.’
Mrs Rayner said: ‘There have been some reservations about Jeremy on the doorstep, because very single leader of every single political party is not to everyone’s taste and I accept that’
The Labour leader delivered the call for a lurch to the hard Left as he attempted to kick-start his stuttering campaign by launching the ‘radical and ambitious’ programme
Mr Corbyn was accused of taking a ‘sledgehammer to the UK economy’ today as he unveiled a massive £83billion manifesto splurge funded by hikes to death duties, ‘supertaxes’ on higher earners, and milking businesses.
The Labour leader vowed to overhaul the ‘political establishment’ as he set out his vision for a ‘radical and ambitious’ lurch to the hard Left – with the middle classes set to bear the brunt of the socialist assault.
The party claims its hikes in day-to-day spending – the running costs of services – amount to £83billion a year. That is up from around £50billion in the 2017 manifesto, and critics say it is still a low estimate.
But that figure is dwarfed by the proposals for an escalation in capital outlay – adding to the country’s long-term debt pile – which look to total more than £500billion.
Mr Corbyn insisted that his massive agenda can be financed by hiking taxes solely for the top 5 per cent of earners and big companies. An £11billion one-off windfall tax is being levied on oil firms.
Labour leader vowed to overhaul the ‘political establishment’ as he set out his vision for a ‘radical and ambitious’ lurch to the hard Left
However, the costings for the manifesto make clear the party will raise billions of pounds by ‘reversing’ inheritance tax cuts brought in under the Tories.
It does not spell oulabour inheritancet exactly what that means, but the threshold for couples paying 40 per cent death duties was raised from £660,000 to £1million in 2015.
Prior to the coalition government it was £325,000.
It means those who own property – particularly in the South East – are almost certain to be caught by the duty.
Marriage tax allowance, which is worth £250 a year and can only be claimed by people on less than £50,000, is also set to be scrapped.
Those earning more than £80,000 will be subject to a new ‘additional’ tax rate of 45p in the pound – while incomes over £125,000 will be subject to a 50p rate.
VAT will also be added to private school fees – although the party has backed off a policy of banning them altogether.
Mr Corbyn vowed to spend £75billion on new council houses, as well bringing swathes of the economy back into state ownership.
Huge chunks of BT will be nationalised to provide free broadband for everyone, a move experts says would cost £100billion by itself. Labour insists it wants to introduce a four-day working week, as well as bolstering the powers of unions.
In another controversial measure, the manifesto commits Labour to ‘protecting’ EU freedom of movement rights whether or not the country leaves the bloc.
And again Mr Corbyn flatly refused to say whether he would back Leave or Remain in a referendum on a new deal with the EU that he has pledged to negotiate.
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