JEREMY Corbyn has pledged a Labour government would give people the chance to “take our wealth back” from tax cheats, rip-off bosses and greedy bankers.
Launching Labour’s official General Election campaign in Manchester, he warned there will be “a reckoning” if he wins power in the June 8 poll and breaks up a system rigged in favour of the wealthy.
But putting his party at odds with those who voted to Remain in the EU, the UK Labour leader sought to neutralise the Brexit issue which Theresa May and Tim Farron have put at the heart of their campaigns, insisting there is no going back from last year’s decision for the UK to leave the EU.
“This election isn’t about Brexit itself,” he said. “That issue has been settled.
“The question now is what sort of Brexit do we want — and what sort of country do we want Britain to be after Brexit?
“Labour wants a jobs-first Brexit. A Brexit that safeguards the future of Britain’s vital industries, a Brexit that paves the way to a genuinely fairer society, protecting human rights, and an upgraded economy.”
Corbyn was joined on stage by Andy Burnham, the newly mayor of Greater Manchester, and was introduced by Coronation Street and Broadchurch actress Julie Hesmondhalgh.
He said Labour would be spelling out the details of a “plan for Britain” to transform the country and change an economy which was “still rigged in favour of the rich and powerful”.
“Today, I say to tax cheats, the rip-off bosses, the greedy bankers; enough is enough,” he declared.
“In this election, Labour is standing for decent jobs, investment for the future, shared wealth creation, security at work, affordable homes for all, a fully funded NHS and schools, training and skills, an end to rip-off privatisation, fair taxation and a fairer, more equal country.”
He noted the Sunday Times Rich List last weekend found the 1,000 best-off people in the country had seen their wealth grow by 14 per cent in the last year. He acknowledged Labour faced a “big...challenge” following last week’s local elections, which in Scotland saw them lose out to the Tories for second place.
He accepted many voters were “sceptical and undecided...not sure which way to turn”, adding: “Who can blame them?
“People are alienated from politics and politicians.
“Our Westminster system is broken and our economy is rigged. Both are run in the interests of the few.”
Corbyn accused May of putting party interests ahead of the national interest by claiming the election was “all about Brexit and who can play at being toughest with Brussels”.
He derided her promises to build a fairer Britain, insisting she was implicated in the Conservative-led government’s record of cutting disabled people’s benefits, increasing tuition fees and creating the “bedroom tax”.
Responding to Corbyn’s campaign launch, SNP candidate for Edinburgh East and former Assistant General Secretary of Scottish Labour, Tommy Sheppard, said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s weak and ineffective leadership has helped give the Tories a free hand to pursue their austerity agenda and a chaotic Brexit which will cost thousands of jobs.
“Rather than asking for the support of voters, Labour should be apologising to them for their deeply regretful failure to hold the Tories to account.”
Meanwhile, before appearing in a sofa chat on BBC One Show with her husband, Philip, May confirmed the Conservatives will cap gas and electricity prices — saving families up to £100 a year — if they are returned to power in the General Election on June 8.
She said 17 million households will benefit from the cap on poor value standard variable tariffs (SVTs).
The Tories were accused of stealing former Labour leader Ed Miliband’s plans for an energy price freeze when the plan was first trailed last month, while the SNP energy spokesman Callum McCaig said any benefits to families would be “dwarfed” by cuts to tax credits and disability support.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here