JEREMY Corbyn tried to take back control of Labour’s chaotic General Election campaign yesterday after a rough copy of the party’s manifesto was leaked to the press.
Furious infighting followed as the leader’s office and other senior figures blamed the other for the leak.With just four weeks to go until the election, Corbyn, pictured, could have done without the tensions in his party being exposed to the full glare of the media.
Yet much in the 20,000-word draft seemed to go down well with supporters.
Plans to renationalise the Royal Mail, the railways and parts of the energy sector in particular proved popular on social media.
The document was sent to the Telegraph, the Daily Mirror and the BBC just hours ahead of a final Clause V meeting, where the Labour shadow cabinet and National Executive Committee were due to sign off on the draft.
Amendments were made in that meeting, and a final, different manifesto will be presented to voters in the next few days. But it seems likely the leak contained much of what Labour want to fight this election on.
Speaking to reporters camped outside the meeting, Corbyn said there had been “informed, interesting, sensible discussion” on the draft, with amendments unanimously agreed to.
“Our manifesto will be an offer and we believe the policies in it are very popular, an offer that will transform the lives of many people in our society, and ensure that we have a government in Britain on June 8 that will work for the many, not the few, and give everyone in our society a decent opportunity and a decent chance, so nobody’s ignored, nobody’s forgotten, and nobody’s left behind.”
He added that “the costings of all the pledges and promises” would be released at the same time as the manifesto.
The document keeps Labour’s commitment to renewal of Trident, and promises a “transitional arrangements to avoid a cliff-edge for the UK economy” if no Brexit deal is reached during talks with the EU.
Much had already been trailed, some during the Corbyn leadership campaign.
There were proposals for a cap on energy prices, a ban on fracking, the scrapping of benefit sanctions and the so-called bedroom tax, and to restore housing benefit for people aged under 21.
The triple lock protecting the state pension would be maintained, and the retirement age would not increase beyond 66.
Corbyn’s security officers from the Metropolitan police’s royalty and specialist protection unit are to be investigated after they drove over the foot of a BBC cameraman while taking the Labour leader to the manifesto meeting.
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