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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/nov/15/general-election-corbyn-talks-free-broadband-as-johnson-launches-campaign-bus-live-news
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| General election: Boris Johnson dismisses Labour's broadband plan as 'crazed communist scheme' – live news | General election: Boris Johnson dismisses Labour's broadband plan as 'crazed communist scheme' – live news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Labour leader announces free internet plan in Lancaster, while Boris Johnson launches battle bus in Oldham | Labour leader announces free internet plan in Lancaster, while Boris Johnson launches battle bus in Oldham |
| Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, has described the behaviour of Rupert Lowe, who stood down as a candidate for his party in the Labour/Tory marginal Dudley North yesterday, allowing no time for it to choose a replacement, as “disgusting”. Farage also offered an apology to voters in the constituency, who now will not have the option of voting for his party. Lowe, a Brexit party MEP, announced his decision moments before the 4pm deadline for nominations. | |
| In their overnight press notice about their plans to revive neglected communities, the Conservatives said they would “reverse many of the Beeching rail cuts of the 1960s, reconnecting towns that have suffered since their railways were removed”. The party said it would fund this through a £500m “Beeching reversal fund”. | |
| As the Press Association reports, Sim Harris, managing editor of industry newspaper Railnews, has said this fund “is not going to buy you very much”. Harris said opening many of the lines closed by the Beeching cuts would cost billions. He explained: | |
| From ITV’s Robert Peston | From ITV’s Robert Peston |
| Leo Varadkar, the Irish taoiseach (prime minister) has said that agreeing a UK-EU free trade deal before the end of next year would be “difficult but not impossible”. The government insists that the deal will have to be concluded within this period, because Boris Johnson says he will not extend the transition period. Speaking at the British Irish Council meeting, he said: | Leo Varadkar, the Irish taoiseach (prime minister) has said that agreeing a UK-EU free trade deal before the end of next year would be “difficult but not impossible”. The government insists that the deal will have to be concluded within this period, because Boris Johnson says he will not extend the transition period. Speaking at the British Irish Council meeting, he said: |
| One consequence of nominations closing yesterday is that we now know Boris Johnson will defend his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency and that rumours that he might decamp to a safer seat turned out to be unfounded. As the Press Association reports, Johnson will go into the election trying to defend the smallest constituency majority for a prime minister in nearly 100 years. In 2017 he held his seat with a majority of just 5,034. No prime minister since 1924 has fought a general election while simultaneously defending such a slim personal majority. | One consequence of nominations closing yesterday is that we now know Boris Johnson will defend his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency and that rumours that he might decamp to a safer seat turned out to be unfounded. As the Press Association reports, Johnson will go into the election trying to defend the smallest constituency majority for a prime minister in nearly 100 years. In 2017 he held his seat with a majority of just 5,034. No prime minister since 1924 has fought a general election while simultaneously defending such a slim personal majority. |
| Nominations for the election have now closed. If you want to know who the candidates are standing in your area, there is a great page on our website here that will tell you. | Nominations for the election have now closed. If you want to know who the candidates are standing in your area, there is a great page on our website here that will tell you. |
| During an election campaign all leaders need a stump speech - a standard five-minute speech they can repeat over and over again, setting out why they should be elected. Boris Johnson has just delivered the latest version of his at the unveiling of the Conservative party’s election battlebus. | During an election campaign all leaders need a stump speech - a standard five-minute speech they can repeat over and over again, setting out why they should be elected. Boris Johnson has just delivered the latest version of his at the unveiling of the Conservative party’s election battlebus. |
| The Conservatives announced almost no new policy in the campaign so far (that may change when the manifesto eventually comes out) and there was little that was positive in the Johnson speech. Instead, it was mostly an attack on Labour, and Jeremy Corbyn in particular. Much of what Johnson was saying was not new. But the speech did include some criticism that was stronger than anything we’ve heard from Johnson in recent days (and probably less honest). | The Conservatives announced almost no new policy in the campaign so far (that may change when the manifesto eventually comes out) and there was little that was positive in the Johnson speech. Instead, it was mostly an attack on Labour, and Jeremy Corbyn in particular. Much of what Johnson was saying was not new. But the speech did include some criticism that was stronger than anything we’ve heard from Johnson in recent days (and probably less honest). |
| On the Labour plan for free broadband, Johnson went beyond describing it as “crackpot” (the line he used on the BBC this morning - see 9.39am) and instead described it as a “crazed communist scheme” (see 12.45pm). Johnson’s language is reminiscent of the Tories describing Ed Miliband’s plan for a cap on energy bills as “Marxist” - before adopting it two years later as party policy. | On the Labour plan for free broadband, Johnson went beyond describing it as “crackpot” (the line he used on the BBC this morning - see 9.39am) and instead described it as a “crazed communist scheme” (see 12.45pm). Johnson’s language is reminiscent of the Tories describing Ed Miliband’s plan for a cap on energy bills as “Marxist” - before adopting it two years later as party policy. |
| Johnson also claimed that, overall, Labour’s plans were “terrifying”. He said: | Johnson also claimed that, overall, Labour’s plans were “terrifying”. He said: |
| Johnson made various claims about Corbyn that have already regularly been aired by the Tories in the campaign: that Labour would hold two referendums next year (highly questionable - Corbyn says he would not allow a Scottish independence referendum in 2020, although Johnson said “that is the price that Nicola Sturgeon will demand for putting Jeremy Corbyn in power); that Labour would spend an extra £1.2tr over five years, costing taxpayers an extra £2,400 per year (implausible, because it is based on assumptions about Labour spending that are partly flawed or unfounded); and that Corbyn sided with Russia at the time of the novichok poisoning attack (arguable - Corbyn was initially sceptical of the UK government’s assessment that Russia was to blame, but Labour would contest that he “sided with” Russia.) | Johnson made various claims about Corbyn that have already regularly been aired by the Tories in the campaign: that Labour would hold two referendums next year (highly questionable - Corbyn says he would not allow a Scottish independence referendum in 2020, although Johnson said “that is the price that Nicola Sturgeon will demand for putting Jeremy Corbyn in power); that Labour would spend an extra £1.2tr over five years, costing taxpayers an extra £2,400 per year (implausible, because it is based on assumptions about Labour spending that are partly flawed or unfounded); and that Corbyn sided with Russia at the time of the novichok poisoning attack (arguable - Corbyn was initially sceptical of the UK government’s assessment that Russia was to blame, but Labour would contest that he “sided with” Russia.) |
| However, Johnson also added two other allegations that have barely featured in this campaign; that Corbyn wants to get rid of the army, and that he does not approve of home ownership. Johnson said: | However, Johnson also added two other allegations that have barely featured in this campaign; that Corbyn wants to get rid of the army, and that he does not approve of home ownership. Johnson said: |
| The claim that Corbyn wants to get rid of the armed forces is based on a line he said in a speech in 2012: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world instead of taking pride in the size of their armed forces did what Costa Rica have done and abolished their army, and took pride in the fact they don’t have an army.” You can argue that this shows that Corbyn wants the army to be disbanded - but only if you are not willing to accept that there is a difference between musing about an ideal world, and advocating actual policy. | The claim that Corbyn wants to get rid of the armed forces is based on a line he said in a speech in 2012: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world instead of taking pride in the size of their armed forces did what Costa Rica have done and abolished their army, and took pride in the fact they don’t have an army.” You can argue that this shows that Corbyn wants the army to be disbanded - but only if you are not willing to accept that there is a difference between musing about an ideal world, and advocating actual policy. |
| As for the line about Corbyn and home ownership, I have no idea where that comes from (unless Johnson was talking about second home ownership, where Labour policy is unsympathetic). I have asked the Conservative party if they can supply evidence for this, and will let you know if I get a reply. | As for the line about Corbyn and home ownership, I have no idea where that comes from (unless Johnson was talking about second home ownership, where Labour policy is unsympathetic). I have asked the Conservative party if they can supply evidence for this, and will let you know if I get a reply. |
| The Rev Richard Cameron, who heckled Jeremy Corbyn on a visit to Glasgow on Wednesday and accused him of being a “terrorist sympathiser” has been suspended from his work as a minister while the Church of Scotland carries out an inquiry. | The Rev Richard Cameron, who heckled Jeremy Corbyn on a visit to Glasgow on Wednesday and accused him of being a “terrorist sympathiser” has been suspended from his work as a minister while the Church of Scotland carries out an inquiry. |
| During the incident, the Scotstoun parish church minister told Corbyn: “I thought you’d be wearing your Islamic Jihad scarf.” It later emerged that he had posted a series of Islamophobic and homophobic tweets, and that the Humanist Society Scotland had complained about Cameron’s behaviour on social media nine months ago. | During the incident, the Scotstoun parish church minister told Corbyn: “I thought you’d be wearing your Islamic Jihad scarf.” It later emerged that he had posted a series of Islamophobic and homophobic tweets, and that the Humanist Society Scotland had complained about Cameron’s behaviour on social media nine months ago. |
| A Church of Scotland spokesperson said: | A Church of Scotland spokesperson said: |
| The Boris Johnson event was another of those where the close-up photographs make the room look packed, but where the wide-screen shots show that he was speaking to a relatively small audience. This is from the Manchester Evening News’ Jennifer Williams. | The Boris Johnson event was another of those where the close-up photographs make the room look packed, but where the wide-screen shots show that he was speaking to a relatively small audience. This is from the Manchester Evening News’ Jennifer Williams. |
| Here is some video from the Boris Johnson bus launch. | Here is some video from the Boris Johnson bus launch. |
| Johnson has now finished. | Johnson has now finished. |
| It was only a very short stump speech, but it did mark an escalation in campaign rhetoric. Some of what he was saying about Labour was even more extreme, and questionable, than what he has said in the past. I will post the quotes shortly. | It was only a very short stump speech, but it did mark an escalation in campaign rhetoric. Some of what he was saying about Labour was even more extreme, and questionable, than what he has said in the past. I will post the quotes shortly. |
| Johnson says he was not allowed to talk about Labour’s plans in his BBC appearances his morning. (The presenters tried to get him to focus on Conservative plans, not just on attacking Labour.) | Johnson says he was not allowed to talk about Labour’s plans in his BBC appearances his morning. (The presenters tried to get him to focus on Conservative plans, not just on attacking Labour.) |
| But he says now he can talk about Labour. | But he says now he can talk about Labour. |
| Labour’s plans are terrifying, he says. | Labour’s plans are terrifying, he says. |
| He repeats his claims (which Labour denies) that Labour would hold two referendums next year. | He repeats his claims (which Labour denies) that Labour would hold two referendums next year. |
| He claims that Labour is opposed to home ownership. | He claims that Labour is opposed to home ownership. |