This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
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
The article has changed 23 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| General election: Boris Johnson quizzed by listeners on BBC phone-in – live news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Jeremy Corbyn will announce free internet plan in speech in Lancaster, while prime minister is in Oldham | Jeremy Corbyn will announce free internet plan in speech in Lancaster, while prime minister is in Oldham |
| Q: Has anyone from the Conservatives promised anyone from the Brexit party a peerage? | |
| No, says Johnson. He ridicules the idea. He says it is on the Telegraph front page. Normally the Telegraph is reliable, he says. (He has been a highly paid columnist for years.) | |
| Q: So there have been no conversations with the Brexit party? | |
| Johnson says he cannot say that. He says people from rival parties do talk. But no peerages have been offered. | |
| Q: What about the Heathrow third runway? | |
| Johnson says he thinks the promoters of that project have yet to satisfy the authorities that the project will meet the right standards on access and air quality. These issues are being constested in the courts, he says. | |
| Q: My Tory candidate has failed Portishead. But I support your Brexit plan. What should I do? | |
| Johnson says he hopes the caller can support the Conservatives. | |
| He says there is a slightly “fantastical” proposal on broadband from Labour today. His party has a realistic plan, he says. | |
| Johnson says Labour’s plan for free broadband is “fantastical”. | |
| Q: Our Tory candidate has promised for years to get a Portishead rail link into Bristol. But it has not been delivered. Can you promise this? | |
| Johnson says he cannot promise that route will be reopened. But today the Tories are unveiling plans to reverse the Beeching rail cuts. Was the Portishead line cut as part of those cuts? The caller says yes, it was. | |
| Q: Are you fully behind HS2? | |
| Johnson says this is a project with the costs mounting. It made sense to review it. | |
| Q: Are you fully behind it? | |
| Johnson says people deserve to know what his instincts are on this. But when it comes to scrapping something of national importance, “I really do hestitate.” | |
| Johnson suggests he is minded not to scrap HS2. | |
| BBC Radio 5 live’s Rachel Burden starts. She says she wants to offer listeners as much clarity as possible. | |
| Q: [From someone who runs a fish and chip shop] How will you help businesses like mine? | |
| Johnson says he loves fish and chips. After Brexit the UK will take back control of its fishing waters. The government will support small businesses. It is putting £2bn into training. And it wants to revitalise town centres too, he says. | |
| Q: Many shops feel it makes sense to stay below the threshold for paying VAT. This creates unfairness. It would be fairer if the threshold were reduced. We purchase potatoes, and we get fish from Iceland and Norway. Can you make it more of a level playing field? | |
| On VAT, Johnson says he gets the point. He will consider this. He understands the point about firms not having an incentive to stay below the point at which are are liable for VAT costs. | |
| Boris Johnson is now about to start taking questions from listeners on Radio 5 live. The phone-in is due to last an hour, and it is being shown on the BBC news channel too. | |
| While Boris Johnson was on BBC Breakfast, John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, was on the Today programme talking about the Labour manifesto promise to provide free “full-fibre” broadband for every home and business in the UK by part-nationalising BT. My colleague Kalyeena Makortoff has full coverage on the business live blog. | |
| Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, picking up from Jedidajah Otte. | Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, picking up from Jedidajah Otte. |
| Here is some more reaction to Boris Johnson’s BBC Breakfast interview. Full marks to the editor who decided to let Naga Munchetty do the interview. In an interview at Tory conference Johnson said that he did not know who Munchetty was, even though at that point the row generated by the BBC’s decision to reprimand her for commenting on Donald Trump’s racism had been headline news for days. If you detected an edgy undercurrent to the interview, that was why. | |
| It got particularly tense when Munchetty started asking Johnson how people can relate to him as a family man. At this point the PM seemed distinctly uneasy, but Munchetty spared him the question he probably dreads the most: how many children do you have? | |
| (As far as I know, the only journalists who have asked him this are Jason Groves and Jack Doyle from the Daily Mail, in an interview in July. They did not get an answer. Johnson has four children by his second wife and at least one other, but the question has not gone away because there are rumours he might have another.) | (As far as I know, the only journalists who have asked him this are Jason Groves and Jack Doyle from the Daily Mail, in an interview in July. They did not get an answer. Johnson has four children by his second wife and at least one other, but the question has not gone away because there are rumours he might have another.) |
| Here is some more comment on the interview from journalists. | Here is some more comment on the interview from journalists. |
| And this is from Piers Morgan, the presenter of ITV’s Good Morning Britain, who is accusing Johnson of another broken promise. | And this is from Piers Morgan, the presenter of ITV’s Good Morning Britain, who is accusing Johnson of another broken promise. |
| The Johnson interview is over now. | The Johnson interview is over now. |
| Here a first reaction from Sky’s Rob Powell: | Here a first reaction from Sky’s Rob Powell: |
| Johnson says he wants every child in this country to have the most amazing opportunities, and that in order to achieve that, Brexit needs to get done. Munchetty says she wants to get a “feel” for who he is. She asks him about his family life, which seems to be an uncomfortable question for the PM. | Johnson says he wants every child in this country to have the most amazing opportunities, and that in order to achieve that, Brexit needs to get done. Munchetty says she wants to get a “feel” for who he is. She asks him about his family life, which seems to be an uncomfortable question for the PM. |
| He responds by saying again that he wants every child to unleash their full potential. Why is he relatable though?, he is asked. Munchetty plays a clip of him using a mop in a very awkward way. Has he ever used a mop before, she asks. She says he is very different from most people in this country, that he is privileged. | He responds by saying again that he wants every child to unleash their full potential. Why is he relatable though?, he is asked. Munchetty plays a clip of him using a mop in a very awkward way. Has he ever used a mop before, she asks. She says he is very different from most people in this country, that he is privileged. |
| Johnson is now asked whether he has done enough for the flood victims. He says you can never do enough for someone who has suffered in a flooding. Of course there’s always more you can do, he says, but he will make sure that the insurers don’t “weasel out of their obligations” to the flood victims. His government has put far more into flood defence than previous Labour governments, he says, £2.6bn. | Johnson is now asked whether he has done enough for the flood victims. He says you can never do enough for someone who has suffered in a flooding. Of course there’s always more you can do, he says, but he will make sure that the insurers don’t “weasel out of their obligations” to the flood victims. His government has put far more into flood defence than previous Labour governments, he says, £2.6bn. |
| They move on to migration. Is net migration going to rise and fall under a Conservative government? Johnson says “it’s a great thing” that there are “more EU nationals in the UK than ever before”. Once we come out of the EU, in January, we will take control of our borders, the PM says. When pressed for particular target numbers, Johnson says he doesn’t want to play the numbers game. He says the problem is uncontrolled immigration, and that this is what Labour wants to pursue. He brings up an Australian-style point-based immigration system again. Is a brain surgeon or a porter getting more points? His analysts haven’t decided yet, the PM says. | They move on to migration. Is net migration going to rise and fall under a Conservative government? Johnson says “it’s a great thing” that there are “more EU nationals in the UK than ever before”. Once we come out of the EU, in January, we will take control of our borders, the PM says. When pressed for particular target numbers, Johnson says he doesn’t want to play the numbers game. He says the problem is uncontrolled immigration, and that this is what Labour wants to pursue. He brings up an Australian-style point-based immigration system again. Is a brain surgeon or a porter getting more points? His analysts haven’t decided yet, the PM says. |
| Munchetty is now quizzing the PM on the NHS. Johnson tells a story of how he had to go to Hillingdon hospital last year because of a piece of glass in his foot. He says staff asked for more funding, and that the way to fund the NHS is to have a strong, robust economy. He says a Conservative government will rebuild Hillingdon hospital. | Munchetty is now quizzing the PM on the NHS. Johnson tells a story of how he had to go to Hillingdon hospital last year because of a piece of glass in his foot. He says staff asked for more funding, and that the way to fund the NHS is to have a strong, robust economy. He says a Conservative government will rebuild Hillingdon hospital. |
| What about record A&E waiting times? Munchetty say £20.5bn is the figure for increased NHS funding the Tories have pledged. Johnson retorts that the correct number is £34bn, but seems startled. The PM is quizzed on GP numbers. 272 is the actual increase of GPs achieved last year, Munchetty says, not 5,000 as Jeremy Hunt promised as health secretary. Johnson says Labour wrecked the economy when they were in power. | What about record A&E waiting times? Munchetty say £20.5bn is the figure for increased NHS funding the Tories have pledged. Johnson retorts that the correct number is £34bn, but seems startled. The PM is quizzed on GP numbers. 272 is the actual increase of GPs achieved last year, Munchetty says, not 5,000 as Jeremy Hunt promised as health secretary. Johnson says Labour wrecked the economy when they were in power. |
| Boris Johnson is now on the BBC Breakfast sofa. | Boris Johnson is now on the BBC Breakfast sofa. |
| Presenter Naga Munchetty says she wants to get clarity from party leaders in these interviews. | Presenter Naga Munchetty says she wants to get clarity from party leaders in these interviews. |
| She kicks off by challenging the PM’s “Let’s get Brexit done” campaign slogan. Brexit won’t be “done” anytime soon, she says, there will be a transition period, and a second phase of negotiation on the future relationship. | She kicks off by challenging the PM’s “Let’s get Brexit done” campaign slogan. Brexit won’t be “done” anytime soon, she says, there will be a transition period, and a second phase of negotiation on the future relationship. |
| Boris Johnson responds saying it was parliament that caused the delay, and repeats his standard catalogue of Brexit-related soundbites, taking back control etc. He says if he gets a majority he will try to “get Brexit done by January”, adding he thinks Brexit can “turbo-charge” a one-nation agenda. | Boris Johnson responds saying it was parliament that caused the delay, and repeats his standard catalogue of Brexit-related soundbites, taking back control etc. He says if he gets a majority he will try to “get Brexit done by January”, adding he thinks Brexit can “turbo-charge” a one-nation agenda. |