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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 'crackpot' on BBC phone-in – live news | General election: Boris Johnson dismisses Labour's broadband plan as 'crackpot' 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 |
| The Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn has also been fact-checking the PM. | |
| The Labour party has also been conducting its own fact-checking scrutiny of what Boris Johnson said in the phone-in. | |
| The BBC’s Reality Check team have posted two tweets about Boris Johnson’s Radio 5 live phone-in. | |
| Welsh Labour has accused the leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, of using offensive, populist and attention-grabbing language by comparing the oppression of people of colour over the centuries to being Welsh. | |
| When he addressed the Plaid conference last month, Price called for the Westminster government to pay its “debts” to Wales. He said: | |
| And in an interview published on Thursday by the Welsh thinktank iwa, Price said: | |
| Price said there was a “gasp” from the press when he made his remarks at conference and added: “Sometimes, let’s be honest, you have to say very bold things in order to get a response.” | |
| On Friday, Welsh Labour’s health minister, Vaughan Gething, called for Price to apologise. He said: | |
| Q: Your education was not typical. | Q: Your education was not typical. |
| Johnson says he went to the same state primary school as Ed Miliband. | |
| Q: But you went to Eton. Can you ever see a time when state schools have the same resources as private ones? | Q: But you went to Eton. Can you ever see a time when state schools have the same resources as private ones? |
| Johnson says he wants to level up school spending. | Johnson says he wants to level up school spending. |
| Burden asks about Johnson’s own children. They did not go to state schools, did they? Does he have any children who are still of school age? | Burden asks about Johnson’s own children. They did not go to state schools, did they? Does he have any children who are still of school age? |
| Johnson replies: | Johnson replies: |
| Burden says this issue does come up. She says many viewers say they want Johnson to be asked how many children he has. (See here.) Burden does not put the question to him directly, and he does not address it, saying he does not want to talk about his children, but he does say: | Burden says this issue does come up. She says many viewers say they want Johnson to be asked how many children he has. (See here.) Burden does not put the question to him directly, and he does not address it, saying he does not want to talk about his children, but he does say: |
| And that’s it. | And that’s it. |
| I will post a summary soon. | I will post a summary soon. |
| Johnson says affordable childcare is “the holy grail”. | Johnson says affordable childcare is “the holy grail”. |
| Q: There is a crisis in funding this. And it is women who are disproportionately affected. | Q: There is a crisis in funding this. And it is women who are disproportionately affected. |
| Johnson says he understands how important this issue is. He will be looking at what the government can do to help. | Johnson says he understands how important this issue is. He will be looking at what the government can do to help. |
| Q: Why aren’t you publishing the report on Russia before the election? | Q: Why aren’t you publishing the report on Russia before the election? |
| Johnson says he sees no reason to change the normal procedures just because there is an election. | Johnson says he sees no reason to change the normal procedures just because there is an election. |
| Q: But it has been cleared for publication by the intelligence agencies. | Q: But it has been cleared for publication by the intelligence agencies. |
| Johnson repeats the point about there being no need to change the standard publication procedures. | Johnson repeats the point about there being no need to change the standard publication procedures. |
| (Dominic Grieve, the intelligence and security committee chair, has said it is not true to say that it is normal for No 10 to hold up a report like this for weeks. It has happened before, when a reports needs security clearance. But this report was cleared by the intelligence services some time ago.) | |
| Q: How many Russian oligarchs donate to the Conservative party? | Q: How many Russian oligarchs donate to the Conservative party? |
| Johnson says those figures are publicly available. | Johnson says those figures are publicly available. |
| Rachel Burden asks about yesterday’s A&E waiting times. She says: | Rachel Burden asks about yesterday’s A&E waiting times. She says: |
| At this point the caller intervenes, siding with Johnson. She says her personal experience of the NHS has been a good one. | At this point the caller intervenes, siding with Johnson. She says her personal experience of the NHS has been a good one. |
| Johnson says he knows that the NHS needs more money. And so it would be crazy to waste next year having two referendums. | Johnson says he knows that the NHS needs more money. And so it would be crazy to waste next year having two referendums. |
| (He keeps coming back to this attack line against Labour, that Labour denies. The party is only planning a single referendum, on Brexit, in 2020.) | (He keeps coming back to this attack line against Labour, that Labour denies. The party is only planning a single referendum, on Brexit, in 2020.) |
| Johnsons says that when he was mayor of London, the city became one of the safest in the world. The murder rate went down to below 100 a year. | Johnsons says that when he was mayor of London, the city became one of the safest in the world. The murder rate went down to below 100 a year. |
| Rachel Burden says that was only for a year. | Rachel Burden says that was only for a year. |
| Johnson claims it was for several years. Burden says that’s wrong. | Johnson claims it was for several years. Burden says that’s wrong. |
| Here is an extract from a report my colleague Peter Walker wrote in June looking at Johnson’s record as London mayor. | Here is an extract from a report my colleague Peter Walker wrote in June looking at Johnson’s record as London mayor. |
| Q: What are the Tories planning for mental health? | Q: What are the Tories planning for mental health? |
| Johnson says he wants to invest properly in mental health. He wants wraparound care. | Johnson says he wants to invest properly in mental health. He wants wraparound care. |
| Q: Would you introduce free broadband? | Q: Would you introduce free broadband? |
| Johnson says what he would not do is introduce “some crackpot scheme that would involve many, many billions of taxpayers’ money nationalising a British business”. | Johnson says what he would not do is introduce “some crackpot scheme that would involve many, many billions of taxpayers’ money nationalising a British business”. |
| Q: Parliament should get us out of the EU. And taking no deal off the table is a mistake. Parliament is not fit for purpose. Oliver Cromwell was right 500 years ago. Good luck to you. | Q: Parliament should get us out of the EU. And taking no deal off the table is a mistake. Parliament is not fit for purpose. Oliver Cromwell was right 500 years ago. Good luck to you. |
| Johnson says he agrees. He thinks parliament has been “senselessly” blocking Brexit. | Johnson says he agrees. He thinks parliament has been “senselessly” blocking Brexit. |
| And he agrees that the EU has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Listen to what President Macron is saying about creating a banking union and an European army. Macron is a brilliant guy, but this is not what the British want. | And he agrees that the EU has changed a lot in the last 20 years. Listen to what President Macron is saying about creating a banking union and an European army. Macron is a brilliant guy, but this is not what the British want. |
| Johnson says Labour would hold an independence referendum next year. And if Scotland joined the EU, it would have to adopt the euro. | Johnson says Labour would hold an independence referendum next year. And if Scotland joined the EU, it would have to adopt the euro. |
| Rachel Burden, the presenter, interrupts Johnson. She says she does not want to let him spread “disinformation”. | Rachel Burden, the presenter, interrupts Johnson. She says she does not want to let him spread “disinformation”. |
| Johnson says Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, has said she does want an independence referendum in 2020. | Johnson says Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, has said she does want an independence referendum in 2020. |
| Q: Are you committed to the union? | Q: Are you committed to the union? |
| Johnson says he is fully committed to the union. And Northern Ireland will remain part of UK customs territory. | Johnson says he is fully committed to the union. And Northern Ireland will remain part of UK customs territory. |
| He says he takes it “awry” to be lectured on his commitment to the union from Jeremy Corbyn, who for years as actively sided with the IRA. | He says he takes it “awry” to be lectured on his commitment to the union from Jeremy Corbyn, who for years as actively sided with the IRA. |
| The caller takes umbrage at this. She says in no way is she a Corbyn supporter. She knows full well about his background, she says. | The caller takes umbrage at this. She says in no way is she a Corbyn supporter. She knows full well about his background, she says. |
| Rachel Burden says the BBC has asked customs experts if checks will be imposed on goods going from Northern Ireland to Britain. And the experts say that is not clear yet, because a joint committee will oversee the process. | Rachel Burden says the BBC has asked customs experts if checks will be imposed on goods going from Northern Ireland to Britain. And the experts say that is not clear yet, because a joint committee will oversee the process. |
| Johnson says, as prime minister, he is saying that there will not be checks. And in the last resort Stormont will have the power to end this arrangements. | Johnson says, as prime minister, he is saying that there will not be checks. And in the last resort Stormont will have the power to end this arrangements. |
| The caller says Stormont has not been sitting for 1,333 days. | The caller says Stormont has not been sitting for 1,333 days. |
| Johnson restates his claim that customs checks will not apply to goods being sent from Northern Ireland to Britain under his Brexit plan. This claim is contested, not least because Steve Barclay, the Brexit secretary, has said “exit summary declarations” will have to apply to these goods. | Johnson restates his claim that customs checks will not apply to goods being sent from Northern Ireland to Britain under his Brexit plan. This claim is contested, not least because Steve Barclay, the Brexit secretary, has said “exit summary declarations” will have to apply to these goods. |
| Q: Has anyone from the Conservatives promised anyone from the Brexit party a peerage? | 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.) | 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? | 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. | 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? | 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. | 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? | 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. | 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. | 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”. | 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? | 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. | 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? | Q: Are you fully behind HS2? |
| Johnson says this is a project with the costs mounting. It made sense to review it. | Johnson says this is a project with the costs mounting. It made sense to review it. |
| Q: Are you fully behind 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 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. | Johnson suggests he is minded not to scrap HS2. |