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General election: Liberal Democrats launch manifesto after Johnson's tax pledge – live news General election: Liberal Democrats promise £50bn windfall from stopping Brexit at manifesto launch – live news
(32 minutes later)
Lib Dems to promise £50bn windfall from stopping Brexit; prime minister reveals national insurance manifesto pledgeLib Dems to promise £50bn windfall from stopping Brexit; prime minister reveals national insurance manifesto pledge
Jo Swinson has launched her party’s manifesto at an event in Camden. She said the Lib Dems were the only ones that could take a significant number of seats from the Conservatives and deprive them a majority. In a speech to activists she highlighted the party’s policies on the environment, education and child care.
You can read our report on the manifesto here.
She said:
She wraps up: “The future of our country is in our hands ... so if you want to stop Boris Johnson and stop Brexit then vote Liberal Democrat. If you want a £50bn bonus to improve your life, vote Liberal Democrat ... If you want to work with our friends to tackle the climate crisis, vote Liberal Democrat. If you want to build a brighter future, vote Liberal Democrat.”
The biggest investment in the manifesto is for parents, says Swinson, something she is very proud of. They will help parents going back to work by providing 35 free hours of childcare a week, for 48 weeks a year.
“We are the only party that can win a significant number of seats from the Conservatives and deprive them a majority,” says the Lib Dem leader.
She says her party has committed £11bn over the next five years for improvement of mental health services – investing more money in talking therapies and increasing the number of mental health nurses.
Swinson says hers is the only party with a credible plan to tackle the climate emergency. “We will not leave our party with a boiling planet,” she says.
Stopping Brexit will give them the money to reverse schools cuts, she says. They will “put our money where our heart is”, she adds.
Boris Johnson is deluded if he thinks he can negotiate a new trade deal with Europe by the end of 2020, she says.
“Boris Johnson only cares about Boris Johnson and he’ll say whatever he needs to to stay in Number 10. This is a man who lied to the Queen,” says Swinson.
On to Jeremy Corbyn, she says the Labour leader won’t be upfront about what he thinks on Brexit.
“I’d like you to welcome my friend and our candidate to be the next prime minister,” says Sanders. “The voice of a new liberal generation”.“I’d like you to welcome my friend and our candidate to be the next prime minister,” says Sanders. “The voice of a new liberal generation”.
Swinson says that Corbyn and Johnson only know how to rehash ideas from the past – “whether it’s the 1970s or the 1870s”. Swinson says Corbyn and Johnson only know how to rehash ideas from the past – “whether it’s the 1970s or the 1870s”.
She says that the UK has wasted the last three and a half years talking about Brexit. “There is no form of Brexit that would be good for our country,” she says, whether it is done by Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn. She says the UK has wasted the last three and a half years talking about Brexit. “There is no form of Brexit that would be good for our country,” she says, whether it is done by Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn.
We’ve now got the Matt Sanders, the party’s candidate in Hampstead and Kilburn. “People are responding to Jo’s simple call – stop Brexit,” he says. “Friends, Brexit must be stopped.” We’ve now got Matt Sanders, the party’s candidate in Hampstead and Kilburn. “People are responding to Jo’s simple call – stop Brexit,” he says. “Friends, Brexit must be stopped.”
Jeremy Corbyn likes remain votes but he doesn’t want us to stay in the EU, says Sanders. He says that millions of people looked at Corbyn and Johnson last night and they didn’t want to choose either.Jeremy Corbyn likes remain votes but he doesn’t want us to stay in the EU, says Sanders. He says that millions of people looked at Corbyn and Johnson last night and they didn’t want to choose either.
Daisy Cooper, the party’s candidate in St Albans – not Camden – is opening the event. She says that while St Albans voted to stay in the EU, the constituency has a “hard Brexit” MP in Conservative Anne Main. “You guys are going to have to work really, really hard over the next few weeks so give yourselves a round of applause and have a great night,” she says.Daisy Cooper, the party’s candidate in St Albans – not Camden – is opening the event. She says that while St Albans voted to stay in the EU, the constituency has a “hard Brexit” MP in Conservative Anne Main. “You guys are going to have to work really, really hard over the next few weeks so give yourselves a round of applause and have a great night,” she says.
We’re just waiting for the Liberal Democrat manifesto launch to begin in Camden. You can watch a live feed at the top of this blog.We’re just waiting for the Liberal Democrat manifesto launch to begin in Camden. You can watch a live feed at the top of this blog.
Guardian political correspondent Peter Walker is there.Guardian political correspondent Peter Walker is there.
Hundreds of students and under-18s have been registered to vote without their knowledge after a council IT blunder, according to the Sun.Hundreds of students and under-18s have been registered to vote without their knowledge after a council IT blunder, according to the Sun.
Around 635 students were wrongly registered by Plymouth city council, and polling cards were mistakenly sent to up to 247 under-18s. The council, which was criticised over similar errors in May, said “tagging issues” on its internal systems had caused students and young people to automatically be added to its voting roster. Since 2014 it has been illegal to register anyone but yourself to vote.Around 635 students were wrongly registered by Plymouth city council, and polling cards were mistakenly sent to up to 247 under-18s. The council, which was criticised over similar errors in May, said “tagging issues” on its internal systems had caused students and young people to automatically be added to its voting roster. Since 2014 it has been illegal to register anyone but yourself to vote.
Johnny Mercer, the candidate for Plymouth Moor View, wrote on Twitter:Johnny Mercer, the candidate for Plymouth Moor View, wrote on Twitter:
The chief executive of the Resolution Foundation thinktank, Torsten Bell, has been looking at the Liberal Democrat election manifesto plans.The chief executive of the Resolution Foundation thinktank, Torsten Bell, has been looking at the Liberal Democrat election manifesto plans.
More from the Guardian’s deputy political editor, Rowena Mason.More from the Guardian’s deputy political editor, Rowena Mason.
Labour’s John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has commented on the Conservatives’ national insurance plans.Labour’s John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has commented on the Conservatives’ national insurance plans.
Here’s our full story on the Tory national insurance announcement.
Two million people have applied to register to vote since the general election was called, the Press Association reports.
A total of 2,048,039 applications were submitted between 29 October – the day the government called for an election on 12 December – and 19 November, according to government figures.
More than a third of applications (35%) came from people under the age of 25. A further 30% were from 25 to 34-year-olds.
That was quick. The Liberal Democrats have now suspended Waheed Rafiq. See my previous post.
Buzzfeed’s Alex Wickham has this story about the Liberal Democrat candidate in Birmingham Hodge Hill, Waheed Rafiq, who tweeted antisemitic comments, expressed apparent support for the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, backed Trump for president and stood as a Ukip candidate in the same seat in 2010. You can read the whole (pretty astonishing) story here.
More on that – possibly accidental – announcement of a huge proposed Conservative manifesto tax cut.
Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, has issued some initial reaction to the Liberal Democrat manifesto. He points out that, while they have followed Labour and the Tories in promising a big increase in spending, the Lib Dems are now the only major party committed to reduce the national debt as a fraction of national income.
He says the most eye-catching spending plan is a near quintupling in spending on universal free childcare, which would cement “an entirely new leg of the welfare state and offering a big boost to families with young children”. “We should though be cautious about expecting this to result in a big improvement in either child outcomes or a big increase in the number of parents in paid work,” said Johnson.
Johnson also says that the party’s claim that there would be a £50bn “windfall” from stopping Brexit is “within the range of plausible estimates for the extent of that additional revenue”.
Labour’s shadow attorney general, Shami Chakrabarti, has responded to Tory party proposals for victims to get the right to attend parole hearings.
Chakrabarti is referring to this story from a week ago which reveals that tens of thousands of rape cases could have been dropped because of secret targets implemented by the CPS.
My colleague Rowena Mason says the Tory aides accompanying Boris Johnson are now in a bit of a panic.
I’ve got a meeting this afternoon, so my colleague Frances Perraudin is now taking over.
And this is what the Institute for Fiscal Studies said about Boris Johnson’s plan to raise the national insurance threshold in a briefing paper (pdf) when he floated the idea during the Tory leadership contest.
And here is a chart from the IFS report showing the distributional impact on households.
Obviously, we don’t yet have the full details of what the Conservatives are proposing, but just what we’ve heard from Johnson. (See 2.11pm.)
Some journalists think Boris Johnson may not have been planning to announce a huge proposed Conservative manifesto tax cut in a Q&A with workers at an engineering company in Stockton-on-Tees. This is from the FT’s George Parker.
And this is from the Times’ Francis Elliott.