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General election: Corbyn declines to apologise over antisemitism in BBC interview – live news
General election: Corbyn declines to apologise over antisemitism in BBC interview – live news
(about 1 hour later)
Follow the latest from the election campaign, including speeches by Javid, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn
Follow the latest from the election campaign, including speeches by Javid, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn
Here are the main points from Jeremy Corbyn’s interview this evening:
The Labour leader declined repeated opportunities to apologise to the UK’s Jewish community over his handling of antisemitism with his party. During sustained questioning on the damaging issue, which took up about a third of the interview, Corbyn sought to defend his record, claiming to have strengthened the party’s processes for rooting out antisemitism. But he would not issue an apology.
He was also confronted with specific allegations of antisemitism that have been raised against Labour members who have not been suspended and into whom investigations have been running for lengthy periods of time.
Corbyn was unable to say who would campaign for the Brexit deal he has promised he would negotiate and then put to the country, alongside remain, in a referendum. Following a theme seen throughout the interview, Corbyn sought to explain his party’s policy and the intentions behind it, while Neil tried to pin him down on specifics. Corbyn presented his plan to remain personally neutral as statesmanlike as Neil asked him why the UK would want a prime minister who “doesn’t have a view on what really is the greatest peacetime issue that’s faced this country for 70 years”.
The Labour leader admitted his tax policies would, in fact, mean some people on less than £80,000 per year would see effective increases. Pressed on his claims that only the richest would pay more, Corbyn acknowledged that his plan to scrap the marriage tax allowance, for example, would actually mean people on lower incomes losing a £250-a-year relief.
Some of Labour’s plans will require borrowing, Corbyn acknowledged. But he presented some elements as investments and others as moral obligations. Referring to his pledge to compensate the Waspi women, Corbyn said:
My colleague, Rowena Mason, is putting together a comprehensive story on Corbyn’s interview with the BBC, which you can read here:
My colleague, Rowena Mason, is putting together a comprehensive story on Corbyn’s interview with the BBC, which you can read here:
And that’s that, Neil calls the interview to a close.
And that’s that, Neil calls the interview to a close.
Neil accuses the Labour leader of tending to side with the UK’s enemies. Corbyn says he wants to keep Britain safe.
Neil accuses the Labour leader of tending to side with the UK’s enemies. Corbyn says he wants to keep Britain safe.
He also declines to say for certain whether or not he would give the orders to kill any new leader of so-called Islamic State if it was not possible to arrest them. He says the UK must abide by international law and attempt to arrest someone “if it is possible”.
He also declines to say for certain whether or not he would give the orders to kill any new leader of so-called Islamic State if it was not possible to arrest them. He says the UK must abide by international law and attempt to arrest someone “if it is possible”.
And the Labour leader stressed that it was essential to look “to the future” and at how the terror group formed and spread, adding: “We also have to look at how we created these dangers as well.”
And the Labour leader stressed that it was essential to look “to the future” and at how the terror group formed and spread, adding: “We also have to look at how we created these dangers as well.”
Asking how he will pay for his policy to compensate the Waspi women, Corbyn says it must be paid for because it’s a moral question.
Asking how he will pay for his policy to compensate the Waspi women, Corbyn says it must be paid for because it’s a moral question.
Corbyn says the UK will pay for it over “some years” and the money will come either from government reserves or, if necessary, the government will borrow for it.
Corbyn says the UK will pay for it over “some years” and the money will come either from government reserves or, if necessary, the government will borrow for it.
Neil asks Corbyn about his borrowing plans. The Labour leader acknowledges taking institutions into public ownership would require him to issue debt but says there will be a return as well. He added:
Neil asks Corbyn about his borrowing plans. The Labour leader acknowledges taking institutions into public ownership would require him to issue debt but says there will be a return as well. He added:
Corbyn defended his policy to scrap the marriage tax allowance, which Neil suggests undermines his promise that only those earning more than £80,000 per year would see tax increases.
Corbyn defended his policy to scrap the marriage tax allowance, which Neil suggests undermines his promise that only those earning more than £80,000 per year would see tax increases.
The Labour leader says measures such as the introduction of a living wage would mitigate.
The Labour leader says measures such as the introduction of a living wage would mitigate.
On his taxation plans, Corbyn denied that a significant part his income tax base would leave the country if he took power.
On his taxation plans, Corbyn denied that a significant part his income tax base would leave the country if he took power.
Neil moves on to Brexit, asking Corbyn why people would want a prime minister who would call a referendum and then decline to say which path he supports.
Neil moves on to Brexit, asking Corbyn why people would want a prime minister who would call a referendum and then decline to say which path he supports.
Corbyn added: “That seems to me actually an adult and sensible way to go forward.” But he was unable to say who would lead the campaign for his Brexit deal.
Corbyn added: “That seems to me actually an adult and sensible way to go forward.” But he was unable to say who would lead the campaign for his Brexit deal.
Corbyn says he has spent his life “opposing racism of any form”, adding: “That is what my life is about.”
Corbyn says he has spent his life “opposing racism of any form”, adding: “That is what my life is about.”
The Labour leader then declined to apologise four times to the Jewish community, saying instead that he wanted to protect all communities and work with them to ensure racism is “eliminated”.
The Labour leader then declined to apologise four times to the Jewish community, saying instead that he wanted to protect all communities and work with them to ensure racism is “eliminated”.
Neil presents Corbyn with a specific example of comments the Labour leader agrees are antisemitic and asks why the person accused of making them has not been suspended – as well as why the party’s investigation into them has taken a year.
Neil presents Corbyn with a specific example of comments the Labour leader agrees are antisemitic and asks why the person accused of making them has not been suspended – as well as why the party’s investigation into them has taken a year.
Corbyn responds that the process is independent of him and says he believes legal representations may have been made, causing delays.
Corbyn responds that the process is independent of him and says he believes legal representations may have been made, causing delays.
Corbyn was challenged over Rabbi Mirvis’s allegation that Labour’s claims it is doing everything to tackle anti-Jewish racism was a “mendacious fiction”. He replied:
Jeremy Corbyn’s interview with the BBC is starting now.
The interviewer, Andrew Neil, opens with a question on the chief rabbi’s claims on antisemitism within the Labour party.
Corbyn says antisemitism is not acceptable within society or his party and says he has amended the party’s processes to have people guilty of antisemitism from the party. He also denies the accusation that instances of antisemitism have risen during his tenure as leader.
The BBC has posted a clip from its interview with the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, which is due to air in a few minutes:
We reported earlier that the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, believes it will not be possible to agree a comprehensive trade deal in the 11-month window that would be available if the UK left on 31 January (see: 6.19pm). Now, the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman, Chuka Umunna, has said:
Jeremy Corbyn has refused to apologise to the British Jewish community following a remarkable election intervention from the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, who used an article in the Times to suggest that the “moral compass” of Britain would be awry if Labour won the election because of Corbyn’s failure to tackle antisemitism in his party. In his article Mirvis did not raise any new allegations about Corbyn or his party, but he said the Labour claim that it was doing everything it could to tackle antisemitism in the party was “a mendacious fiction”. He also claimed that Corbyn did not even understand the problem properly. Mirvis wrote:
And he concluded his article:
This morning, at the launch of Labour’s race and faith manifesto, Corbyn said antisemitism was “vile and wrong” and “would not be tolerated in any form whatsoever” by him. He also offered to meet Mirvis to discuss this further. Many Corbyn supporters are exasperated by this line of attack, which they believe is being amplified by rightwing newspapers with no genuine anti-racist credentials, but Corbyn himself was careful to avoid criticising Mirvis personally or denying the existence of a problem. However, he did point out that while Labour has launched its own race and faith manifesto, the Conservative party said almost nothing on these issues in its own manifesto. Inspired by the chief rabbi, the Muslim Council of Britain said it was important to speak up for the experience of Mulsims in the Tory party too. In a statement the MCB said:
Boris Johnson said the chief rabbi’s comments showed Corbyn had been guility of a “failure of leadership” on the issue of antisemitism. However, mindful no doubt of complaints about racist language he has used himself in the past, when Johnson was asked about this in Scotland, he seemed keen to move the subject on and he quickly made a wider point about Corbyn’s supposed lack of leadership on Brexit. The Conservative vulnerability on this issue was on display later in the day when Sajid Javid, the chancellor, refused to endorse Johnson’s “letter box” article about Muslim women wearing burqas that was deemed responsible for a sharp rise in incidents of Islamophobia. Javid also claimed he was not disappointed that the inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative party he proposed has been converted by Johnson into an inquiry into racism in general in the party.
Javid published a Tory analysis of the Labour manifesto that he claimed proved that ordinary people would pay more in tax under Corbyn’s plans. Labour claims only the richest 5% will pay more in tax. But the Tory document identified six “tax rises” (some of them were just financial penalties, not proper tax rises) that might effect non-wealthy taxpayers under Labour.
Javid also said that, following the publication of the Labour manifesto, the Conservatives have revised their calculations about how much extra spending they will entail, and what this will mean for taxpayers. By happy coincidence, the Tories have concluded that the overall cost, £1.2tr, and the cost to taxpayers, £2,400 per year, are the same as they were when the party calculated them before the Labour manifesto was published. Both those figures were widely seen as bogus because they were based on too many false or questionable assumptions.
Johnson ruled out agreeing to a second referendum on Brexit or Scottish independence if rival parties demanded them as the price for supporting the Tories in a hung parliament.
The Liberal Democrats have been accused of peddling misinformation after distributing fake newspapers with names similar to be independent publications, prompting one local newspaper group to threaten to stop all coverage of the party.
A sharp rise in voter registration, predominantly among young people, has boosted Labour’s hopes in the general election.
Michael Gove has mocked Stormzy for expressing his support for Labour and Corbyn in the forthcoming election.
That’s all from me for tonight.
My colleague Kevin Rawlinson is in charge now.
The chief rabbi’s remarks about Labour and antisemitism should concern “every right-thinking person”, Nicola Sturgeon has told reporters at a campaign visit to Uddingston.
Sturgeon was visiting a nursery to announce a proposal to “transform” parental leave, by extending shared leave to 64 weeks at an increased rate, including 12 weeks ring-fenced “daddy leave”.
The proposal was welcomed by campaigners – the work-life balance charity Working Families has been calling for a similar scheme aimed at fathers for a long time, given the uptake of shared parental leave remains low and the evidence suggests that fathers who do have some leave from work with young children are more involved as their families grow up.
The Westminster government is currently consulting on parental leave, although neither Tories nor Labour have proposed anything aimed directly at fathers in their manifestos.
It will not be possible to negotiate a comprehensive trade deal in the 11-month transition period that would follow an exit from the bloc on 31 January, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has told a private meeting of senior MEPs in Strasbourg.
The UK is due to leave the single market and customs union at the end of December 2020 under the terms of the withdrawal agreement. At that point, new arrangements – or none – will come into force. Any extension to the UK’s membership of the single market and customs union would need to be agreed before 1 July.
Barnier said that, if such an extension was not sought by the UK, negotiators would “need to focus on specific subjects” and that agreement on various issues, including the rights of British air carriers to operate as they do today, would have to wait until after 2020.
Barnier said the key areas on which the negotiators would work in the coming year would be trade in goods, data, fisheries, aviation, police and judicial cooperation.
The goal for the EU is to agree on “zero quotas, zero tariffs and zero dumping”, he said in a reference to the bloc’s determination to ensure that the UK signs up to a high degree of regulatory alignment to ensure British companies do not have a competitive advantage post-Brexit.
Barnier also told MEPs that the “toughest question” would be the EU’s insistence that free movement in goods comes as a package with the free movement of people. He added that the most “difficult outcome” for the EU would be a hung parliament as it would imperil ratification of the deal in Westminster.
The prime minister has claimed the UK can conclude a trade deal in time, though experts had already pointed out that such deal typically take years to negotiate and ratify.
Boris Johnson has claimed the Tory party takes anti-Islamic abuse seriously after criticism of his party’s handling of the issue from the Muslim Council of Britain.
The prime minister told reporters on a visit to the International Aviation Academy in Norwich that he did not agree with the claim that his party has approached Islamophobia with “denial, dismissal and deceit”. He said:
Johnson has himself been accused of Islamophobia over his own past comments about Muslims.
Earlier this month, the Guardian reported on a dossier of detailing Islamophobic and racist material posted by 25 sitting and former Conservative councillors:
This is from Stefan Rousseau, the Press Association’s chief political photographer.
