When will Corbyn come clean on Brexit?

IT is the pivotal concern of the day. But Jeremy Corbyn simply does not possess the decency to tell voters if he wants Brexit.

In last night’s TV debate, he refused to come off the fence. Nine times he was asked if he favoured leaving the EU. Each time he waffled. Unsurprisingly, he was mocked.

The ITV hustings aimed to test the opinions and characters of the aspirants for No 10. As the front-runner, Boris Johnson had everything to lose – and little to gain. The great Tory fear: He would appear bumbling and bombastic.

He didn’t. Instead, he offered Tiggerish optimism. By contrast, Mr Corbyn, who refused to rule out offering another Scottish referendum, seemed crabby and tired.

Crucially, Boris was strong on social care and the NHS – drumming home how excellent public services go hand-in-hand with a strong economy. His message was perfectly timed. Yesterday, the Institute for Fiscal Studies unravelled Labour’s tax bombshell on higher earners. Under Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s socialist scheme, two million hard-working people face punishing hikes.

Yet they already pay more than half of all income tax. The idea they don’t contribute a fair share is a crypto-Marxist canard.

And, of course, Mr McDonnell is not finished there – launching a full-throttled assault on business. Labour’s plans would reverse Britain’s jobs miracle and leave the economy a smoking ruin.

It’s not rocket science: Hammering the rich will drive them abroad, meaning they pay less tax – forcing the less fortunate to pick up the tab for his expensive wish list.

As ever with hard-Left ideology, the very people the militants want to help most will be the ones hurting the hardest.