Tory costing query

Labour has produced accounts showing how its promises on the NHS, education, the pensioners’ triple lock, building more homes and abolishing university tuition fees will be paid for.

It’s mostly by reversing the Conservatives’ cuts in the tax paid by corporations, plus a 5 per cent tax rise for the 5 per cent richest in society with incomes above £80,000 a year and abolishing the tax handout to private schools in order to spend the money on state school pupils instead.

In contrast, the Tories have not produced any costing at all for their plans, just bland assurances that they know best and that everyone else need not trouble their pretty little heads about complicated things like finance. There is a financial black hole at the centre of their programme which they are attempting to fill with the “we know best” arrogance of the privileged.

Despite failing to eliminate the deficit, even though at a previous election they said they would do so, they still think they need not provide any information to voters. Their media supporters distort and misrepresent Labour’s detailed plans while failing to press the Tories for even one side of paper describing how they would pay for their proposals.

When Theresa May appeared to do a screaming U-turn on the dementia tax, she did not explain where the extra money would come from. There was still no costing provided.

But then she said: “Nothing has changed – nothing has changed”, so perhaps with no change it won’t cost anything anyway and the dementia tax will go ahead regardless. Does anyone know? She won’t provide a costing.

PHIL TATE Craiglockhart Road, Edinburgh With the general election only days away, it seems clear Theresa May’s strategy of calling a snap election may well turn out to be a huge banana skin.

She appears to be guilty of believing that the Tories only need to turn up to soundly defeat a supposed “lame duck” Labour leader.

The recent Tory manifesto, written mainly by Mrs May, highlighting what her party would be taking away rather than giving to the country, was immediately derailed when she performed one of the fastest U-turns in political history.

It can only be hoped that voters will see through Mrs May’s many shortcomings and although it is probable the Tories will form the next government, the resounding victory she is expecting seems more unlikely.

Theresa May’s lack of political insight and propensity to bend to any prevailing wind means an uncertain and turbulent few years for us all and one can be forgiven for won- dering just who is the lame duck leader?

D. MITCHELL The Glebe, Cramond, Edinburgh