May turns up attacks on Corbyn as she takes fight to Labour heartlands
THERESA May turned up the dial in her personal attacks on Jeremy Corbyn, as she went to Labour’s stronghold in north-east England to warn that he was “simply not up to the job” of being prime minister.
Mrs May accused the Labour leader of wanting to take Britain back to 1970s, while Conservatives are focused on tackling the “five great challenges” of the future which will be set out in next week’s Tory manifesto.
Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn sought to defuse Tory claims that he was weak on defence and security policy by insisting he was “not a pacifist”.
In a major speech to the Chatham House thinktank in London, the Labour leader said he accepted that military action was sometimes necessary “as a genuine last resort”, but cautioned against a “bomb first, talk later” approach to foreign policy.
He accused Mrs May of seeking a “coalition of risk and insecurity” with Donald Trump and insisted there would be “no-more hand-holding” with the US President if he was in Downing Street.
Liberal Democrats unveiled plans to legalise cannabis for sale in high street shops, so it can be regulated and raise up to £1bn a year in taxes.
Lib Dem candidate for Cambridge Julian Huppert said the current approach was “a disaster”, with successive governments “ceding total control of a significant public health problem to organised crime”.
Launching her battlebus tour in Northumberland, Mrs May made clearer than ever that she wants to frame the June 8 general election as a head-to-head battle pitching her against Mr Corbyn.
The bus was emblazoned with the slogan Theresa May: For Britain, with the word Conservatives relegated to a small logo on the door. And in a speech in North Shields, she aimed her barbs directly at the Labour leader.
“He says he wants to change Britain – and that’s true,” said Mrs May. “But what we have learned in this campaign is that he wants to change it into the 1970s.”
The leaked draft of Labour’s General Election manifesto was a “multibillion-pound ideological wish list of deliverable promises” with a funding shortfall estimated to be “at least £30bn”, she said.
She urged “proud and patriotic” working class voters who were “appalled” by the “economically disastrous socialist policies” set out in Labour’s leaked manifesto to put their trust in her.
The election offered a choice between “me and my team, with our eyes fixed on the future, or Jeremy Corbyn and his allies that want to take us back to the economic chaos of the past”, said Mrs May.
“If you put your trust in me, back me, I will work every day to build a better future for your family and our country. If you put your trust in me, back me, I will strive to be a leader worthy of our great country.
“If you put your trust in me, back me, I will work every day to build a Britain our children and grandchildren are proud to call home - a stronger Britain, where everyone has the economic security they need and the chance to live a secure and happy life, a fairer Britain that works for everyone, not just a privileged few.”
Labour’s shadow cabinet member Jon Trickett responded: “It’s the Tories who would be a disaster for Britain. The consequences of five more years of them in government are stark.
“It would mean five more years of putting the few before the many; of the NHS being run into the ground; of extreme cuts to our public services; of young people being let down.”
Speaking in London, Mr Corbyn said that the UK would have a “robust and independent foreign policy” working towards peace and security under a Labour government.
“I am not a pacifist,” he said.
“I accept that military action, under international law and as a genuine last resort, is in some circumstances necessary ... If elected prime minister, I will do everything necessary to protect the safety and security of our people and our country.”