Green Party Manifesto Launch

:03:29. > :04:00.Welcome to Hull, the city I am proud to call home. The city I hope to

:04:01. > :04:02.represent in Parliament and the city that has the distinction of being

:04:03. > :04:22.the UK's City of Culture 2017. From the freedom festival to the

:04:23. > :04:29.newly fushished gallery, to the truck company, from our university

:04:30. > :04:33.to our museums. Hull is a cultural centre and City of Cultural status

:04:34. > :04:36.is adding to our national and international representation. We

:04:37. > :04:44.have so much to look forward to in Hull. Whatever your tastes we have

:04:45. > :04:49.the BBC One big weekend, the Proms, the Turner Prize, the royal

:04:50. > :04:54.Shakespeare's visit. Hundreds of events across the four themeds? .

:04:55. > :04:58.That makes Hull the perfect place for Labour to launch its pledges. A

:04:59. > :05:04.creative future for all. So, I am very pleased to introduce and to

:05:05. > :05:09.welcome back to Hull the deputy Leader of the Labour Party and

:05:10. > :05:11.Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for culture rks, media and sport Tom

:05:12. > :05:27.Watson. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. It is

:05:28. > :05:32.fantastic to be back. Emma, thank you for that excellent introduction.

:05:33. > :05:39.I used to live in Hull and I have very great and fond memories of the

:05:40. > :05:50.stismt indeed, I went back to visit some of my former haunts last night.

:05:51. > :05:54.Do any of you know the small music venue called the Adelpy. Paul

:05:55. > :05:58.Jackson still runs it. Last time I was there was 25 years ago. He said

:05:59. > :06:03.to me, are you going to try and blag your way in for free, like you used

:06:04. > :06:08.to? Not a lot changes. Actually it did change, because I paid ?3 to get

:06:09. > :06:16.in last night. I saw three acts. Now that is culture for the people. ?3

:06:17. > :06:21.for free bands. I saw an act called Katie Spencer, who had such a

:06:22. > :06:25.distinguishing guitar playing style, it reminded me of the first time I

:06:26. > :06:31.ever heard John Martin play. If you want to see an up and coming artist

:06:32. > :06:37.look for Katie Spencer. What is the point I am trying to make? The point

:06:38. > :06:41.I am trying to make is those of us who have lived here always knew that

:06:42. > :06:48.Hull was a City of Culture. But it is just... That is Katie

:06:49. > :06:52.Spencer's agent on the phone! It is fantastic it's been finally made

:06:53. > :06:59.official. And I am immensely proud of this city. I am immensely proud

:07:00. > :07:03.to be Shadow Culture Secretary. Jeremy and I share an ambition to

:07:04. > :07:08.ensure that millions of people who want to enjoy arts and culture have

:07:09. > :07:13.the opportunity to do so. We are here today to hear Jeremy outline

:07:14. > :07:17.Labour's vision for the arts and the creative industries. That is if Carl

:07:18. > :07:21.can switch his phone off in time for us all to hear the speech! I am sure

:07:22. > :07:28.everyone in this room knows how important this sector is. Just for

:07:29. > :07:33.the avoidance of doubt, the creative industries contribute ?84 billion a

:07:34. > :07:39.year to our economy. They provide 2 million jobs. Art council figures

:07:40. > :07:41.show every pound of public investment returns ?5 in tax

:07:42. > :07:48.contributions from the sector as a whole.

:07:49. > :07:52.The creative industries can regenerate whole communities. This

:07:53. > :07:55.city knows this better than most. With Labour in power, Hull has seen

:07:56. > :07:59.the benefits of investment in culture and the arts and how that

:08:00. > :08:03.can drive regional economic growth and regeneration. The creative

:08:04. > :08:09.industries will be judged on the amount of revenue they generate. But

:08:10. > :08:16.there's another measure that's less easy to quantify. And that is the

:08:17. > :08:19.benefit of more people reading, listening to music, painting,

:08:20. > :08:27.visiting galleries or exploring our heritage. The unique things that

:08:28. > :08:30.Britons create give our nation a particular way of speaking to the

:08:31. > :08:34.world. An influence that doesn't come from military power or economic

:08:35. > :08:38.success alone. But from what people love about us.

:08:39. > :08:42.When it comes to the cultural sector, we are admired around the

:08:43. > :08:49.plan et. We have global clouds beyond our size. And whatever

:08:50. > :08:53.uncertainty lies ahead, we can be at the heart of a global culture. Now

:08:54. > :08:59.our economy is set to be transformed by automation. And we need to

:09:00. > :09:04.respond to that by becoming a more creative nation and teaching arts

:09:05. > :09:08.and culture is one way to do that. And even more important than that,

:09:09. > :09:13.is the way arts let us talk to the world. It is the way arts let us

:09:14. > :09:19.talk to each other. I believe access to the arts and culture is

:09:20. > :09:24.profoundly civilising. They broaden our horizons. They help us

:09:25. > :09:27.understand each other. To be more tolerant of each other's

:09:28. > :09:32.differences. They help us build communities and right now n the

:09:33. > :09:36.midst of the upset and division that the referendum caused, it feels like

:09:37. > :09:42.we very much need that. It feels like we need the shared experiences

:09:43. > :09:46.this sector provides. The things we all watch, we make, listen to. The

:09:47. > :09:53.museums we visit. The art galleries we go to. The video games we play.

:09:54. > :09:58.And when I first got the job as Shadow Secretary I read the speeches

:09:59. > :10:05.of Jenny Le, the first ever arts minister. She believed access to the

:10:06. > :10:08.arts was as fundamental to our health and happiness as the National

:10:09. > :10:13.Health Service. I agree with her. The Tories, not so much. The arts

:10:14. > :10:17.and culture are always one of the things they target. Art council and

:10:18. > :10:22.local authority spending on culture and the arts has fallen by hundreds

:10:23. > :10:29.of millions of pounds since the Tories came to power in 2010. And

:10:30. > :10:32.the past seven years has seen arts and culture systematically removed

:10:33. > :10:36.from our education system, leading to a collapse in the numbers of

:10:37. > :10:44.students taking art, music and drama.

:10:45. > :10:52.Under a Labour government, arts and culture will be getting the funding

:10:53. > :10:57.they need to prosper. 1 billion cultural capital fund will let us

:10:58. > :11:01.upgrade existing facilities, and one of the great things about this job

:11:02. > :11:06.is the people you meet and the places you get to visit. I have met

:11:07. > :11:18.kids in new who have been given free music lessons thanks to a Labour

:11:19. > :11:21.mayor. I have visited the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester and saw rows

:11:22. > :11:26.of parked up in arms because it is so popular with mothers and their

:11:27. > :11:30.young children. A Labour government will replace the creative industries

:11:31. > :11:37.at the heart of our industrial strategy, leaving... So that when we

:11:38. > :11:46.leave the European Union it will put the creative industries first. And a

:11:47. > :11:52.Labour government will put inclusivity at the heart of all we

:11:53. > :11:54.do. Access to arts and culture, the opportunity to pursue a career

:11:55. > :12:00.creating something they love... These things should be available to

:12:01. > :12:04.everyone, not just the privileged few. I'm going to pass you on to

:12:05. > :12:10.someone who knows just how important access to the arts and culture can

:12:11. > :12:15.be. She is someone I have admired from afar for long time. She's one

:12:16. > :12:17.of our finest actors and she's incredibly brave. Please welcome

:12:18. > :12:40.Samantha APPLAUSE. You'll have to excuse me,

:12:41. > :12:47.I've never done anything like this before but I think now the time. I

:12:48. > :12:55.am going to read off this. I am really thrilled to be here today in

:12:56. > :13:00.Hull, the UK's city of culture 2017 to introduce Labour pledges for the

:13:01. > :13:04.arts and creative industries, and I'm especially pleased that Labour a

:13:05. > :13:11.sporting access to the arts for all at the heart of its pledges. The

:13:12. > :13:17.creative arts have so much to offer us all, whether as audiences or as

:13:18. > :13:26.creators. We have all had our lives enriched by a song or the poem, a

:13:27. > :13:31.novel or a dramatic performance, even an image, a painting. Art is

:13:32. > :13:39.not an afterthought to what elections are fought over, art is

:13:40. > :13:44.what makes our lives worthwhile, it's a political issue. Every time a

:13:45. > :13:49.museum, gallery or library closes down or a child is denied the chance

:13:50. > :13:56.to study and artistic subject, or a young person with talent as to

:13:57. > :13:59.abandon a promising career in theatre or music because they cannot

:14:00. > :14:04.afford to support themselves, that is a loss to all of us. I come from

:14:05. > :14:09.a working-class background, and without drama teachers at school and

:14:10. > :14:13.the inspiration they gave me, and the opportunities they opened up in

:14:14. > :14:17.my life, my life would have been very different. I certainly wouldn't

:14:18. > :14:22.have been here today, and I couldn't have had the career I have had if my

:14:23. > :14:29.talents had not been identified and spotted and supported at a really

:14:30. > :14:33.early age. There are young people growing up today who have huge

:14:34. > :14:38.artistic talent, but who don't have the support they need to develop it

:14:39. > :14:42.properly. Artistic careers should not be restricted to those with the

:14:43. > :14:48.most family wealth behind them or those who go to the most expensive

:14:49. > :14:52.schools, and that is why it is so important that Labour's policies to

:14:53. > :14:57.make sure children have the opportunity to study artistic

:14:58. > :15:01.subjects in school and to build up our cultural institutions so that

:15:02. > :15:10.everyone can use them are put into effect. That is why I am Labour, and

:15:11. > :15:12.I hope you are too. Please welcome the leader of the Labour Party, Mr

:15:13. > :15:40.Jeremy Corbyn. APPLAUSE Samantha, thank you for the

:15:41. > :15:44.introduction, thank you for your talent and the way you inspire so

:15:45. > :15:47.many young actors to achieve what you have achieved.

:15:48. > :15:52.We are really honoured and proud you are here today to launch our

:15:53. > :15:57.cultural manifesto. Thank you very much indeed.

:15:58. > :16:01.APPLAUSE. I look forward to you joining

:16:02. > :16:08.Carlisle and Diana as three brilliant representatives of Labour

:16:09. > :16:14.for Hull, thank you for being here today. I also want to thank Tom

:16:15. > :16:18.Watson, a former Hull university student, I cannot claim to be that

:16:19. > :16:22.but he will be an absolutely brilliant secretary of the state for

:16:23. > :16:26.culture, media and sport in the next government because he is totally

:16:27. > :16:29.dedicated to the brief he has got and the determination that culture

:16:30. > :16:33.should be there for everyone. Thank you for what you said this morning

:16:34. > :16:42.and everything you are doing in this campaign. Actually there could be no

:16:43. > :16:48.better place to launch our cultural manifesto, and during the hour after

:16:49. > :16:53.the general election was announced, Tom and I put our heads together and

:16:54. > :17:01.said culture launch will be in Hull, and it is, and we are here. It is

:17:02. > :17:08.Labour's guarantee of culture for all and it is right we are here. In

:17:09. > :17:11.the last Labour government, Andy Burnham was impressed by how

:17:12. > :17:15.Liverpool had been transformed after being made the European city of

:17:16. > :17:21.culture, and I was in Liverpool over the weekend and we had an incredible

:17:22. > :17:27.music event over the water in the Wirral. 20,000 people turned up to a

:17:28. > :17:33.football stadium to enjoy music. That is the mixture of sport and

:17:34. > :17:38.music and inspiration of so many people. Andy proposed the idea that

:17:39. > :17:43.every four years we should have a UK city of culture. He was unable to

:17:44. > :17:47.guarantee that speakers in an election campaign don't lose their

:17:48. > :17:53.voice, and thanks to the brilliant bid put forward by Hull City

:17:54. > :17:58.Council, Hull was chosen to be the city of culture. Congratulations to

:17:59. > :18:06.Hull, well done on the bid you have put forward. These things don't

:18:07. > :18:12.happen by accident, they happen with very, very hard work by a lot of

:18:13. > :18:18.people. Hull had hoped to encourage an extra million people to visit

:18:19. > :18:25.Hull during 2017. One third of a million visited in the first week,

:18:26. > :18:29.and I'm not surprised - look at what we have offered. Anyone arriving at

:18:30. > :18:35.Hull Station, the first thing you see is a replica of Amy Johnson's

:18:36. > :18:40.plane made by prisoners to help them learn new skills, which is excellent

:18:41. > :18:44.for anyone in prison, but also as a gift to this wonderful city in

:18:45. > :18:50.memory of one of its favourite daughters, Amy Johnson. Well done

:18:51. > :18:59.Hull, well done to the prisoners, well done to Amy Johnson. A 200 foot

:19:00. > :19:07.wind turbine blade made locally went on display in Queen Victoria Square.

:19:08. > :19:13.The poppies had 450,000 visits in two months, and finally you created

:19:14. > :19:22.the Sea of Hull by encouraging 3000 local people... Yes, it is very

:19:23. > :19:26.broad-minded... To strip naked, paint themselves blue, and be

:19:27. > :19:31.photographed in the early hours of Saturday morning. These photos taken

:19:32. > :19:36.by a brilliant photographer, Spencer to Nick, are now on display in the

:19:37. > :19:40.refurbished Ferens Art Gallery. So in a very nice way, the people of

:19:41. > :19:48.Hull made an exhibition of themselves. I would like to thank

:19:49. > :19:58.Labour council leader Steve Brady for his hard work in helping deliver

:19:59. > :20:03.the city for culture. APPLAUSE Steve, well done you and

:20:04. > :20:09.your colleagues and well done Martin Green also for the hell people to to

:20:10. > :20:13.achieving this because this is a team that achieved something

:20:14. > :20:17.brilliant for the city. We can see what transformative

:20:18. > :20:21.powers of culture have done for Hull, not just attracting visitors

:20:22. > :20:26.in creating world-class cultural events, but here in Humber Street

:20:27. > :20:30.where a former fruit market is being regenerated into a thriving cultural

:20:31. > :20:36.hub, creating new businesses and jobs. The new Humber Street

:20:37. > :20:41.contemporary art gallery next door has seen 60,000 visits in the first

:20:42. > :20:47.six weeks. It's estimated that being the UK city of culture will bring

:20:48. > :20:51.?60 million in economic boost to the city of Hull this year alone, that

:20:52. > :20:56.is an achievement everybody should be very proud of. And this city that

:20:57. > :21:03.has done so much for this country, brought so much art and poetry and

:21:04. > :21:08.inspiration, is a model we can all learn from. And now Labour wants to

:21:09. > :21:14.replicate what we have seen in Hull across the rest of Britain. Here is

:21:15. > :21:24.why. Our music industry alone contributes ?4 billion to our

:21:25. > :21:33.economy each year, but every Adele has to start somewhere. Small the

:21:34. > :21:40.news and larger ones give artists the first break as they learn their

:21:41. > :21:46.craft. -- small venues. But over the last ten years in London alone, 40%

:21:47. > :21:50.of small venues have closed. That means there is nowhere for budding

:21:51. > :21:55.musicians to perform, there is a loss of rehearsal space. Where are

:21:56. > :22:00.the next generation of musicians going to come from if we take away

:22:01. > :22:06.the facilities now? This Conservative government has made

:22:07. > :22:11.matters even worse. Since 2010, they have slashed 48 million funding for

:22:12. > :22:17.the arts councils in England, Wales and Scotland. There is creativity in

:22:18. > :22:25.everyone. Labour's mission will be to set that creativity free. We need

:22:26. > :22:30.to give people the opportunity for all the creativity to flourish, so

:22:31. > :22:35.today we unveil our cultural manifesto, which sets out a bold and

:22:36. > :22:41.inspiring programme to encourage creativity. We are pledging ?1

:22:42. > :22:46.billion to launch a new cultural capital fund to support our world

:22:47. > :22:51.leading cultural industries that have been savaged by Conservative

:22:52. > :22:57.cuts. We will end austerity to boost creativity. It will be amongst the

:22:58. > :23:03.biggest arts infrastructure funding ever created, it will boost arts,

:23:04. > :23:06.theatre and literature, upgrading our cultural infrastructure for the

:23:07. > :23:12.digital age and supporting our economy. It will also invest in

:23:13. > :23:16.creative clusters across the country based on a similar model to business

:23:17. > :23:21.enterprise zones. I don't want to see just one city benefit from this

:23:22. > :23:26.transformative powers of culture every four years. Our cultural

:23:27. > :23:32.capital fund will help many more towns and cities benefit all round.

:23:33. > :23:39.The fund will be administered by the arts Council, a Labour generation,

:23:40. > :23:44.over a five-year period and helped transform our country's cultural

:23:45. > :23:51.landscape. We will also protect and invest in music venues to support

:23:52. > :23:54.grass roots and professional music, ensuring a healthy music industry

:23:55. > :24:02.right across the country in every town and city. Labour will review

:24:03. > :24:07.the business rate system to make it fairer to organisations like music

:24:08. > :24:11.venues. This is actually very important, very practical help we

:24:12. > :24:15.can give, extending the thousand pound pub relief to help small music

:24:16. > :24:20.venues which are suffering from extraordinary rate rises at the

:24:21. > :24:26.present time. We will also maintain something that we are very proud of

:24:27. > :24:31.in the Labour Party, and what Kris Smith achieved when he was our

:24:32. > :24:38.Secretary of State in 1997. We will maintain free museums and invest in

:24:39. > :24:47.our heritage sector. APPLAUSE I remember Chris explained

:24:48. > :24:52.to me how he went to the National museums after they had been made

:24:53. > :24:56.free and suddenly everybody could be there.

:24:57. > :24:59.Before that they couldn't. Our national heritage is National for

:25:00. > :25:07.everybody, not just those that can afford it.

:25:08. > :25:12.The heritage sector is central to both the identity and economy of

:25:13. > :25:17.local communities across the country because access to culture is vital

:25:18. > :25:22.for the emotional and intellectual growth of all our people, but

:25:23. > :25:26.especially important for young people. We want to unleash the

:25:27. > :25:33.potential of every young person, not just through education in the normal

:25:34. > :25:40.school setting, but also through culture, in every of us there is a

:25:41. > :25:46.poet, writer, a singer of songs, an artist, a creative thinker. But too

:25:47. > :25:51.few of us are able to fulfil any kind of artistic ambition. Under the

:25:52. > :25:54.Conservatives it's getting worse. Per-pupil funding for schools will

:25:55. > :26:01.be cut for the first time in a generation.

:26:02. > :26:08.Forced to send out begging letters to parents for donations to keep the

:26:09. > :26:15.schools running. This is a shameful state of affairs. So, we will be, in

:26:16. > :26:22.addition to properly funding our schools, scrapping tuition fees and

:26:23. > :26:25.introducing universal free school meals in our primary schools,

:26:26. > :26:29.something pioneered here in Hull. But we will go further...

:26:30. > :26:44.Labour will introduce an arts pupil premium that will allow every

:26:45. > :26:50.primary school child in England the chance to learn a musical

:26:51. > :26:55.restaurant, take part in drama -- instrument, take part in drama, have

:26:56. > :27:02.regular access to galleries and museums. Labour will not only feed

:27:03. > :27:03.our children's stomachs, but feed their minds and unleash their

:27:04. > :27:21.creativity. The arts pupil premium will provide

:27:22. > :27:25.?165 million per year to boost creative education and ensure arts

:27:26. > :27:28.facilities in state schools match standards found only now in many

:27:29. > :27:35.private schools. We will deliver a creative future

:27:36. > :27:42.for all and a culture for the many, not the few. But we need your help.

:27:43. > :27:48.If people want to see these transformative changes, then they

:27:49. > :27:56.have to be able to vote. Those who are not on the register have 12

:27:57. > :28:05.hours, 26 minutes to get registered. 12 hours, 26 minutes. It will take

:28:06. > :28:11.you two minutes. Since the election was called, more than two million

:28:12. > :28:18.people have registered to vote. 40% of them aged between 18-24.

:28:19. > :28:24.So, my message is simply this - if you are being held back, and want to

:28:25. > :28:30.lead a richer life, then get registered and have your say.

:28:31. > :28:37.We can stop a Conservative Government that wants to pit the old

:28:38. > :28:41.against the young. And replace it with a Labour Government that offers

:28:42. > :28:46.hope and unity. A Government for the many, not the

:28:47. > :28:50.few. A Government that ensures that

:28:51. > :28:55.culture is for all. And I'm very proud of the manifesto we're putting

:28:56. > :29:00.forward. I'm very proud of the culture and creative part of this

:29:01. > :29:06.manifesto. This country is so brimming with talent.

:29:07. > :29:10.Let's let that creativity, that talent, that genius be unleashed.

:29:11. > :29:16.Because culture is for the many, not the few. Thank you very much indeed.

:29:17. > :30:14.Well, before we start the questions, I'd just like to say this, in 2011,

:30:15. > :30:21.when we became the administration in Hull, it was a question of either

:30:22. > :30:25.managing decline or going for growth.

:30:26. > :30:32.And the sensible thing, the most sensible thing to do, we knew quite

:30:33. > :30:38.well was to go for growth. Growth produces jobs. It gives hope to the

:30:39. > :30:44.people. And part of that, we got together with business, with the

:30:45. > :30:51.voluntary sector, with the arts community and we developed that plan

:30:52. > :30:56.and I can say this, that in four years, that plan and all the things

:30:57. > :31:05.that we had in that plan has succeeded. We plan to get 7500 jobs

:31:06. > :31:15.in a ten-year period, we've achieved that in four years.

:31:16. > :31:24.That is everybody in Hull working together. It is what was needed. We

:31:25. > :31:32.needed that Hull and the futures for our young people. What we've seen,

:31:33. > :31:38.what we are seeing now is an upsurge in regeneration and investment.

:31:39. > :31:43.Never before seen in this City. Just in the last 18 months announcements

:31:44. > :31:51.and actual now developments have occurred to the tune of just under

:31:52. > :31:55.?3 billion in this city. A total transformation of the city centre,

:31:56. > :32:03.where people are so proud to come into. There are art galleries. We've

:32:04. > :32:10.expanded the offer to the public. We've increased the hours of our art

:32:11. > :32:15.galleries and the other cultural things in this city, so we have not

:32:16. > :32:23.gone in to decrease or to close down. We have increased. And through

:32:24. > :32:28.that, we're now seeing a huge number of jobs created in the city centre

:32:29. > :32:35.alone. And I just have to say this, if anybody doubts that the City of

:32:36. > :32:41.Culture should actually stop, come to Hull and see the reasons why it

:32:42. > :32:46.should go on. I'm going to take questions now from the media and the

:32:47. > :32:56.first one is from the Press Association.

:32:57. > :33:03.George Osborne has tweeted to say the Tories will U-turn on their

:33:04. > :33:08.social care policy and they will introduce a social care cost cap. I

:33:09. > :33:12.want to get your reaction to that. That was George Osborne, was it? Did

:33:13. > :33:17.that come from the Tory central office or from The Evening Standard?

:33:18. > :33:20.It's going to be in The Evening Standard.

:33:21. > :33:35.I would suggest to you that he probably knows. We will take them in

:33:36. > :33:41.threes and Rachel from RTV. Good morning.

:33:42. > :33:46.Labour have been running education in Wales since 2011 and yet tuition

:33:47. > :33:52.fees there are the same as in England, ?9,000 aer. Why should

:33:53. > :33:59.students in England trust you on tuition fees? And Kier, from the

:34:00. > :34:05.Daily Mirror. Morning. The last two sets of

:34:06. > :34:10.opinion polls have been single dig get-leads for the Tories. What do

:34:11. > :34:17.you think is behind that? And do you think you can keep going? OK. Thanks

:34:18. > :34:21.for your questions. A Tory U-turn on social care would be extremely

:34:22. > :34:28.welcome, because I want this country to face up to its responsibilities

:34:29. > :34:32.to those who need care, either frail elderly, those with special needs,

:34:33. > :34:37.those with severe disabilities, those with learning difficulties and

:34:38. > :34:41.our proposals are that we will refund social care, putting

:34:42. > :34:45.emergency money into it now, so those million people waiting for

:34:46. > :34:49.social care don't wait and we won't get involved in this horrible policy

:34:50. > :34:53.the Tories are putting forward, which will actually damage families

:34:54. > :34:58.and family income, damage people, break up relationships, all kinds of

:34:59. > :35:01.horrible things will happen from their very dangerously ill thought

:35:02. > :35:07.out social care policy. And if George Osborne is at last doing

:35:08. > :35:10.something useful in his life of supporting proper funding of social

:35:11. > :35:15.care, then thank you, George, for that. And I urge him to read very

:35:16. > :35:21.carefully what's in our manifesto on social care. Rachel, thanks for your

:35:22. > :35:27.point. We put forward a very clear funded and credible policy of what

:35:28. > :35:33.we'll do on university fees. We do so because if we carry on with this

:35:34. > :35:36.process of ever rising fares and under Conservatives the threat of

:35:37. > :35:41.lifting the cap all together, then what happens is two things. One is

:35:42. > :35:45.those that have achieved enough to get into university, gone through

:35:46. > :35:51.university, leave with debts of often ?50,000 and more than that.

:35:52. > :35:55.And if they earn more than ?21,000 they have to start repaying it, but

:35:56. > :36:00.the debt is still there for a long time after that.

:36:01. > :36:04.I'm determined that university education should be available for

:36:05. > :36:09.all. And that is why we've gone into this in a lot of detail, after a lot

:36:10. > :36:15.of debate and discussion and looked at it and decided, yes, we will make

:36:16. > :36:19.this offer of removing the university fees, reinstating the

:36:20. > :36:22.maintenance grant for those who need it at university and reinstating the

:36:23. > :36:27.Educational Maintenance Allowance, so that young people can continue to

:36:28. > :36:30.do A levels or vocational qualifications and have some degree

:36:31. > :36:33.of independence and self-respect in what they are doing. We do that

:36:34. > :36:37.because we want all young people to have the chance of going to

:36:38. > :36:42.university. Since the fees have gone up to ?9,000 under the coalition

:36:43. > :36:46.Government, the numbers of working class youngsters going to university

:36:47. > :36:50.has declined. The number of university applications has started

:36:51. > :36:57.to go down. Surely, we should be investing in our future. Somebody

:36:58. > :37:00.who doesn't achieve the profession they want, nursing, teaching,

:37:01. > :37:04.medicine in some other form, engineering - whatever it happens to

:37:05. > :37:09.be, they lose out. But we as a society lose out because we've lost

:37:10. > :37:12.a qualified person who can help improve our industries, improve our

:37:13. > :37:16.services, improve our quality of life. We're determined to do it. And

:37:17. > :37:20.we're going to do it when we've won the election on June 8th.

:37:21. > :37:33.Kier, thanks very much for your question, I'm not commenting on any

:37:34. > :37:37.polls that are going on. The only poll I am interested in is the one

:37:38. > :37:41.on June 8th. What I would say is, the numbers of people who are

:37:42. > :37:46.registered to vote in this election are extraordinary. The numbers of

:37:47. > :37:48.people that are volunteering to help the Labour election campaign are

:37:49. > :37:54.extraordinary. And the numbers of people making

:37:55. > :37:57.small donations, average of ?22 to our election funds says something

:37:58. > :38:02.about the popularity of the manifesto we put forward and the

:38:03. > :38:06.views that are there in it. This election is obviously very

:38:07. > :38:12.important. Very important for the future direction this country leads.

:38:13. > :38:17.What I do is invite everyone to take part in conversations over the next

:38:18. > :38:21.two weeks. Conversations about whether you want a Government that

:38:22. > :38:25.continues to tax cutting corporations, tax cutting the

:38:26. > :38:30.wealthiest in our society and continuing to underfund schools.

:38:31. > :38:33.Underfund education, underfund social care, underfundamental

:38:34. > :38:38.health. Deny the arts the support they need and deny industry the

:38:39. > :38:42.investment it needs in a better infrastructure across the whole

:38:43. > :38:47.country. So we get high-quality railway lines to every city,

:38:48. > :38:50.including Hull. That we get good broadband, contact rate, access

:38:51. > :38:56.rates all over the country. The Labour offer is about an expanding

:38:57. > :39:02.economy, which will improve employment, improve wages and living

:39:03. > :39:05.standards or a continuation of the grotesque levels of inequality that

:39:06. > :39:08.exist in Britain. That's the Labour offer.

:39:09. > :39:26.We will take questions from the audience. Any questions from the

:39:27. > :39:30.audience? Jeremy, we have a society that we want, we have a society that

:39:31. > :39:37.we want to be built on equality. I know that is what you are attempting

:39:38. > :39:41.to deliver. Have you a keen message for younger voters, such as my two

:39:42. > :39:44.daughters who are hoping to go to university and a son that wants to

:39:45. > :39:49.get into qualifications that's a message of hope for them. I know our

:39:50. > :39:56.policies are there. But it is key to us, as parents and as those who have

:39:57. > :40:00.young people, still a few years off, but she's going to be there, but we

:40:01. > :40:04.want to make sure that those young people and their parents understand

:40:05. > :40:08.the real importance of why they need to vote Labour in June, because

:40:09. > :40:12.we've got to win this election. This is a one-off. If we don't, we're

:40:13. > :40:15.damaged. Not us, I'm talking about, as a

:40:16. > :40:19.party, I'm talking about the country. How do we get by this and

:40:20. > :40:37.how do we deliver? We have one of the best school music

:40:38. > :40:42.services in the country, do you think your preset for every primary

:40:43. > :40:49.school pupil will enable such centres of excellence to spring up

:40:50. > :41:09.all over the country? Any further questions? Anybody in the audience?

:41:10. > :41:20.Thank you. Lynn Davidson from the Sun. No, we don't boo journalists.

:41:21. > :41:29.The Northern Ireland Secretary has challenged you today, he has asked

:41:30. > :41:38.five questions on the IRA asking should IRA's murdered the condemned

:41:39. > :41:44.unequivocally by IRA terrorists. If they are, would you unequivocally

:41:45. > :41:49.condemned the IRA as terrorists? Thanks to James Brogan Shire for his

:41:50. > :41:53.questions, I condemn all acts of violence in Northern Ireland from

:41:54. > :41:57.well wherever they came. I spent the 1980s representing a constituency

:41:58. > :42:02.with a large number of Irish people in it -- Northern Irish people in

:42:03. > :42:07.it. We wanted justice and a solution. The first ceasefire helped

:42:08. > :42:10.bring that about and helped bring about those talks which were

:42:11. > :42:14.representative of all sections of opinion in Northern Ireland and the

:42:15. > :42:20.Labour government after 1997 helped bring in the historic Good Friday

:42:21. > :42:23.Agreement, the base of which was the recognition of the differing

:42:24. > :42:29.cultural histories and values of Northern Ireland, and it stood the

:42:30. > :42:33.test of time and it is still there. We have a devolved administration in

:42:34. > :42:38.Northern Ireland, and I think we should recognise that the piece was

:42:39. > :42:42.achieved by a lot of bravery both in the unionist community as well as in

:42:43. > :42:47.the nationalist community. People that walked a very difficult extra

:42:48. > :42:51.mile when they were under pressure from the communities not to do so,

:42:52. > :42:56.both Republicans and unionists walked that extra mile and brought

:42:57. > :43:00.the Good Friday Agreement and I think we should use this election is

:43:01. > :43:08.thanking those that brought about the Good Friday Agreement.

:43:09. > :43:13.APPLAUSE All of them. Those in Government at the time as well as

:43:14. > :43:17.those who did so much on the ground, and Northern Ireland is a very

:43:18. > :43:20.different place. We will be working with the devolved administration in

:43:21. > :43:24.Northern Ireland as well as the Government of the Republic to make

:43:25. > :43:34.sure wrecks it doesn't bring about a barbed wire border -- to make sure

:43:35. > :43:39.Brexit doesn't bring about a barbed wire border. Of the other two

:43:40. > :43:47.questions raised, thank you. This election is about two views and

:43:48. > :43:50.visions of Britain. Either the absolute 21st-century cutting-edge

:43:51. > :43:55.ideas put forward by the Conservative Party, which seemed to

:43:56. > :44:00.revolve around restoration of fox hunting and selective education, or

:44:01. > :44:04.our view which is one which is about giving opportunities for all. We

:44:05. > :44:09.cannot go on being the lifeguard of industrial investment of all the

:44:10. > :44:13.major industrial countries in the world. We cannot go on underfunding

:44:14. > :44:18.crucial services and short-changing our young people who are offered

:44:19. > :44:23.little except greater costs and greater debt and less opportunity.

:44:24. > :44:28.And so we are not going into this awful game of setting off the young

:44:29. > :44:32.against the old, saying to the young you have got to pay for the costs of

:44:33. > :44:35.the older people, saying to the older people you are under some kind

:44:36. > :44:41.of threat because of what we want to spend on education. In reality we

:44:42. > :44:46.all depend on each other. Young people need the support and wisdom

:44:47. > :44:51.of older people, older people need to be encouraged and infused by

:44:52. > :44:57.younger people so our manifesto is for all. This is your chance. People

:44:58. > :45:04.lay down their lives so that you might vote. Women's right to vote

:45:05. > :45:08.came about because of the bravery of suffragettes and many others around

:45:09. > :45:15.the time of the First World War, but it also started here in Hull. Mary

:45:16. > :45:20.Wollstonecraft wrote the rights of women, and that is part of the

:45:21. > :45:24.origins of that whole democratic movement. Hull has taught the world

:45:25. > :45:29.a great deal and I tell the people this is your chance... Your chance

:45:30. > :45:33.to vote in this election, your chance to express your democratic

:45:34. > :45:41.view and I hope you will recognise we are determined unserious to

:45:42. > :45:45.properly fund education, culture and the arts, properly invest in service

:45:46. > :45:51.industry growth for the future so your skills, your genius can

:45:52. > :45:55.contribute to a better quality of life for everybody. Please take part

:45:56. > :45:58.in the election, but above all have that discussion, ask the difficult

:45:59. > :46:05.questions of each other and everyone else between now and election day,

:46:06. > :46:17.that is what an election should be about, proper debate and discussion,

:46:18. > :46:22.and I'm enjoying every minute of it. APPLAUSE And on your point about

:46:23. > :46:26.music, I congratulate Hull because of the traditions it has got in

:46:27. > :46:31.culture and so many other things but also the way in which you have a

:46:32. > :46:35.council which is serious about young people learning music. When young

:46:36. > :46:39.people achieve things together it is quite inspiring, and it's the role

:46:40. > :46:44.of local education authorities that is also important in this. I went to

:46:45. > :46:49.the Royal Albert Hall to see a concert a couple of years ago,

:46:50. > :46:53.absolutely brilliant. Huge orchestras of 100 children coming

:46:54. > :46:58.together, you think how does the conductor manage it? But the joy of

:46:59. > :47:03.those children there performing together. You go to libraries where

:47:04. > :47:08.there are some reading projects and you see the joy of children who have

:47:09. > :47:13.read six books, talked about it and felt inspired by it, carrying on

:47:14. > :47:17.using the libraries so I want to rule that out across the country.

:47:18. > :47:22.The areas seeing the theatres and libraries closed, schools with lack

:47:23. > :47:27.of instruments and that kind of thing, it isn't going to cost a lot

:47:28. > :47:33.of money in order to reinstate so much of that, and that is why Tom

:47:34. > :47:37.and I are serious about this people arts premium to make sure everyone

:47:38. > :47:42.gets a chance. Don't leave it just those whose parents are able to

:47:43. > :47:46.spend enough money to get their children into private theatre

:47:47. > :47:53.schools or private music lessons. Let's make it mainstream. Do well in

:47:54. > :47:58.music, you do well in maths. It is part and parcel of our creativity

:47:59. > :48:03.and our lives. I think what we have proposed today in Hull is something

:48:04. > :48:07.that will transform the cultural landscape of this country in exactly

:48:08. > :48:16.the same way the 1960s Labour government led by Harold Wilson and

:48:17. > :48:18.the fantastic Minister of arts, Jennie Lee, transformed the ideas

:48:19. > :48:27.and notions of culture. There is creativity in us all, rich or poor.

:48:28. > :49:43.Thank you very much. APPLAUSE Good morning and welcome to the

:49:44. > :49:46.launch of the Conservative Party manifesto in Wales and it was in

:49:47. > :49:52.north Wales the Prime Minister had the plans to call a general election

:49:53. > :49:56.in the national interest. Our plan for a stronger Wales,

:49:57. > :50:03.stronger Britain and prosperous future. As we leave the European

:50:04. > :50:08.Union, union of the United Kingdom is more important now than ever

:50:09. > :50:15.before, and as Secretary of State, I have seen it first hand, the Prime

:50:16. > :50:20.Minister's commitment to Wales and the union. Since her very first

:50:21. > :50:23.speech on the steps of Downing Street, Theresa May has put the

:50:24. > :50:31.union at the heart of her programme for government. And we have a strong

:50:32. > :50:34.record in Wales. City, region deals in Cardiff and Swansea with a

:50:35. > :50:39.commitment to a north Wales growth deal. Investment in railways with

:50:40. > :50:43.plans to modernise across Wales, and a fair funding formula, something

:50:44. > :50:48.many had complained about for decades but it was this Prime

:50:49. > :50:53.Minister who agreed a new funding settlement for Wales within her

:50:54. > :50:59.first six months in office. But this manifesto is about our future, and

:51:00. > :51:09.whatever plans we have, making a success of Brexit will be key. It

:51:10. > :51:16.essential to our economy, central to our future stability and security.

:51:17. > :51:21.At this time of change, change that could threaten the union, it has

:51:22. > :51:27.never been more important to have a strong and stable leadership in the

:51:28. > :51:32.national interest. A Prime Minister that is ready to take the difficult

:51:33. > :51:39.decisions and ready to face 27 nations that could be lining up to

:51:40. > :51:44.oppose us. I have the privilege to introduce someone that is a true

:51:45. > :51:48.friend of Wales, a true champion of the union, and someone that will

:51:49. > :51:56.always act in the interests of our whole country. Please welcome the

:51:57. > :52:10.Prime Minister. APPLAUSE

:52:11. > :52:17.Thank you very much and it is good to be here in Wrexham today with

:52:18. > :52:24.just 17 days to go until this crucial general election. Just 11

:52:25. > :52:29.days after that, the European Union wants the Brexit negotiations to

:52:30. > :52:38.begin. The UK's seat at the negotiating table will be filled by

:52:39. > :52:43.me or Jeremy Corbyn. The deal we seek negotiated by me or Jeremy

:52:44. > :52:47.Corbyn. There will be no time to waste and no time for a new

:52:48. > :52:52.government to find its way so the stakes in this election are high.

:52:53. > :52:56.Our future prosperity, our standard of living, our place in the world,

:52:57. > :53:01.and the opportunities we want for our children and our children's

:53:02. > :53:06.children are either in the strong hand you grant me by supporting my

:53:07. > :53:11.candidates in this election or the weak hand off Jeremy Corbyn backed

:53:12. > :53:16.by the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the SNP who don't want

:53:17. > :53:22.Brexit to succeed. It is your choice, your decision. Every vote

:53:23. > :53:27.for me and my team in this election will be a vote to strengthen my hand

:53:28. > :53:34.in the negotiations to come. Every vote for any other party - Labour,

:53:35. > :53:39.the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru - is a vote to send Jeremy Corbyn into

:53:40. > :53:43.the negotiating chamber on our behalf and that is the stark reality

:53:44. > :53:49.of the choice we must focus on over the next 17 days. Because our future

:53:50. > :53:56.prosperity depends on getting the next five years right. That's why we

:53:57. > :54:05.need someone representing Britain who is 100% committed to the cause.

:54:06. > :54:08.Not someone who is uncertain or unsure, but someone utterly

:54:09. > :54:13.determined to deliver the democratic will of the British people, because

:54:14. > :54:16.if we don't get this right, the consequences for the United Kingdom

:54:17. > :54:24.and for the economic security of ordinary working people will be

:54:25. > :54:28.dire. If we do, the opportunities ahead are great. The Welsh

:54:29. > :54:33.Conservative manifesto I launched today is a plan to make the most of

:54:34. > :54:38.the opportunities together. It is a plan to make Wales and our union

:54:39. > :54:44.stronger. For this manifesto sets out a vision of Britain around which

:54:45. > :54:49.I believe we can all unite. It is the mainstream manifesto of a

:54:50. > :54:54.mainstream party determined to deliver for mainstream Britain. And

:54:55. > :55:01.to all those who work hard and make this country what it is, I say this

:55:02. > :55:06.- if you have a job but don't always have job security, I am backing you.

:55:07. > :55:11.If you own your own home but worry about paying the mortgage, I am

:55:12. > :55:14.backing you. If you can just about manage but worry about the cost of

:55:15. > :55:19.living and getting your children into a good school, I am backing

:55:20. > :55:25.you. If you feel you have been let down and left behind by politics and

:55:26. > :55:32.government for far too long, I am backing you.

:55:33. > :55:44.APPLAUSE And to all the decent men, women and

:55:45. > :55:50.families you meet in countless towns and villages across Wales and the

:55:51. > :55:56.country, I am backing you. To those for whom life is often much harder

:55:57. > :56:00.than many seem to think or realise, I am backing you. For those who want

:56:01. > :56:06.to do their best for their children and given a fair chance to get on, I

:56:07. > :56:11.am backing you. I am backing those who want a more secure and full

:56:12. > :56:17.life. I am backing those whose only wish is that the children will do

:56:18. > :56:22.better than themselves, and to those who look to the Government and

:56:23. > :56:27.politicians for little help and support, I am backing you too.

:56:28. > :56:31.Because too often in the past, ordinary working people have found

:56:32. > :56:39.the help and support they need just isn't there. And I know that sense

:56:40. > :56:43.of disenchantment is particularly acute here in Wales. We saw that

:56:44. > :56:48.when people here in Wrexham and across Wales chose to ignore the

:56:49. > :56:52.hysterical warnings of labour, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat

:56:53. > :56:57.politicians in Cardiff Bay and voted to leave the EU. We see it now in

:56:58. > :57:03.the way the same politicians refuse to accept that vote as they try to

:57:04. > :57:11.find new ways to put obstacles in our way and the cause of that

:57:12. > :57:13.emerging golf is clear - it is because the Labour Party has taken

:57:14. > :57:35.people in Wales granted for decades. They have been charging Cardiff Bay

:57:36. > :57:38.for nearly 20 years. Some Parliamentary constituencies have

:57:39. > :57:45.returned nothing but a Labour MP for a century or more. Welsh Labour have

:57:46. > :57:51.come to believe they have a right to govern. Yet during their time in

:57:52. > :57:57.charge, the performance of Wales' public services has fallen further

:57:58. > :58:01.and further behind. The Welsh NHS is failing because Labour cut its

:58:02. > :58:03.budget. The A waiting times and cancer treatment targets haven't

:58:04. > :58:16.been met for nearly a decade. ' it is little wonder Welsh voters

:58:17. > :58:20.chose to send a message to the politicians in the referendum last

:58:21. > :58:26.June. That should have been a wake-up call, but it wasn't. Labour,

:58:27. > :58:30.Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat politicians ignored Wales instead.

:58:31. > :58:35.Worse, they closed ranks with Plaid Cymru propping up Labour in Wales in

:58:36. > :58:39.order to defend the status quo, as they are determined to do in

:58:40. > :58:46.Westminster too. That would put Jeremy Corbyn in power in a

:58:47. > :58:53.coalition of chaos, and you don't negotiate the right Brexit deal for

:58:54. > :58:58.Britain from a position of weakness. Jeremy Corbyn's coalition of chaos

:58:59. > :59:01.would deliver higher taxes, higher debt and higher unemployment.

:59:02. > :59:04.Labour's policies may have been written by Jeremy Corbyn in London,

:59:05. > :59:10.but the people of Wales will get the bill. But it's not just that Jeremy

:59:11. > :59:15.Corbyn is too weak and shambolic to get the right deal for Britain in

:59:16. > :59:19.Europe, not just that his fantasy manifesto would leave families

:59:20. > :59:26.across Wales picking up the bill, it is also that even traditional Labour

:59:27. > :59:30.supporters, people like those in Wrexham and across Wales who have

:59:31. > :59:34.loyally given the Labour Party allegiance for generations, people

:59:35. > :59:38.taught by their parents and grandparents that Labour was a party

:59:39. > :59:43.that shared their values and stood up for the community, they look at

:59:44. > :59:49.what Jeremy Corbyn believes and they are appalled. They see a party that

:59:50. > :59:52.once believed in hard work, now headed by Jeremy Corbyn who wants to

:59:53. > :59:59.crush aspirations and desert those who hope for a better life. A party

:00:00. > :00:03.that once stood for our union of Nations, now headed by a man who is

:00:04. > :00:10.willing to collaborate with separatists in order to get into

:00:11. > :00:13.power. A Labour Party that first established or independent nuclear

:00:14. > :00:18.deterrent to keep our country safe, now led by a man who wants to get

:00:19. > :00:22.rid of it and even talks about abolishing the army. The prospect of

:00:23. > :00:28.him walking through the door of Number Ten, flanked by an avowed

:00:29. > :00:34.Marxist like John McDonnell and an incompetent Diane Abbott, all

:00:35. > :00:40.propped up by the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and others, should scare

:00:41. > :00:52.us all. APPLAUSE The risk is real and the

:00:53. > :00:59.stakes are high. A loss of just six seats will cost the Government

:01:00. > :01:03.majority and create a hung parliament. Just six fewer MPs means

:01:04. > :01:09.a hung parliament in which the minor parties will flock to prop up Jeremy

:01:10. > :01:15.Corbyn. That will deliver nothing but chaos. It means Jeremy Corbyn

:01:16. > :01:21.imposed as Prime Minister, propped up by the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru

:01:22. > :01:27.Anderson P, all of whom oppose the decision to leave the EU and want to

:01:28. > :01:31.fight to keep us in. And who knows what deals Jeremy Corbyn will do to

:01:32. > :01:37.get the support, because we know he would do anything to get their

:01:38. > :01:42.support. And after the weekend, we now know the tactics he is prepared

:01:43. > :01:46.to adopt to get into Number Ten. He has no strong plan for Britain,

:01:47. > :01:52.which takes on the country's long-term challenges like I have. He

:01:53. > :01:56.wants to sneak over the line by manipulating the fears of old and

:01:57. > :02:00.vulnerable people and falsely claiming families will lose their

:02:01. > :02:05.house as a result of our social care policy. That is shameful, and it is

:02:06. > :02:14.a shameful abdication of responsibility.

:02:15. > :02:21.So today, I want to put an end to Jeremy Corbyn's fake claims and

:02:22. > :02:27.clarify any doubts about our social care policy and the family home. My

:02:28. > :02:32.manifesto is honest and upfront about our challenges. It includes

:02:33. > :02:37.plans to strengthen the social care system with more unsustainable

:02:38. > :02:43.funding to cope with the long-term pressures caused by the fact that we

:02:44. > :02:47.are an ageing society. Jeremy Corbyn wants to duck this reality and play

:02:48. > :02:53.politics. But there will be 2 million more people over 75 years

:02:54. > :02:58.old in Britain over the next decade alone. Our social care system will

:02:59. > :03:03.collapse unless we make some important decisions now about how we

:03:04. > :03:12.fund it. That is why we have two act. And it is why, to give people

:03:13. > :03:16.security, we included in our plans, measures to make sure that nobody

:03:17. > :03:20.has to sell the family home to play -- to pay for care. And we also said

:03:21. > :03:26.that we would protect ?100,000 of your savings. So however expensive

:03:27. > :03:33.your care, you can pass something onto your family. Let's be clear.

:03:34. > :03:38.This plan replaces the existing system, where people often get poor

:03:39. > :03:43.quality care and stand to lose almost all their savings and assets

:03:44. > :03:47.including the family home. This plan addresses the worry people have when

:03:48. > :03:50.they have a loved one with a long-term condition and they don't

:03:51. > :03:56.know how they are going to afford to care for them. So these are good and

:03:57. > :04:00.sensible plans. They provide the beginning of a solution to social

:04:01. > :04:07.care, without increasing taxes on younger generations. And I should

:04:08. > :04:11.say, we are the only party in this election prepared to face up to the

:04:12. > :04:18.reality of our ageing society and offer a long-term solution. But

:04:19. > :04:22.since my manifesto was published, the proposals have been subject to

:04:23. > :04:27.fake claims made by Jeremy Corbyn. The only things he has left to offer

:04:28. > :04:33.in this campaign are fake claims, fear and scaremongering. So I want

:04:34. > :04:38.to make a further point clear. This manifesto says that we will come

:04:39. > :04:41.forward with a consultation paper. A government Green paper. And that

:04:42. > :04:46.consultation will include an absolute limit on the amount people

:04:47. > :04:51.have to pay for their care costs. So let me reiterate, we're proposing

:04:52. > :04:56.the right funding model for social care. We will make sure nobody has

:04:57. > :04:59.to sell their family home to pay for care. We will make sure there is an

:05:00. > :05:04.absolute limit on what people need to pay. And you will never have to

:05:05. > :05:10.go below ?100,000 of your savings, so you will always have something to

:05:11. > :05:14.pass on to your family. And what is Jeremy Corbyn's plan? He promises a

:05:15. > :05:20.nonsensical fantasy policy that can only be funded through massive tax

:05:21. > :05:24.rises on younger generations. In fact, just recently, he threatened

:05:25. > :05:30.to increase the basic rate of income tax for millions of people from 20

:05:31. > :05:34.to 25%, to fund social care. That tells you everything you need to

:05:35. > :05:39.know about Jeremy Corbyn's answer to the problem. The alternative is that

:05:40. > :05:43.he sticks to the status quo, which too often provide support care and

:05:44. > :05:51.leaves old and vulnerable people having to sell their family homes.

:05:52. > :05:55.This manifesto, our -- our manifesto, provides a better way.

:05:56. > :05:58.With it I am leading Britain while Mr Corbyn is simply scaremongering

:05:59. > :06:03.among the elderly and the vulnerable. It is a strong forays --

:06:04. > :06:06.plan for a stronger union and a stronger Wales. It plan to respond

:06:07. > :06:11.to and deliver on the concerns of ordinary working people everywhere.

:06:12. > :06:15.A plan to build a country that works for everyone not the privileged few.

:06:16. > :06:22.It is a detailed programme for government. Rooted in the hopes and

:06:23. > :06:27.aspirations of ordinary working people in towns and cities across

:06:28. > :06:32.the country. A clear plan to meet the big challenges we face together.

:06:33. > :06:36.Because unlike the other parties, we are being upfront and honest with

:06:37. > :06:45.the British people about the scale of the task we face. That is what

:06:46. > :06:48.leadership is about. Not ducking the big decisions. Painting grand and

:06:49. > :06:53.fantastical visions, pretending you can have something for nothing, and

:06:54. > :06:55.no difficult decisions need to be made. Leadership means being

:06:56. > :07:02.straight with people about the challenges ahead and the hard work

:07:03. > :07:07.required to overcome them. And that is what this manifesto does. It sets

:07:08. > :07:12.out the five great challenges faced by our country. One, the need for a

:07:13. > :07:17.strong economy. Two, responded to Brexit and a changing world. Three,

:07:18. > :07:23.tackling enduring social divisions. Four, responding to an ageing

:07:24. > :07:28.society. And five, facing up to fast changing technology. And it sets out

:07:29. > :07:31.what we will do to address each one. And these are challenges that we all

:07:32. > :07:37.face, right across our United Kingdom. And the lesson of Britain's

:07:38. > :07:43.history is that we all do best when we tackle challenges together.

:07:44. > :07:46.United. That is how we have overcome obstacles in the past. And that is

:07:47. > :07:52.how we will make a success of our future. In setting out our plan, we

:07:53. > :07:57.are offering a vision for our United Kingdom not just for the next five

:07:58. > :08:01.years, but for the years and decades beyond. A country where everyone has

:08:02. > :08:07.the economic security they need and the chance to live a secure and full

:08:08. > :08:15.life. A prosperous country, where each generation can do better than

:08:16. > :08:18.the last. But that all starts with getting the right Brexit deal. One

:08:19. > :08:26.that works for the whole United Kingdom. When I sit down with the

:08:27. > :08:30.Prime Minister's -- PMs, chancellors of Europe, I would do so as the

:08:31. > :08:34.Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. When I fight

:08:35. > :08:36.for the best deal, it will be a deal that works for the whole of the

:08:37. > :08:40.United Kingdom. And when I talk about a better future for our

:08:41. > :08:45.country, I mean the whole United Kingdom. Because unlike Jeremy

:08:46. > :08:50.Corbyn, I believe heart and soul in this great union of Nations. And if

:08:51. > :08:53.you give me your backing to represent you at the negotiating

:08:54. > :08:58.table in Europe in the months ahead, I will fight for every person in

:08:59. > :09:03.this United Kingdom. Young and old, rich and poor, city, town, country,

:09:04. > :09:07.and all the villages and hamlets in between. It is my fierce

:09:08. > :09:11.determination to get the right deal for every single person in this

:09:12. > :09:16.country. And every vote for me and my team in this election will

:09:17. > :09:20.strengthen my hand at the negotiations and help me deliver the

:09:21. > :09:24.right deal for Britain. A vote for anyone else is a vote to send Jeremy

:09:25. > :09:32.Corbyn to represent us in Europe instead. Because it may say Labour,

:09:33. > :09:37.Liberal Democrat or Plaid Cymru on the ballot, but it is Jeremy Corbyn

:09:38. > :09:41.that gets the vote. And if we get Brexit right, if we are strong in

:09:42. > :09:45.our negotiations with the EU, we can do more to build a stronger Britain

:09:46. > :09:50.and a stronger Wales here at home. Too often in the past, UK

:09:51. > :09:55.governments have tended to devolve and forget. The government Eilidh

:09:56. > :10:00.will put that right. That is why this manifesto contains clear

:10:01. > :10:06.commitments to spread opportunity and prosperity beyond London and the

:10:07. > :10:11.south-east, and to improve the economic security of people here in

:10:12. > :10:14.Wales. Why it includes a specific commitment to bring forward in North

:10:15. > :10:19.Wales growth deal, connecting North Wales with Northern England, to

:10:20. > :10:23.encourage cross-border working, building on the success of the

:10:24. > :10:28.Cardiff City deal, and Swansea Bay city deal that I signed in south

:10:29. > :10:30.Wales just a few weeks ago. It is why we are committed to bringing

:10:31. > :10:35.down the barriers to trade and commerce between South Wales and the

:10:36. > :10:40.wider UK, by scrapping the tolls on the Severn crossings for good.

:10:41. > :10:44.Helping 25 million drivers who use the crossings every year, and

:10:45. > :10:48.providing a ?100 million boost to the local economy. It is why we will

:10:49. > :10:52.introduce a new UK chaired prosperity fund, replacing

:10:53. > :10:58.ineffective and restrictive EU structural funds with a new targeted

:10:59. > :11:02.scheme, whose sole purpose would be to reduce the inequalities that

:11:03. > :11:07.exist within and between the four nations of our United Kingdom. And

:11:08. > :11:10.it is why as we leave the European Union, we will ensure that power

:11:11. > :11:16.sits close to the people of the UK than ever before. That is why as

:11:17. > :11:21.powers are repatriated to the UK, we expect to be able to increase the

:11:22. > :11:32.decision-making powers of the well Scotland. As long as no new barriers

:11:33. > :11:35.are created between a rowing union. We will ensure the industrial

:11:36. > :11:38.strategy will benefit people, towns and businesses across Wales. That

:11:39. > :11:42.will help to create the high skilled, highly paid jobs of the

:11:43. > :11:47.future. And give our young people every chance of getting on and

:11:48. > :11:51.leading a full and happy life. As Prime Minister of this United

:11:52. > :11:58.Kingdom, that is what I want everyone our country. That is

:11:59. > :12:03.because of a simple truth. Across the United Kingdom, we may be four

:12:04. > :12:07.nations. But at heart we are one people. And we achieve more

:12:08. > :12:21.together. APPLAUSE.

:12:22. > :12:28.We all have a stake in each other's success. We all have a stake in our

:12:29. > :12:34.shared future. That is why this election is so important. Because

:12:35. > :12:39.this election more than any other is about the long-term future of our

:12:40. > :12:44.country. Not just about the next five years. But the years beyond.

:12:45. > :12:49.Not just about our future but the future of our children and our

:12:50. > :12:53.children's children, too. We can get the best possible deal from Brexit.

:12:54. > :12:58.We can redouble our efforts to make things better here at home. And we

:12:59. > :13:04.can show that with hard work, with a clear vision and the right plan, a

:13:05. > :13:07.mainstream, active, determined government can deliver a better,

:13:08. > :13:11.more secure future for ordinary working people across this land. We

:13:12. > :13:21.need strong and stable leadership to do it. There are just 17 days to go.

:13:22. > :13:27.11 days after that, the Europeans want the Brexit talks to begin. And

:13:28. > :13:35.the UK's seat at the negotiating table will be filled by me or Jeremy

:13:36. > :13:38.Corbyn. The deal will -- we seek, negotiated by me, or Jeremy Corbyn.

:13:39. > :13:46.They will be no time to waste. And no time for a new government to find

:13:47. > :13:51.its way. So focus on that choice. Support my candidates here in Wales.

:13:52. > :13:55.Give me the strong hand I need to deliver Brexit. Give me that strong

:13:56. > :14:01.hand and I will deliver for Britain. Give me your support. And with

:14:02. > :14:09.confidence in ourselves, and with a unity of purpose in our country, we

:14:10. > :14:29.can and we will go forward together. APPLAUSE.

:14:30. > :14:37.Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Now I will

:14:38. > :14:47.take some questions from the media. Laura... Thank you, Prime Minister.

:14:48. > :14:50.Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News. You have today again, and repeatedly through

:14:51. > :14:57.this campaign, attacked Jeremy Corbyn forbidding on and unsure come

:14:58. > :15:00.to use your phrase. -- for being uncertain. But you have just

:15:01. > :15:03.announced a significant change to what was announced in your

:15:04. > :15:08.manifesto, to say there will now be the possibility of a cab on social

:15:09. > :15:11.care. That was not in the plans announced four days ago. That does

:15:12. > :15:16.not look strong and stable, does it? Looks rather like panic in the face

:15:17. > :15:18.of opposition. And can you tell us today where the cab on social care

:15:19. > :15:30.costs will be set? What we set out in our manifesto is

:15:31. > :15:33.a long-term plan for securing a sustainable future. Schalke in this

:15:34. > :15:40.country. So I said, if you look at the figures, the number of over

:15:41. > :15:43.75-year-old, two million more within the next decade, our social care

:15:44. > :15:48.system will collapse unless we address this problem, and we cannot

:15:49. > :15:53.leave it to the future, we have to start dealing with it now. That is

:15:54. > :15:56.why I want to fix it and I am going to fix it, and the plans that we set

:15:57. > :16:01.out with very clear in the manifesto, you can look in the

:16:02. > :16:05.manifesto, Laura, I think it was page 6465, we said we would issue a

:16:06. > :16:11.green paper, and within that we will be consulting on the details of the

:16:12. > :16:16.proposals and the principles that we have set out. What is important is

:16:17. > :16:19.that we have seen, over the last few days, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour

:16:20. > :16:24.Party trying to scare vulnerable and elderly people by telling them, and

:16:25. > :16:30.trying to suggest, that they would lose their family homes to pay for

:16:31. > :16:34.their care. Nobody is going to have to pay for their care, nobody is

:16:35. > :16:40.going to have to, while they are alive, nobody is going to have to

:16:41. > :16:46.lose their family home. We will ensure that people are able to pass

:16:47. > :16:53.on savings to their children. That is the proposals that we have put

:16:54. > :16:57.forward. It is the right way to deal with this problem that we all face,

:16:58. > :17:06.and we need to deal with it now. APPLAUSE

:17:07. > :17:14.Robert, Sky? Thanks very much, Robert Nisbet from

:17:15. > :17:18.Sky News. You talk about a coalition of chaos, but isn't this a manifesto

:17:19. > :17:22.of chaos now? What else are you going to clarify within the next few

:17:23. > :17:26.days? And what message do you think this is sending out to those Prime

:17:27. > :17:30.Ministers and chancellors around Europe that you are prepared to be

:17:31. > :17:34.so flexible with what you originally set down in stone? I think the

:17:35. > :17:42.message that our manifesto sets out is that, as a party and as a leader,

:17:43. > :17:46.I and we the party are prepared to be honest with people about the

:17:47. > :17:50.challenges that we face, and are prepared to set forward the hard

:17:51. > :17:54.decisions that have to be taken, but a way forward that ensures we are

:17:55. > :17:57.looking after the interests of ordinary working people across this

:17:58. > :18:01.country. And I think what people will see across this country is that

:18:02. > :18:06.they do you have a choice. They have a choice between Jeremy Corbyn being

:18:07. > :18:09.propped up by votes for any other party in this country, or a

:18:10. > :18:12.government led by me which will provide that strong and stable

:18:13. > :18:16.leadership, which will ensure that we are being honest with each other

:18:17. > :18:22.about the challenges we face, and have a plan to fix those. That is

:18:23. > :18:24.the aborted thing. We will fix those challenges, we will address them,

:18:25. > :18:33.and we will also build a stronger Britain and a better future. Emily.

:18:34. > :18:37.Prime Minister, Emily Morgan, ITV Use. You say you are prepared to

:18:38. > :18:42.take the difficult decisions, but you have just buckled under pressure

:18:43. > :18:46.over your social care plans. Isn't this U-turn just a cynical attempt

:18:47. > :18:51.to stop voters leaving you in droves? Look, first of all, let's be

:18:52. > :18:54.clear - we have not changed the principles that we set out in the

:18:55. > :18:58.manifesto. We are very clear about the principles on which this system

:18:59. > :19:05.will operate and will be based. What we have done is clarified that, in

:19:06. > :19:09.the green paper, which will be a consultation document, we will have

:19:10. > :19:13.a upper limit, absolute limit on the amount that people will pay for

:19:14. > :19:17.care. But the basic principles remain absolutely the same as when

:19:18. > :19:21.they were put in the manifesto and announced last week, that nobody is

:19:22. > :19:24.going to have to pay for their care while they are alive, that nobody is

:19:25. > :19:30.going to have to have their family homes sold while they are living in

:19:31. > :19:35.it, and that everybody will be able, where they have that, to pass

:19:36. > :19:41.?100,000 onto their families. That is four times the limit that

:19:42. > :19:44.currently exists at the moment. This is a good arrangement, it ensures

:19:45. > :19:48.that people can pass savings to their families, it ensures they have

:19:49. > :19:51.the peace of mind, rather than sitting there month after month,

:19:52. > :19:54.worrying about the money going out of their bank account to pay for

:19:55. > :19:59.their care, worrying about what is going to happen in the future, this

:20:00. > :20:03.takes that worry away from people. But it also ensures that we have a

:20:04. > :20:06.sustainable system for funding social care for the future. That is

:20:07. > :20:16.the challenge we need to address, we are the only party that is doing it.

:20:17. > :20:21.Michael. Michael Crick, Channel 4 News. I don't recall a U-turn on a

:20:22. > :20:26.manifesto in any election campaign. Now we've had national insurance and

:20:27. > :20:34.this. As Margaret Thatcher might have said, you turn if you want for

:20:35. > :20:38.turning, the lady is for turning - doesn't this show that you are

:20:39. > :20:44.really weak and waffly, not strong and stable? Can you give an idea of

:20:45. > :20:47.what the cap will be, 100,000, 200,000, half a million? Don't the

:20:48. > :20:54.people of this country have a right to know what the cap will be? We

:20:55. > :21:02.have not changed the principles of the policy that we set out in our

:21:03. > :21:06.manifesto. Those policies... Those policies remain exactly the same.

:21:07. > :21:10.There will be aspects of how this operates that we will consult on

:21:11. > :21:13.through the green paper. We were honest that we were going to have a

:21:14. > :21:16.green paper and we would be consulting people on how the system

:21:17. > :21:23.operates. What we have done, which other parties have singularly failed

:21:24. > :21:27.to do, is to recognise the challenge that we face, to respect the needs

:21:28. > :21:32.and concerns of the British people, and to provide a long-term plan for

:21:33. > :21:37.sustainable social care, which means that elderly people in this country

:21:38. > :21:42.won't have to worry about how their social care will be paid for in the

:21:43. > :21:49.future. Now, do we have the daily post here before I go to the...?

:21:50. > :21:53.Yes. Shane Brennan, Daily Post. What guarantees can you give the Welsh

:21:54. > :21:57.farmers and manufacturers that they will have access to tariff free

:21:58. > :22:00.markets after Brexit? Well, we want to insure that we'd negotiate a

:22:01. > :22:07.comprehensive free trade agreement with the European Union. We want

:22:08. > :22:10.that, I mean, obviously, we will be working to have as tariff free and

:22:11. > :22:13.frictionless a trade arrangement with the rest of the remaining

:22:14. > :22:19.member states of the European Union after we leave the EU. What we will

:22:20. > :22:23.also provide for Welsh farmers, and for farmers across the United

:22:24. > :22:28.Kingdom, is we will be able, across the United Kingdom, to decide the

:22:29. > :22:31.support system for farming that actually works for Welsh farmers,

:22:32. > :22:35.for farmers across the rest of the United Kingdom. It will be a system

:22:36. > :22:39.that simply else has devised for a wider group, it will be for us to be

:22:40. > :22:42.able to have that system of support for farmers and to ensure that the

:22:43. > :22:53.support being provided is as effective as possible. Chris. Chris

:22:54. > :22:57.Hope, the Telegraph. Two quick questions, yes or no, will anything

:22:58. > :23:02.else in the manifesto change between now and Juliet? Second question,

:23:03. > :23:05.quickly, why, as Home Secretary, did you grant asylum to the Libyan man

:23:06. > :23:10.arrested by police for the murder of Yvonne Fletcher? Well, on the latter

:23:11. > :23:17.point, there are rules about how asylum is granted, and any decisions

:23:18. > :23:22.that are taken are taken legally and in accordance with the law of this

:23:23. > :23:29.country. And on the first question, nothing has changed! Nothing has

:23:30. > :23:35.changed. We are offering a long-term solution for the sustainability of

:23:36. > :23:37.social care for the future. We are ensuring that people, elderly

:23:38. > :23:42.people, will not have to worry, they will be able to ensure that their

:23:43. > :23:46.care, whether it is in the home or for them to go into a home, is being

:23:47. > :23:51.paid for and they won't have to worry about those bills month after

:23:52. > :23:55.month after month. And they will have the confidence of knowing that

:23:56. > :24:01.they can pass ?100,000 of savings on to their children. Nothing has

:24:02. > :24:10.changed. We will consult on how the system operates, and we will do that

:24:11. > :24:17.through a green paper. Er... Anybody else? Sorry, I can't see, I think

:24:18. > :24:21.that was the last hand. Jessica Alcock, the Guardian. In case I am

:24:22. > :24:27.missing something, this dementia tax would apply to someone who dies a

:24:28. > :24:31.longer death from dementia, but if you dialogue and death from cancer,

:24:32. > :24:35.you would have the inheritance tax threshold as ?1 million, whereas it

:24:36. > :24:42.reduces to 100,000 in this case, that is still the case, isn't it? Go

:24:43. > :24:45.you are using terms that have been used by the Labour Party to try and

:24:46. > :24:49.scare people in this country. This is a system that will ensure people

:24:50. > :24:54.who are faced with the prospect of either requiring care in their own

:24:55. > :24:58.home more or needing to go into a home for care, are able to see that

:24:59. > :25:02.support provided for them and don't have to worry that month by month

:25:03. > :25:08.basis about where the funding is coming. They won't have to sell

:25:09. > :25:12.their family home while they are alive, they won't have to be

:25:13. > :25:15.worrying, as I say, about those sums of money going out of the bag

:25:16. > :25:21.account each month, and they will be up to pass savings on to their

:25:22. > :25:24.children. This is... This is a policy which ensures sustainability

:25:25. > :25:29.for our social care system going into the future, and we need that,

:25:30. > :25:34.because our system will collapse, with our ageing society, unless we

:25:35. > :25:38.do take the decisions we need. As I said, when I was speaking, the only

:25:39. > :25:43.suggestion that Jeremy Corbyn made about paying for social care was to

:25:44. > :25:47.put up the taxes, the basic rate of tax from ?20 up to 25p so younger

:25:48. > :25:48.generations would have been paying for that. Thank you.

:25:49. > :26:26.APPLAUSE I wanted to talk about protecting

:26:27. > :26:30.older people. The Conservative plan to confiscate

:26:31. > :26:35.assets pound for pound from elderly people to pay for their social care

:26:36. > :26:42.is the worst and stupid public policy proposal of recent years, and

:26:43. > :26:46.the nastiest too, in effect, if not in intention. It cannot be allowed

:26:47. > :26:52.to be implemented in its current form. The Prime Minister is

:26:53. > :26:59.effectively proposing a 100% inheritance tax on assets over

:27:00. > :27:03.?100,000 for those unlucky enough to develop a debilitating, long-term

:27:04. > :27:09.condition that requires domiciliary care, such as dementia or acute

:27:10. > :27:12.arthritis, for instance. Every ?1 spent on care for these and

:27:13. > :27:17.fortunate people will be claimed back from either, at the time they

:27:18. > :27:23.receive it, or from their estate when they die. Now, most policies

:27:24. > :27:28.that intrude on personal finances concern tens of pounds, such as

:27:29. > :27:32.insurance tax rises, for instance, or hundreds of pounds at most, such

:27:33. > :27:38.as Ukip's excellent proposals to cut the cost of living, saving

:27:39. > :27:43.households ?400 a year by taking taxes off domestic energy and other

:27:44. > :27:47.measures. But this Tory death tax is in an altogether different league.

:27:48. > :27:52.It could involve taking tens of thousands or even hundreds of

:27:53. > :27:57.thousands of pounds out of someone's estate, if they have been an lucky

:27:58. > :28:02.enough to suffer an extended, debilitating condition later life.

:28:03. > :28:06.Damian Green seems to feel he is qualified to tell people how much is

:28:07. > :28:10.reasonable for them to pass on to their children, but the financial

:28:11. > :28:17.exposure the Tories are leaving millions of elderly people is not

:28:18. > :28:22.reasonable at all. In fact, this is a Russian roulette approach to

:28:23. > :28:25.paying for social care, and the abrogation of government

:28:26. > :28:32.responsibility. It makes a mockery of the claims of Mrs May and Nick

:28:33. > :28:36.Ahad advisors to be running a communitarian Conservative

:28:37. > :28:39.administration. Just consider typical house prices in parts of the

:28:40. > :28:43.country, particularly but not exclusively in southern England. In

:28:44. > :28:52.Dagenham, for example, average house prices are too good ?95,000. In

:28:53. > :28:59.Thurrock, ?338,000. In Ramsgate, 210,000. In Epping, more than

:29:00. > :29:01.?500,000. Homeowners requiring domiciliary social care are

:29:02. > :29:06.typically people who have paid off their mortgages and therefore owed

:29:07. > :29:12.all or nearly all of the value of the house, so in these ordinary

:29:13. > :29:18.Ingolstadt was that I have listed, anything from 110,000-400,000 will

:29:19. > :29:22.be exposed to the Tory death tax. The Prime Minister seems to wish to

:29:23. > :29:25.avoid scrutiny on heavyweight political programmes in this

:29:26. > :29:30.election. She went on the One Show recently. If she sticks to this

:29:31. > :29:35.policy, her next appearance should be on Total Wipe-out, because that

:29:36. > :29:40.is what she is planning to do to the estates of many elderly people. The

:29:41. > :29:43.Conservatives have created a cult of the leader under Mrs May, but if

:29:44. > :29:48.they persist with this policy in its current form, they will soon find

:29:49. > :29:53.out that this is not North Korea. The British public free thinkers who

:29:54. > :29:56.do not take kindly to being treated like fools. Older voters in

:29:57. > :30:07.particular are not going to brainwashed into voting for Kim

:30:08. > :30:11.Yong-may and against their own interest in such a scale. It is

:30:12. > :30:13.often said that when there is weak opposition, the danger of bad

:30:14. > :30:17.government escalates, and that is what we are seeing with the Tory

:30:18. > :30:21.death tax. Mrs May's Tories think they can do what they like. This

:30:22. > :30:27.policy is not just a dementia tax, it is effectively a tax on all forms

:30:28. > :30:28.of debilitating disease and infirmity that need an elderly

:30:29. > :30:38.person to need social care. Every extra week they live will lead

:30:39. > :30:43.to a further loss of equity and what they can hang onto their children.

:30:44. > :30:49.This will undoubtedly lead to an extra psychological toll on people

:30:50. > :30:53.already with disease. At the extreme end of the spectrum it's likely to

:30:54. > :31:00.make some elderly people feel regretful to still be alive. The

:31:01. > :31:12.Tory policy will also pour some specific knowledge -- anomalies and

:31:13. > :31:17.consequences... What happens, for instance, if a grown-up child is

:31:18. > :31:22.sharing the house but working full-time? Does the house gets sold

:31:23. > :31:27.immediately on the death of the elderly person? If so, that would

:31:28. > :31:35.render someone homeless just as they have lost a parent, or if not, it

:31:36. > :31:38.will lead to anomalies and sculpture of the avoidance. If this scheme is

:31:39. > :31:42.implemented in its present form, it will create a whole new tax

:31:43. > :31:47.avoidance industry, with elderly people piling intellect to release

:31:48. > :31:51.schemes and being given incentives to go on spending sprees to get the

:31:52. > :31:57.remaining value of their assets down under ?100,000. The message from

:31:58. > :32:00.government would be, don't be successful, and don't be financially

:32:01. > :32:05.responsible either. Another even more serious perverse outcome could

:32:06. > :32:10.be that people who need social care refused to accept it and try and

:32:11. > :32:17.model through in order to preserve their estate. With the inevitable

:32:18. > :32:20.result they suffer far more falls and other accidents around the home,

:32:21. > :32:25.which then necessitate long and expensive hospital stays or even

:32:26. > :32:32.bring about their premature death. This is a devastating death tax

:32:33. > :32:35.dreamt up on the back of an envelope and apparently winging its way to

:32:36. > :32:40.the Tory manifesto without consultation with expert opinion,

:32:41. > :32:46.the Cabinet or even the ministers in charge of the policy area in

:32:47. > :32:50.government. It doesn't have to be this way, word governments to make

:32:51. > :32:54.better and different choices on public spending. What is needed

:32:55. > :32:58.first is an immediate and substantial injection of money into

:32:59. > :33:05.the social care system. Because Ukip is prepared to cut unjustified

:33:06. > :33:11.public spending on the Barnett formula, HS2 and overseas aid, we

:33:12. > :33:14.are able to offer just such a financial boost, and will do so when

:33:15. > :33:21.we set out our manifesto on Wednesday. But longer term, we also

:33:22. > :33:26.need an agreed way forward for social care to ensure that risk is

:33:27. > :33:30.fairly pooled and builds our fairly paid. Possible solutions range from

:33:31. > :33:36.a national care service, as set out by Andy Burnham some years ago, to

:33:37. > :33:41.insurance policies and products that people can be encouraged to invest

:33:42. > :33:44.in. The Andy Burnham route may have something to commend it if the

:33:45. > :33:49.public could be assured the resources of a national care service

:33:50. > :33:53.funded out of tax revenue could be protected against freeloading, for

:33:54. > :33:58.instance by new arrivals from other countries. I'm afraid that hurdle

:33:59. > :34:01.would not be cleared if Labour were in government, because Labour has a

:34:02. > :34:07.reputation for being generous to a fault with other people's money.

:34:08. > :34:11.Were I in the shoes of the Tories today, the first thing I would do

:34:12. > :34:16.would be to recognise that Denis Healey's law of holes is now in

:34:17. > :34:23.play. For the uninitiated, I should explain this law is very concise and

:34:24. > :34:27.simply state in regard to a hole, when you are in one, stop digging.

:34:28. > :34:34.Declaring financial war and millions of retired people who spent working

:34:35. > :34:37.life being responsible and building up assets does not amount to

:34:38. > :34:43.compassionate conservatism. It amounts betrayal. So I offer this

:34:44. > :34:49.advice to team Teresa Lu. Why don't you at least offer people a

:34:50. > :34:54.meaningful choice? That is after all what conservatism used to be about.

:34:55. > :35:00.So why not give people an option of chipping in to a voluntary social

:35:01. > :35:05.care costs insurance system run by government from say the age of 50?

:35:06. > :35:10.If people pay in and then need care, they are covered and should not be

:35:11. > :35:14.charged a penny. If, however, they have chosen not to pay in, then at

:35:15. > :35:19.least you would have the semblance of an argument for reclaim the costs

:35:20. > :35:22.from estates after death. If you did this, you could even claim to be

:35:23. > :35:28.adding to your manifesto proposal rather than abounding in it

:35:29. > :35:35.altogether. -- abandoning it. Therefore sparing the blushes of

:35:36. > :35:39.Tarquin without proper stress testing or scrutiny. One could tell

:35:40. > :35:43.from the demeanour of Tory ministers sent out to bat for this policy on

:35:44. > :35:48.the political programmes yesterday, that they knew they were on a loser.

:35:49. > :35:53.So far the conservative newspapers have not really got stuck into the

:35:54. > :35:58.policy with full figure. The ones that care about their readers will

:35:59. > :36:05.do so this week. Because it is an unforgivable attack on the --

:36:06. > :36:09.responsible and hard-working people. My message to all those who may be

:36:10. > :36:14.hit by the Tory policy but would never eat vote for Jeremy Corbyn's

:36:15. > :36:20.Labour, is simple. Ask yourself what has been the best way to influence

:36:21. > :36:26.the Conservative Party's behaviour and policies in the recent past? And

:36:27. > :36:31.the answer is obvious. By voting Ukip, or at least threatening to

:36:32. > :36:36.vote Ukip, look how it worked on Brexit, look how it is working on

:36:37. > :36:40.grammar schools. So if I were in your shoes, I would tell Tory

:36:41. > :36:46.campaigners on the doorstep that you are going to vote Ukip for a

:36:47. > :36:50.common-sense and fairer approach. And if you do that, there is a

:36:51. > :36:53.strong possibility this policy will be ditched altogether, or at least

:36:54. > :36:59.greatly modified by the end of the week. I want to turn briefly to the

:37:00. > :37:04.second leg of the Tory attack on the elderly, on the issue of winter fuel

:37:05. > :37:08.allowance. The Conservatives tell us they will means tested but will not

:37:09. > :37:12.say at what income level people will lose it. Pensioners can be forgiven

:37:13. > :37:16.for suspecting that vast majority of them would no longer be eligible.

:37:17. > :37:22.The Tories have claimed to be making a principled case against

:37:23. > :37:27.Universalism in this area. And for replacing it with an assessment of

:37:28. > :37:33.need. So how come the very next day after unveiling the plan, the Prime

:37:34. > :37:37.Minister was helping Ruth Davidson to launch a Scottish Tory manifesto

:37:38. > :37:42.that placed to keep the allowance for all pensioners north of the

:37:43. > :37:45.border. --? This is yet another example of the English and indeed

:37:46. > :37:50.the wells being treated as second-class citizens within the UK.

:37:51. > :37:56.There is simply no good reason why a millionaire pensioner in Edinburgh

:37:57. > :38:00.should receive an allowance of up to ?300 million -- three to pay full

:38:01. > :38:06.interview will, while pensioners on modest incomes in Essex get nothing.

:38:07. > :38:10.It is the Barnett formula which leads to public spending in Scotland

:38:11. > :38:16.being ?1700 per head higher than it is in England. That is what is

:38:17. > :38:19.behind this. It is another vindication of the Ukip policy of

:38:20. > :38:26.dumping that formula and replacing it with a needs -based funding

:38:27. > :38:32.system instead. So Mrs May's social care plan is not conservative and

:38:33. > :38:36.her winter fuel allowance is not a humanist. Apart from that, I'm sure

:38:37. > :38:38.everything is going fine on the Conservative and Unionist campaign.

:38:39. > :38:48.Thank you. Any questions. Does it matter if you

:38:49. > :38:54.win your seat or your party wins anything at all? I think you may be

:38:55. > :38:57.referring to the point Paul Nuttall made on the television yesterday,

:38:58. > :39:02.which was simply that Ukip has shown it is able to influence the course

:39:03. > :39:08.of politics in Britain without MPs. And indeed one could say that under

:39:09. > :39:13.the current first past the post system, it is proved to date easier

:39:14. > :39:17.for Ukip to get the United Kingdom out of the European Union than it

:39:18. > :39:21.has together MPs elected to the House of Commons. But we hope to

:39:22. > :39:26.change that in this election. We are not expecting an across the board

:39:27. > :39:31.level of voting to match that of 2015, but we do believe we are very

:39:32. > :39:36.much more successfully targeting the areas where we are very strong

:39:37. > :39:42.without actually specifying the ranking of are target seats.

:39:43. > :39:46.Do you think comments like that are helpful in terms of getting the vote

:39:47. > :39:51.out? That it doesn't matter necessarily if you have no MPs? I

:39:52. > :39:54.wouldn't say it doesn't matter. It is this the better for Ukip to be

:39:55. > :39:58.represented in the House of Commons as well as to command the support of

:39:59. > :40:01.hundreds of thousands of millions of people as well. We're just making

:40:02. > :40:05.the point that one of the key ways that we have worked in recent years

:40:06. > :40:09.has been frankly to scare the Conservative Party in particular

:40:10. > :40:16.when they step out of line too badly. And that is why I am inviting

:40:17. > :40:20.older people who get knocked up this week by Conservative campaigners, if

:40:21. > :40:24.enough of you say, we are thinking of voting Ukip over this policy, I

:40:25. > :40:31.don't see it lasting beyond next weekend.

:40:32. > :40:38.Harry, you seem amused. Do you have any reaction to the news

:40:39. > :40:44.that the Commonwealth are sending election monitors from Australia and

:40:45. > :40:52.Mauritius to oversee the election? Is that something you welcome? I

:40:53. > :40:57.think our electoral system has a lot of problems around postal voting on

:40:58. > :41:02.demand in some areas. In some inner-city areas I think there have

:41:03. > :41:05.been problems in the past with intimidation of voters. And I think

:41:06. > :41:08.the Electoral Commission have recognised that certain features of

:41:09. > :41:12.the way elections are run, particularly in inner-city areas,

:41:13. > :41:17.are pretty disgraceful. I think there is no room for complacency at

:41:18. > :41:22.all. And if we have visitors from other countries to have a look and

:41:23. > :41:27.monitor, I think that is quite welcome. It doesn't necessarily mean

:41:28. > :41:32.that their own democratic systems are above criticism. I think it is

:41:33. > :41:46.perfectly welcome. Let's have as many eyes on how things are done as

:41:47. > :41:51.possible. Yeah. Go on. If former leader of the Lib Dems was

:41:52. > :42:01.on the radio this morning, waffling on for about half an hour and taking

:42:02. > :42:18.up so much space that he was even cutting his own throat in hand...

:42:19. > :42:23.It was waffle. It is typical of the BBC. They keep pushing the Lib Dems

:42:24. > :42:27.all the time. As you know, I have had some

:42:28. > :42:31.criticisms of the BBC over recent years. We have got a policy of

:42:32. > :42:36.scrapping the licence fee. But I think during an election, they are

:42:37. > :42:39.quite entitled to put on politicians of lots of different parties. And I

:42:40. > :42:46.don't particularly see that increased exposure of Nick Clegg to

:42:47. > :42:51.the masses is going to harm the prospects of Ukip or indeed any

:42:52. > :42:55.other party at all. I think it is a great democratic festival, a general

:42:56. > :42:59.election, so the more Nick Clegg, the better.

:43:00. > :43:27.Anyone else? Thank you very much then. Thanks.

:43:28. > :43:34.The 2017 general election is upon us. Everyday BBC Parliament will

:43:35. > :43:37.have the key speeches from the main players in full and uncut. As well

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