Green Party Manifesto Launch Election 2017

Welcome to Hull, the city I am proud to call home. The city I hope to

represent in Parliament and the city that has the distinction of being

the UK's City of Culture 2017. From the freedom festival to the

newly fushished gallery, to the truck company, from our university

to our museums. Hull is a cultural centre and City of Cultural status

is adding to our national and international representation. We

have so much to look forward to in Hull. Whatever your tastes we have

the BBC One big weekend, the Proms, the Turner Prize, the royal

Shakespeare's visit. Hundreds of events across the four themeds? .

That makes Hull the perfect place for Labour to launch its pledges. A

creative future for all. So, I am very pleased to introduce and to

welcome back to Hull the deputy Leader of the Labour Party and

Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for culture rks, media and sport Tom

Watson. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. It is

fantastic to be back. Emma, thank you for that excellent introduction.

I used to live in Hull and I have very great and fond memories of the

stismt indeed, I went back to visit some of my former haunts last night.

Do any of you know the small music venue called the Adelpy. Paul

Jackson still runs it. Last time I was there was 25 years ago. He said

to me, are you going to try and blag your way in for free, like you used

to? Not a lot changes. Actually it did change, because I paid ?3 to get

in last night. I saw three acts. Now that is culture for the people. ?3

for free bands. I saw an act called Katie Spencer, who had such a

distinguishing guitar playing style, it reminded me of the first time I

ever heard John Martin play. If you want to see an up and coming artist

look for Katie Spencer. What is the point I am trying to make? The point

I am trying to make is those of us who have lived here always knew that

Hull was a City of Culture. But it is just... That is Katie

Spencer's agent on the phone! It is fantastic it's been finally made

official. And I am immensely proud of this city. I am immensely proud

to be Shadow Culture Secretary. Jeremy and I share an ambition to

ensure that millions of people who want to enjoy arts and culture have

the opportunity to do so. We are here today to hear Jeremy outline

Labour's vision for the arts and the creative industries. That is if Carl

can switch his phone off in time for us all to hear the speech! I am sure

everyone in this room knows how important this sector is. Just for

the avoidance of doubt, the creative industries contribute ?84 billion a

year to our economy. They provide 2 million jobs. Art council figures

show every pound of public investment returns ?5 in tax

contributions from the sector as a whole.

The creative industries can regenerate whole communities. This

city knows this better than most. With Labour in power, Hull has seen

the benefits of investment in culture and the arts and how that

can drive regional economic growth and regeneration. The creative

industries will be judged on the amount of revenue they generate. But

there's another measure that's less easy to quantify. And that is the

benefit of more people reading, listening to music, painting,

visiting galleries or exploring our heritage. The unique things that

Britons create give our nation a particular way of speaking to the

world. An influence that doesn't come from military power or economic

success alone. But from what people love about us.

When it comes to the cultural sector, we are admired around the

plan et. We have global clouds beyond our size. And whatever

uncertainty lies ahead, we can be at the heart of a global culture. Now

our economy is set to be transformed by automation. And we need to

respond to that by becoming a more creative nation and teaching arts

and culture is one way to do that. And even more important than that,

is the way arts let us talk to the world. It is the way arts let us

talk to each other. I believe access to the arts and culture is

profoundly civilising. They broaden our horizons. They help us

understand each other. To be more tolerant of each other's

differences. They help us build communities and right now n the

midst of the upset and division that the referendum caused, it feels like

we very much need that. It feels like we need the shared experiences

this sector provides. The things we all watch, we make, listen to. The

museums we visit. The art galleries we go to. The video games we play.

And when I first got the job as Shadow Secretary I read the speeches

of Jenny Le, the first ever arts minister. She believed access to the

arts was as fundamental to our health and happiness as the National

Health Service. I agree with her. The Tories, not so much. The arts

and culture are always one of the things they target. Art council and

local authority spending on culture and the arts has fallen by hundreds

of millions of pounds since the Tories came to power in 2010. And

the past seven years has seen arts and culture systematically removed

from our education system, leading to a collapse in the numbers of

students taking art, music and drama.

Under a Labour government, arts and culture will be getting the funding

they need to prosper. 1 billion cultural capital fund will let us

upgrade existing facilities, and one of the great things about this job

is the people you meet and the places you get to visit. I have met

kids in new who have been given free music lessons thanks to a Labour

mayor. I have visited the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester and saw rows

of parked up in arms because it is so popular with mothers and their

young children. A Labour government will replace the creative industries

at the heart of our industrial strategy, leaving... So that when we

leave the European Union it will put the creative industries first. And a

Labour government will put inclusivity at the heart of all we

do. Access to arts and culture, the opportunity to pursue a career

creating something they love... These things should be available to

everyone, not just the privileged few. I'm going to pass you on to

someone who knows just how important access to the arts and culture can

be. She is someone I have admired from afar for long time. She's one

of our finest actors and she's incredibly brave. Please welcome

Samantha APPLAUSE. You'll have to excuse me,

I've never done anything like this before but I think now the time. I

am going to read off this. I am really thrilled to be here today in

Hull, the UK's city of culture 2017 to introduce Labour pledges for the

arts and creative industries, and I'm especially pleased that Labour a

sporting access to the arts for all at the heart of its pledges. The

creative arts have so much to offer us all, whether as audiences or as

creators. We have all had our lives enriched by a song or the poem, a

novel or a dramatic performance, even an image, a painting. Art is

not an afterthought to what elections are fought over, art is

what makes our lives worthwhile, it's a political issue. Every time a

museum, gallery or library closes down or a child is denied the chance

to study and artistic subject, or a young person with talent as to

abandon a promising career in theatre or music because they cannot

afford to support themselves, that is a loss to all of us. I come from

a working-class background, and without drama teachers at school and

the inspiration they gave me, and the opportunities they opened up in

my life, my life would have been very different. I certainly wouldn't

have been here today, and I couldn't have had the career I have had if my

talents had not been identified and spotted and supported at a really

early age. There are young people growing up today who have huge

artistic talent, but who don't have the support they need to develop it

properly. Artistic careers should not be restricted to those with the

most family wealth behind them or those who go to the most expensive

schools, and that is why it is so important that Labour's policies to

make sure children have the opportunity to study artistic

subjects in school and to build up our cultural institutions so that

everyone can use them are put into effect. That is why I am Labour, and

I hope you are too. Please welcome the leader of the Labour Party, Mr

Jeremy Corbyn. APPLAUSE Samantha, thank you for the

introduction, thank you for your talent and the way you inspire so

many young actors to achieve what you have achieved.

We are really honoured and proud you are here today to launch our

cultural manifesto. Thank you very much indeed.

APPLAUSE. I look forward to you joining

Carlisle and Diana as three brilliant representatives of Labour

for Hull, thank you for being here today. I also want to thank Tom

Watson, a former Hull university student, I cannot claim to be that

but he will be an absolutely brilliant secretary of the state for

culture, media and sport in the next government because he is totally

dedicated to the brief he has got and the determination that culture

should be there for everyone. Thank you for what you said this morning

and everything you are doing in this campaign. Actually there could be no

better place to launch our cultural manifesto, and during the hour after

the general election was announced, Tom and I put our heads together and

said culture launch will be in Hull, and it is, and we are here. It is

Labour's guarantee of culture for all and it is right we are here. In

the last Labour government, Andy Burnham was impressed by how

Liverpool had been transformed after being made the European city of

culture, and I was in Liverpool over the weekend and we had an incredible

music event over the water in the Wirral. 20,000 people turned up to a

football stadium to enjoy music. That is the mixture of sport and

music and inspiration of so many people. Andy proposed the idea that

every four years we should have a UK city of culture. He was unable to

guarantee that speakers in an election campaign don't lose their

voice, and thanks to the brilliant bid put forward by Hull City

Council, Hull was chosen to be the city of culture. Congratulations to

Hull, well done on the bid you have put forward. These things don't

happen by accident, they happen with very, very hard work by a lot of

people. Hull had hoped to encourage an extra million people to visit

Hull during 2017. One third of a million visited in the first week,

and I'm not surprised - look at what we have offered. Anyone arriving at

Hull Station, the first thing you see is a replica of Amy Johnson's

plane made by prisoners to help them learn new skills, which is excellent

for anyone in prison, but also as a gift to this wonderful city in

memory of one of its favourite daughters, Amy Johnson. Well done

Hull, well done to the prisoners, well done to Amy Johnson. A 200 foot

wind turbine blade made locally went on display in Queen Victoria Square.

The poppies had 450,000 visits in two months, and finally you created

the Sea of Hull by encouraging 3000 local people... Yes, it is very

broad-minded... To strip naked, paint themselves blue, and be

photographed in the early hours of Saturday morning. These photos taken

by a brilliant photographer, Spencer to Nick, are now on display in the

refurbished Ferens Art Gallery. So in a very nice way, the people of

Hull made an exhibition of themselves. I would like to thank

Labour council leader Steve Brady for his hard work in helping deliver

the city for culture. APPLAUSE Steve, well done you and

your colleagues and well done Martin Green also for the hell people to to

achieving this because this is a team that achieved something

brilliant for the city. We can see what transformative

powers of culture have done for Hull, not just attracting visitors

in creating world-class cultural events, but here in Humber Street

where a former fruit market is being regenerated into a thriving cultural

hub, creating new businesses and jobs. The new Humber Street

contemporary art gallery next door has seen 60,000 visits in the first

six weeks. It's estimated that being the UK city of culture will bring

?60 million in economic boost to the city of Hull this year alone, that

is an achievement everybody should be very proud of. And this city that

has done so much for this country, brought so much art and poetry and

inspiration, is a model we can all learn from. And now Labour wants to

replicate what we have seen in Hull across the rest of Britain. Here is

why. Our music industry alone contributes ?4 billion to our

economy each year, but every Adele has to start somewhere. Small the

news and larger ones give artists the first break as they learn their

craft. -- small venues. But over the last ten years in London alone, 40%

of small venues have closed. That means there is nowhere for budding

musicians to perform, there is a loss of rehearsal space. Where are

the next generation of musicians going to come from if we take away

the facilities now? This Conservative government has made

matters even worse. Since 2010, they have slashed 48 million funding for

the arts councils in England, Wales and Scotland. There is creativity in

everyone. Labour's mission will be to set that creativity free. We need

to give people the opportunity for all the creativity to flourish, so

today we unveil our cultural manifesto, which sets out a bold and

inspiring programme to encourage creativity. We are pledging ?1

billion to launch a new cultural capital fund to support our world

leading cultural industries that have been savaged by Conservative

cuts. We will end austerity to boost creativity. It will be amongst the

biggest arts infrastructure funding ever created, it will boost arts,

theatre and literature, upgrading our cultural infrastructure for the

digital age and supporting our economy. It will also invest in

creative clusters across the country based on a similar model to business

enterprise zones. I don't want to see just one city benefit from this

transformative powers of culture every four years. Our cultural

capital fund will help many more towns and cities benefit all round.

The fund will be administered by the arts Council, a Labour generation,

over a five-year period and helped transform our country's cultural

landscape. We will also protect and invest in music venues to support

grass roots and professional music, ensuring a healthy music industry

right across the country in every town and city. Labour will review

the business rate system to make it fairer to organisations like music

venues. This is actually very important, very practical help we

can give, extending the thousand pound pub relief to help small music

venues which are suffering from extraordinary rate rises at the

present time. We will also maintain something that we are very proud of

in the Labour Party, and what Kris Smith achieved when he was our

Secretary of State in 1997. We will maintain free museums and invest in

our heritage sector. APPLAUSE I remember Chris explained

to me how he went to the National museums after they had been made

free and suddenly everybody could be there.

Before that they couldn't. Our national heritage is National for

everybody, not just those that can afford it.

The heritage sector is central to both the identity and economy of

local communities across the country because access to culture is vital

for the emotional and intellectual growth of all our people, but

especially important for young people. We want to unleash the

potential of every young person, not just through education in the normal

school setting, but also through culture, in every of us there is a

poet, writer, a singer of songs, an artist, a creative thinker. But too

few of us are able to fulfil any kind of artistic ambition. Under the

Conservatives it's getting worse. Per-pupil funding for schools will

be cut for the first time in a generation.

Forced to send out begging letters to parents for donations to keep the

schools running. This is a shameful state of affairs. So, we will be, in

addition to properly funding our schools, scrapping tuition fees and

introducing universal free school meals in our primary schools,

something pioneered here in Hull. But we will go further...

Labour will introduce an arts pupil premium that will allow every

primary school child in England the chance to learn a musical

restaurant, take part in drama -- instrument, take part in drama, have

regular access to galleries and museums. Labour will not only feed

our children's stomachs, but feed their minds and unleash their

creativity. The arts pupil premium will provide

?165 million per year to boost creative education and ensure arts

facilities in state schools match standards found only now in many

private schools. We will deliver a creative future

for all and a culture for the many, not the few. But we need your help.

If people want to see these transformative changes, then they

have to be able to vote. Those who are not on the register have 12

hours, 26 minutes to get registered. 12 hours, 26 minutes. It will take

you two minutes. Since the election was called, more than two million

people have registered to vote. 40% of them aged between 18-24.

So, my message is simply this - if you are being held back, and want to

lead a richer life, then get registered and have your say.

We can stop a Conservative Government that wants to pit the old

against the young. And replace it with a Labour Government that offers

hope and unity. A Government for the many, not the

few. A Government that ensures that

culture is for all. And I'm very proud of the manifesto we're putting

forward. I'm very proud of the culture and creative part of this

manifesto. This country is so brimming with talent.

Let's let that creativity, that talent, that genius be unleashed.

Because culture is for the many, not the few. Thank you very much indeed.

Well, before we start the questions, I'd just like to say this, in 2011,

when we became the administration in Hull, it was a question of either

managing decline or going for growth.

And the sensible thing, the most sensible thing to do, we knew quite

well was to go for growth. Growth produces jobs. It gives hope to the

people. And part of that, we got together with business, with the

voluntary sector, with the arts community and we developed that plan

and I can say this, that in four years, that plan and all the things

that we had in that plan has succeeded. We plan to get 7500 jobs

in a ten-year period, we've achieved that in four years.

That is everybody in Hull working together. It is what was needed. We

needed that Hull and the futures for our young people. What we've seen,

what we are seeing now is an upsurge in regeneration and investment.

Never before seen in this City. Just in the last 18 months announcements

and actual now developments have occurred to the tune of just under

?3 billion in this city. A total transformation of the city centre,

where people are so proud to come into. There are art galleries. We've

expanded the offer to the public. We've increased the hours of our art

galleries and the other cultural things in this city, so we have not

gone in to decrease or to close down. We have increased. And through

that, we're now seeing a huge number of jobs created in the city centre

alone. And I just have to say this, if anybody doubts that the City of

Culture should actually stop, come to Hull and see the reasons why it

should go on. I'm going to take questions now from the media and the

first one is from the Press Association.

George Osborne has tweeted to say the Tories will U-turn on their

social care policy and they will introduce a social care cost cap. I

want to get your reaction to that. That was George Osborne, was it? Did

that come from the Tory central office or from The Evening Standard?

It's going to be in The Evening Standard.

I would suggest to you that he probably knows. We will take them in

threes and Rachel from RTV. Good morning.

Labour have been running education in Wales since 2011 and yet tuition

fees there are the same as in England, ?9,000 aer. Why should

students in England trust you on tuition fees? And Kier, from the

Daily Mirror. Morning. The last two sets of

opinion polls have been single dig get-leads for the Tories. What do

you think is behind that? And do you think you can keep going? OK. Thanks

for your questions. A Tory U-turn on social care would be extremely

welcome, because I want this country to face up to its responsibilities

to those who need care, either frail elderly, those with special needs,

those with severe disabilities, those with learning difficulties and

our proposals are that we will refund social care, putting

emergency money into it now, so those million people waiting for

social care don't wait and we won't get involved in this horrible policy

the Tories are putting forward, which will actually damage families

and family income, damage people, break up relationships, all kinds of

horrible things will happen from their very dangerously ill thought

out social care policy. And if George Osborne is at last doing

something useful in his life of supporting proper funding of social

care, then thank you, George, for that. And I urge him to read very

carefully what's in our manifesto on social care. Rachel, thanks for your

point. We put forward a very clear funded and credible policy of what

we'll do on university fees. We do so because if we carry on with this

process of ever rising fares and under Conservatives the threat of

lifting the cap all together, then what happens is two things. One is

those that have achieved enough to get into university, gone through

university, leave with debts of often ?50,000 and more than that.

And if they earn more than ?21,000 they have to start repaying it, but

the debt is still there for a long time after that.

I'm determined that university education should be available for

all. And that is why we've gone into this in a lot of detail, after a lot

of debate and discussion and looked at it and decided, yes, we will make

this offer of removing the university fees, reinstating the

maintenance grant for those who need it at university and reinstating the

Educational Maintenance Allowance, so that young people can continue to

do A levels or vocational qualifications and have some degree

of independence and self-respect in what they are doing. We do that

because we want all young people to have the chance of going to

university. Since the fees have gone up to ?9,000 under the coalition

Government, the numbers of working class youngsters going to university

has declined. The number of university applications has started

to go down. Surely, we should be investing in our future. Somebody

who doesn't achieve the profession they want, nursing, teaching,

medicine in some other form, engineering - whatever it happens to

be, they lose out. But we as a society lose out because we've lost

a qualified person who can help improve our industries, improve our

services, improve our quality of life. We're determined to do it. And

we're going to do it when we've won the election on June 8th.

Kier, thanks very much for your question, I'm not commenting on any

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

on June 8th. What I would say is, the numbers of people who are

registered to vote in this election are extraordinary. The numbers of

people that are volunteering to help the Labour election campaign are

extraordinary. And the numbers of people making

small donations, average of ?22 to our election funds says something

about the popularity of the manifesto we put forward and the

views that are there in it. This election is obviously very

important. Very important for the future direction this country leads.

What I do is invite everyone to take part in conversations over the next

two weeks. Conversations about whether you want a Government that

continues to tax cutting corporations, tax cutting the

wealthiest in our society and continuing to underfund schools.

Underfund education, underfund social care, underfundamental

health. Deny the arts the support they need and deny industry the

investment it needs in a better infrastructure across the whole

country. So we get high-quality railway lines to every city,

including Hull. That we get good broadband, contact rate, access

rates all over the country. The Labour offer is about an expanding

economy, which will improve employment, improve wages and living

standards or a continuation of the grotesque levels of inequality that

exist in Britain. That's the Labour offer.

We will take questions from the audience. Any questions from the

audience? Jeremy, we have a society that we want, we have a society that

we want to be built on equality. I know that is what you are attempting

to deliver. Have you a keen message for younger voters, such as my two

daughters who are hoping to go to university and a son that wants to

get into qualifications that's a message of hope for them. I know our

policies are there. But it is key to us, as parents and as those who have

young people, still a few years off, but she's going to be there, but we

want to make sure that those young people and their parents understand

the real importance of why they need to vote Labour in June, because

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

damaged. Not us, I'm talking about, as a

party, I'm talking about the country. How do we get by this and

how do we deliver? We have one of the best school music

services in the country, do you think your preset for every primary

school pupil will enable such centres of excellence to spring up

all over the country? Any further questions? Anybody in the audience?

Thank you. Lynn Davidson from the Sun. No, we don't boo journalists.

The Northern Ireland Secretary has challenged you today, he has asked

five questions on the IRA asking should IRA's murdered the condemned

unequivocally by IRA terrorists. If they are, would you unequivocally

condemned the IRA as terrorists? Thanks to James Brogan Shire for his

questions, I condemn all acts of violence in Northern Ireland from

well wherever they came. I spent the 1980s representing a constituency

with a large number of Irish people in it -- Northern Irish people in

it. We wanted justice and a solution. The first ceasefire helped

bring that about and helped bring about those talks which were

representative of all sections of opinion in Northern Ireland and the

Labour government after 1997 helped bring in the historic Good Friday

Agreement, the base of which was the recognition of the differing

cultural histories and values of Northern Ireland, and it stood the

test of time and it is still there. We have a devolved administration in

Northern Ireland, and I think we should recognise that the piece was

achieved by a lot of bravery both in the unionist community as well as in

the nationalist community. People that walked a very difficult extra

mile when they were under pressure from the communities not to do so,

both Republicans and unionists walked that extra mile and brought

the Good Friday Agreement and I think we should use this election is

thanking those that brought about the Good Friday Agreement.

APPLAUSE All of them. Those in Government at the time as well as

those who did so much on the ground, and Northern Ireland is a very

different place. We will be working with the devolved administration in

Northern Ireland as well as the Government of the Republic to make

sure wrecks it doesn't bring about a barbed wire border -- to make sure

Brexit doesn't bring about a barbed wire border. Of the other two

questions raised, thank you. This election is about two views and

visions of Britain. Either the absolute 21st-century cutting-edge

ideas put forward by the Conservative Party, which seemed to

revolve around restoration of fox hunting and selective education, or

our view which is one which is about giving opportunities for all. We

cannot go on being the lifeguard of industrial investment of all the

major industrial countries in the world. We cannot go on underfunding

crucial services and short-changing our young people who are offered

little except greater costs and greater debt and less opportunity.

And so we are not going into this awful game of setting off the young

against the old, saying to the young you have got to pay for the costs of

the older people, saying to the older people you are under some kind

of threat because of what we want to spend on education. In reality we

all depend on each other. Young people need the support and wisdom

of older people, older people need to be encouraged and infused by

younger people so our manifesto is for all. This is your chance. People

lay down their lives so that you might vote. Women's right to vote

came about because of the bravery of suffragettes and many others around

the time of the First World War, but it also started here in Hull. Mary

Wollstonecraft wrote the rights of women, and that is part of the

origins of that whole democratic movement. Hull has taught the world

a great deal and I tell the people this is your chance... Your chance

to vote in this election, your chance to express your democratic

view and I hope you will recognise we are determined unserious to

properly fund education, culture and the arts, properly invest in service

industry growth for the future so your skills, your genius can

contribute to a better quality of life for everybody. Please take part

in the election, but above all have that discussion, ask the difficult

questions of each other and everyone else between now and election day,

that is what an election should be about, proper debate and discussion,

and I'm enjoying every minute of it. APPLAUSE And on your point about

music, I congratulate Hull because of the traditions it has got in

culture and so many other things but also the way in which you have a

council which is serious about young people learning music. When young

people achieve things together it is quite inspiring, and it's the role

of local education authorities that is also important in this. I went to

the Royal Albert Hall to see a concert a couple of years ago,

absolutely brilliant. Huge orchestras of 100 children coming

together, you think how does the conductor manage it? But the joy of

those children there performing together. You go to libraries where

there are some reading projects and you see the joy of children who have

read six books, talked about it and felt inspired by it, carrying on

using the libraries so I want to rule that out across the country.

The areas seeing the theatres and libraries closed, schools with lack

of instruments and that kind of thing, it isn't going to cost a lot

of money in order to reinstate so much of that, and that is why Tom

and I are serious about this people arts premium to make sure everyone

gets a chance. Don't leave it just those whose parents are able to

spend enough money to get their children into private theatre

schools or private music lessons. Let's make it mainstream. Do well in

music, you do well in maths. It is part and parcel of our creativity

and our lives. I think what we have proposed today in Hull is something

that will transform the cultural landscape of this country in exactly

the same way the 1960s Labour government led by Harold Wilson and

the fantastic Minister of arts, Jennie Lee, transformed the ideas

and notions of culture. There is creativity in us all, rich or poor.

Thank you very much. APPLAUSE Good morning and welcome to the

launch of the Conservative Party manifesto in Wales and it was in

north Wales the Prime Minister had the plans to call a general election

in the national interest. Our plan for a stronger Wales,

stronger Britain and prosperous future. As we leave the European

Union, union of the United Kingdom is more important now than ever

before, and as Secretary of State, I have seen it first hand, the Prime

Minister's commitment to Wales and the union. Since her very first

speech on the steps of Downing Street, Theresa May has put the

union at the heart of her programme for government. And we have a strong

record in Wales. City, region deals in Cardiff and Swansea with a

commitment to a north Wales growth deal. Investment in railways with

plans to modernise across Wales, and a fair funding formula, something

many had complained about for decades but it was this Prime

Minister who agreed a new funding settlement for Wales within her

first six months in office. But this manifesto is about our future, and

whatever plans we have, making a success of Brexit will be key. It

essential to our economy, central to our future stability and security.

At this time of change, change that could threaten the union, it has

never been more important to have a strong and stable leadership in the

national interest. A Prime Minister that is ready to take the difficult

decisions and ready to face 27 nations that could be lining up to

oppose us. I have the privilege to introduce someone that is a true

friend of Wales, a true champion of the union, and someone that will

always act in the interests of our whole country. Please welcome the

Prime Minister. APPLAUSE

Thank you very much and it is good to be here in Wrexham today with

just 17 days to go until this crucial general election. Just 11

days after that, the European Union wants the Brexit negotiations to

begin. The UK's seat at the negotiating table will be filled by

me or Jeremy Corbyn. The deal we seek negotiated by me or Jeremy

Corbyn. There will be no time to waste and no time for a new

government to find its way so the stakes in this election are high.

Our future prosperity, our standard of living, our place in the world,

and the opportunities we want for our children and our children's

children are either in the strong hand you grant me by supporting my

candidates in this election or the weak hand off Jeremy Corbyn backed

by the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the SNP who don't want

Brexit to succeed. It is your choice, your decision. Every vote

for me and my team in this election will be a vote to strengthen my hand

in the negotiations to come. Every vote for any other party - Labour,

the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru - is a vote to send Jeremy Corbyn into

the negotiating chamber on our behalf and that is the stark reality

of the choice we must focus on over the next 17 days. Because our future

prosperity depends on getting the next five years right. That's why we

need someone representing Britain who is 100% committed to the cause.

Not someone who is uncertain or unsure, but someone utterly

determined to deliver the democratic will of the British people, because

if we don't get this right, the consequences for the United Kingdom

and for the economic security of ordinary working people will be

dire. If we do, the opportunities ahead are great. The Welsh

Conservative manifesto I launched today is a plan to make the most of

the opportunities together. It is a plan to make Wales and our union

stronger. For this manifesto sets out a vision of Britain around which

I believe we can all unite. It is the mainstream manifesto of a

mainstream party determined to deliver for mainstream Britain. And

to all those who work hard and make this country what it is, I say this

- if you have a job but don't always have job security, I am backing you.

If you own your own home but worry about paying the mortgage, I am

backing you. If you can just about manage but worry about the cost of

living and getting your children into a good school, I am backing

you. If you feel you have been let down and left behind by politics and

government for far too long, I am backing you.

APPLAUSE And to all the decent men, women and

families you meet in countless towns and villages across Wales and the

country, I am backing you. To those for whom life is often much harder

than many seem to think or realise, I am backing you. For those who want

to do their best for their children and given a fair chance to get on, I

am backing you. I am backing those who want a more secure and full

life. I am backing those whose only wish is that the children will do

better than themselves, and to those who look to the Government and

politicians for little help and support, I am backing you too.

Because too often in the past, ordinary working people have found

the help and support they need just isn't there. And I know that sense

of disenchantment is particularly acute here in Wales. We saw that

when people here in Wrexham and across Wales chose to ignore the

hysterical warnings of labour, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat

politicians in Cardiff Bay and voted to leave the EU. We see it now in

the way the same politicians refuse to accept that vote as they try to

find new ways to put obstacles in our way and the cause of that

emerging golf is clear - it is because the Labour Party has taken

people in Wales granted for decades. They have been charging Cardiff Bay

for nearly 20 years. Some Parliamentary constituencies have

returned nothing but a Labour MP for a century or more. Welsh Labour have

come to believe they have a right to govern. Yet during their time in

charge, the performance of Wales' public services has fallen further

and further behind. The Welsh NHS is failing because Labour cut its

budget. The A waiting times and cancer treatment targets haven't

been met for nearly a decade. ' it is little wonder Welsh voters

chose to send a message to the politicians in the referendum last

June. That should have been a wake-up call, but it wasn't. Labour,

Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat politicians ignored Wales instead.

Worse, they closed ranks with Plaid Cymru propping up Labour in Wales in

order to defend the status quo, as they are determined to do in

Westminster too. That would put Jeremy Corbyn in power in a

coalition of chaos, and you don't negotiate the right Brexit deal for

Britain from a position of weakness. Jeremy Corbyn's coalition of chaos

would deliver higher taxes, higher debt and higher unemployment.

Labour's policies may have been written by Jeremy Corbyn in London,

but the people of Wales will get the bill. But it's not just that Jeremy

Corbyn is too weak and shambolic to get the right deal for Britain in

Europe, not just that his fantasy manifesto would leave families

across Wales picking up the bill, it is also that even traditional Labour

supporters, people like those in Wrexham and across Wales who have

loyally given the Labour Party allegiance for generations, people

taught by their parents and grandparents that Labour was a party

that shared their values and stood up for the community, they look at

what Jeremy Corbyn believes and they are appalled. They see a party that

once believed in hard work, now headed by Jeremy Corbyn who wants to

crush aspirations and desert those who hope for a better life. A party

that once stood for our union of Nations, now headed by a man who is

willing to collaborate with separatists in order to get into

power. A Labour Party that first established or independent nuclear

deterrent to keep our country safe, now led by a man who wants to get

rid of it and even talks about abolishing the army. The prospect of

him walking through the door of Number Ten, flanked by an avowed

Marxist like John McDonnell and an incompetent Diane Abbott, all

propped up by the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and others, should scare

us all. APPLAUSE The risk is real and the

stakes are high. A loss of just six seats will cost the Government

majority and create a hung parliament. Just six fewer MPs means

a hung parliament in which the minor parties will flock to prop up Jeremy

Corbyn. That will deliver nothing but chaos. It means Jeremy Corbyn

imposed as Prime Minister, propped up by the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru

Anderson P, all of whom oppose the decision to leave the EU and want to

fight to keep us in. And who knows what deals Jeremy Corbyn will do to

get the support, because we know he would do anything to get their

support. And after the weekend, we now know the tactics he is prepared

to adopt to get into Number Ten. He has no strong plan for Britain,

which takes on the country's long-term challenges like I have. He

wants to sneak over the line by manipulating the fears of old and

vulnerable people and falsely claiming families will lose their

house as a result of our social care policy. That is shameful, and it is

a shameful abdication of responsibility.

So today, I want to put an end to Jeremy Corbyn's fake claims and

clarify any doubts about our social care policy and the family home. My

manifesto is honest and upfront about our challenges. It includes

plans to strengthen the social care system with more unsustainable

funding to cope with the long-term pressures caused by the fact that we

are an ageing society. Jeremy Corbyn wants to duck this reality and play

politics. But there will be 2 million more people over 75 years

old in Britain over the next decade alone. Our social care system will

collapse unless we make some important decisions now about how we

fund it. That is why we have two act. And it is why, to give people

security, we included in our plans, measures to make sure that nobody

has to sell the family home to play -- to pay for care. And we also said

that we would protect ?100,000 of your savings. So however expensive

your care, you can pass something onto your family. Let's be clear.

This plan replaces the existing system, where people often get poor

quality care and stand to lose almost all their savings and assets

including the family home. This plan addresses the worry people have when

they have a loved one with a long-term condition and they don't

know how they are going to afford to care for them. So these are good and

sensible plans. They provide the beginning of a solution to social

care, without increasing taxes on younger generations. And I should

say, we are the only party in this election prepared to face up to the

reality of our ageing society and offer a long-term solution. But

since my manifesto was published, the proposals have been subject to

fake claims made by Jeremy Corbyn. The only things he has left to offer

in this campaign are fake claims, fear and scaremongering. So I want

to make a further point clear. This manifesto says that we will come

forward with a consultation paper. A government Green paper. And that

consultation will include an absolute limit on the amount people

have to pay for their care costs. So let me reiterate, we're proposing

the right funding model for social care. We will make sure nobody has

to sell their family home to pay for care. We will make sure there is an

absolute limit on what people need to pay. And you will never have to

go below ?100,000 of your savings, so you will always have something to

pass on to your family. And what is Jeremy Corbyn's plan? He promises a

nonsensical fantasy policy that can only be funded through massive tax

rises on younger generations. In fact, just recently, he threatened

to increase the basic rate of income tax for millions of people from 20

to 25%, to fund social care. That tells you everything you need to

know about Jeremy Corbyn's answer to the problem. The alternative is that

he sticks to the status quo, which too often provide support care and

leaves old and vulnerable people having to sell their family homes.

This manifesto, our -- our manifesto, provides a better way.

With it I am leading Britain while Mr Corbyn is simply scaremongering

among the elderly and the vulnerable. It is a strong forays --

plan for a stronger union and a stronger Wales. It plan to respond

to and deliver on the concerns of ordinary working people everywhere.

A plan to build a country that works for everyone not the privileged few.

It is a detailed programme for government. Rooted in the hopes and

aspirations of ordinary working people in towns and cities across

the country. A clear plan to meet the big challenges we face together.

Because unlike the other parties, we are being upfront and honest with

the British people about the scale of the task we face. That is what

leadership is about. Not ducking the big decisions. Painting grand and

fantastical visions, pretending you can have something for nothing, and

no difficult decisions need to be made. Leadership means being

straight with people about the challenges ahead and the hard work

required to overcome them. And that is what this manifesto does. It sets

out the five great challenges faced by our country. One, the need for a

strong economy. Two, responded to Brexit and a changing world. Three,

tackling enduring social divisions. Four, responding to an ageing

society. And five, facing up to fast changing technology. And it sets out

what we will do to address each one. And these are challenges that we all

face, right across our United Kingdom. And the lesson of Britain's

history is that we all do best when we tackle challenges together.

United. That is how we have overcome obstacles in the past. And that is

how we will make a success of our future. In setting out our plan, we

are offering a vision for our United Kingdom not just for the next five

years, but for the years and decades beyond. A country where everyone has

the economic security they need and the chance to live a secure and full

life. A prosperous country, where each generation can do better than

the last. But that all starts with getting the right Brexit deal. One

that works for the whole United Kingdom. When I sit down with the

Prime Minister's -- PMs, chancellors of Europe, I would do so as the

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. When I fight

for the best deal, it will be a deal that works for the whole of the

United Kingdom. And when I talk about a better future for our

country, I mean the whole United Kingdom. Because unlike Jeremy

Corbyn, I believe heart and soul in this great union of Nations. And if

you give me your backing to represent you at the negotiating

table in Europe in the months ahead, I will fight for every person in

this United Kingdom. Young and old, rich and poor, city, town, country,

and all the villages and hamlets in between. It is my fierce

determination to get the right deal for every single person in this

country. And every vote for me and my team in this election will

strengthen my hand at the negotiations and help me deliver the

right deal for Britain. A vote for anyone else is a vote to send Jeremy

Corbyn to represent us in Europe instead. Because it may say Labour,

Liberal Democrat or Plaid Cymru on the ballot, but it is Jeremy Corbyn

that gets the vote. And if we get Brexit right, if we are strong in

our negotiations with the EU, we can do more to build a stronger Britain

and a stronger Wales here at home. Too often in the past, UK

governments have tended to devolve and forget. The government Eilidh

will put that right. That is why this manifesto contains clear

commitments to spread opportunity and prosperity beyond London and the

south-east, and to improve the economic security of people here in

Wales. Why it includes a specific commitment to bring forward in North

Wales growth deal, connecting North Wales with Northern England, to

encourage cross-border working, building on the success of the

Cardiff City deal, and Swansea Bay city deal that I signed in south

Wales just a few weeks ago. It is why we are committed to bringing

down the barriers to trade and commerce between South Wales and the

wider UK, by scrapping the tolls on the Severn crossings for good.

Helping 25 million drivers who use the crossings every year, and

providing a ?100 million boost to the local economy. It is why we will

introduce a new UK chaired prosperity fund, replacing

ineffective and restrictive EU structural funds with a new targeted

scheme, whose sole purpose would be to reduce the inequalities that

exist within and between the four nations of our United Kingdom. And

it is why as we leave the European Union, we will ensure that power

sits close to the people of the UK than ever before. That is why as

powers are repatriated to the UK, we expect to be able to increase the

decision-making powers of the well Scotland. As long as no new barriers

are created between a rowing union. We will ensure the industrial

strategy will benefit people, towns and businesses across Wales. That

will help to create the high skilled, highly paid jobs of the

future. And give our young people every chance of getting on and

leading a full and happy life. As Prime Minister of this United

Kingdom, that is what I want everyone our country. That is

because of a simple truth. Across the United Kingdom, we may be four

nations. But at heart we are one people. And we achieve more

together. APPLAUSE.

We all have a stake in each other's success. We all have a stake in our

shared future. That is why this election is so important. Because

this election more than any other is about the long-term future of our

country. Not just about the next five years. But the years beyond.

Not just about our future but the future of our children and our

children's children, too. We can get the best possible deal from Brexit.

We can redouble our efforts to make things better here at home. And we

can show that with hard work, with a clear vision and the right plan, a

mainstream, active, determined government can deliver a better,

more secure future for ordinary working people across this land. We

need strong and stable leadership to do it. There are just 17 days to go.

11 days after that, the Europeans want the Brexit talks to begin. And

the UK's seat at the negotiating table will be filled by me or Jeremy

Corbyn. The deal will -- we seek, negotiated by me, or Jeremy Corbyn.

They will be no time to waste. And no time for a new government to find

its way. So focus on that choice. Support my candidates here in Wales.

Give me the strong hand I need to deliver Brexit. Give me that strong

hand and I will deliver for Britain. Give me your support. And with

confidence in ourselves, and with a unity of purpose in our country, we

can and we will go forward together. APPLAUSE.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Now I will

take some questions from the media. Laura... Thank you, Prime Minister.

Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News. You have today again, and repeatedly through

this campaign, attacked Jeremy Corbyn forbidding on and unsure come

to use your phrase. -- for being uncertain. But you have just

announced a significant change to what was announced in your

manifesto, to say there will now be the possibility of a cab on social

care. That was not in the plans announced four days ago. That does

not look strong and stable, does it? Looks rather like panic in the face

of opposition. And can you tell us today where the cab on social care

costs will be set? What we set out in our manifesto is

a long-term plan for securing a sustainable future. Schalke in this

country. So I said, if you look at the figures, the number of over

75-year-old, two million more within the next decade, our social care

system will collapse unless we address this problem, and we cannot

leave it to the future, we have to start dealing with it now. That is

why I want to fix it and I am going to fix it, and the plans that we set

out with very clear in the manifesto, you can look in the

manifesto, Laura, I think it was page 6465, we said we would issue a

green paper, and within that we will be consulting on the details of the

proposals and the principles that we have set out. What is important is

that we have seen, over the last few days, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour

Party trying to scare vulnerable and elderly people by telling them, and

trying to suggest, that they would lose their family homes to pay for

their care. Nobody is going to have to pay for their care, nobody is

going to have to, while they are alive, nobody is going to have to

lose their family home. We will ensure that people are able to pass

on savings to their children. That is the proposals that we have put

forward. It is the right way to deal with this problem that we all face,

and we need to deal with it now. APPLAUSE

Robert, Sky? Thanks very much, Robert Nisbet from

Sky News. You talk about a coalition of chaos, but isn't this a manifesto

of chaos now? What else are you going to clarify within the next few

days? And what message do you think this is sending out to those Prime

Ministers and chancellors around Europe that you are prepared to be

so flexible with what you originally set down in stone? I think the

message that our manifesto sets out is that, as a party and as a leader,

I and we the party are prepared to be honest with people about the

challenges that we face, and are prepared to set forward the hard

decisions that have to be taken, but a way forward that ensures we are

looking after the interests of ordinary working people across this

country. And I think what people will see across this country is that

they do you have a choice. They have a choice between Jeremy Corbyn being

propped up by votes for any other party in this country, or a

government led by me which will provide that strong and stable

leadership, which will ensure that we are being honest with each other

about the challenges we face, and have a plan to fix those. That is

the aborted thing. We will fix those challenges, we will address them,

and we will also build a stronger Britain and a better future. Emily.

Prime Minister, Emily Morgan, ITV Use. You say you are prepared to

take the difficult decisions, but you have just buckled under pressure

over your social care plans. Isn't this U-turn just a cynical attempt

to stop voters leaving you in droves? Look, first of all, let's be

clear - we have not changed the principles that we set out in the

manifesto. We are very clear about the principles on which this system

will operate and will be based. What we have done is clarified that, in

the green paper, which will be a consultation document, we will have

a upper limit, absolute limit on the amount that people will pay for

care. But the basic principles remain absolutely the same as when

they were put in the manifesto and announced last week, that nobody is

going to have to pay for their care while they are alive, that nobody is

going to have to have their family homes sold while they are living in

it, and that everybody will be able, where they have that, to pass

?100,000 onto their families. That is four times the limit that

currently exists at the moment. This is a good arrangement, it ensures

that people can pass savings to their families, it ensures they have

the peace of mind, rather than sitting there month after month,

worrying about the money going out of their bank account to pay for

their care, worrying about what is going to happen in the future, this

takes that worry away from people. But it also ensures that we have a

sustainable system for funding social care for the future. That is

the challenge we need to address, we are the only party that is doing it.

Michael. Michael Crick, Channel 4 News. I don't recall a U-turn on a

manifesto in any election campaign. Now we've had national insurance and

this. As Margaret Thatcher might have said, you turn if you want for

turning, the lady is for turning - doesn't this show that you are

really weak and waffly, not strong and stable? Can you give an idea of

what the cap will be, 100,000, 200,000, half a million? Don't the

people of this country have a right to know what the cap will be? We

have not changed the principles of the policy that we set out in our

manifesto. Those policies... Those policies remain exactly the same.

There will be aspects of how this operates that we will consult on

through the green paper. We were honest that we were going to have a

green paper and we would be consulting people on how the system

operates. What we have done, which other parties have singularly failed

to do, is to recognise the challenge that we face, to respect the needs

and concerns of the British people, and to provide a long-term plan for

sustainable social care, which means that elderly people in this country

won't have to worry about how their social care will be paid for in the

future. Now, do we have the daily post here before I go to the...?

Yes. Shane Brennan, Daily Post. What guarantees can you give the Welsh

farmers and manufacturers that they will have access to tariff free

markets after Brexit? Well, we want to insure that we'd negotiate a

comprehensive free trade agreement with the European Union. We want

that, I mean, obviously, we will be working to have as tariff free and

frictionless a trade arrangement with the rest of the remaining

member states of the European Union after we leave the EU. What we will

also provide for Welsh farmers, and for farmers across the United

Kingdom, is we will be able, across the United Kingdom, to decide the

support system for farming that actually works for Welsh farmers,

for farmers across the rest of the United Kingdom. It will be a system

that simply else has devised for a wider group, it will be for us to be

able to have that system of support for farmers and to ensure that the

support being provided is as effective as possible. Chris. Chris

Hope, the Telegraph. Two quick questions, yes or no, will anything

else in the manifesto change between now and Juliet? Second question,

quickly, why, as Home Secretary, did you grant asylum to the Libyan man

arrested by police for the murder of Yvonne Fletcher? Well, on the latter

point, there are rules about how asylum is granted, and any decisions

that are taken are taken legally and in accordance with the law of this

country. And on the first question, nothing has changed! Nothing has

changed. We are offering a long-term solution for the sustainability of

social care for the future. We are ensuring that people, elderly

people, will not have to worry, they will be able to ensure that their

care, whether it is in the home or for them to go into a home, is being

paid for and they won't have to worry about those bills month after

month after month. And they will have the confidence of knowing that

they can pass ?100,000 of savings on to their children. Nothing has

changed. We will consult on how the system operates, and we will do that

through a green paper. Er... Anybody else? Sorry, I can't see, I think

that was the last hand. Jessica Alcock, the Guardian. In case I am

missing something, this dementia tax would apply to someone who dies a

longer death from dementia, but if you dialogue and death from cancer,

you would have the inheritance tax threshold as ?1 million, whereas it

reduces to 100,000 in this case, that is still the case, isn't it? Go

you are using terms that have been used by the Labour Party to try and

scare people in this country. This is a system that will ensure people

who are faced with the prospect of either requiring care in their own

home more or needing to go into a home for care, are able to see that

support provided for them and don't have to worry that month by month

basis about where the funding is coming. They won't have to sell

their family home while they are alive, they won't have to be

worrying, as I say, about those sums of money going out of the bag

account each month, and they will be up to pass savings on to their

children. This is... This is a policy which ensures sustainability

for our social care system going into the future, and we need that,

because our system will collapse, with our ageing society, unless we

do take the decisions we need. As I said, when I was speaking, the only

suggestion that Jeremy Corbyn made about paying for social care was to

put up the taxes, the basic rate of tax from ?20 up to 25p so younger

generations would have been paying for that. Thank you.

APPLAUSE I wanted to talk about protecting

older people. The Conservative plan to confiscate

assets pound for pound from elderly people to pay for their social care

is the worst and stupid public policy proposal of recent years, and

the nastiest too, in effect, if not in intention. It cannot be allowed

to be implemented in its current form. The Prime Minister is

effectively proposing a 100% inheritance tax on assets over

?100,000 for those unlucky enough to develop a debilitating, long-term

condition that requires domiciliary care, such as dementia or acute

arthritis, for instance. Every ?1 spent on care for these and

fortunate people will be claimed back from either, at the time they

receive it, or from their estate when they die. Now, most policies

that intrude on personal finances concern tens of pounds, such as

insurance tax rises, for instance, or hundreds of pounds at most, such

as Ukip's excellent proposals to cut the cost of living, saving

households ?400 a year by taking taxes off domestic energy and other

measures. But this Tory death tax is in an altogether different league.

It could involve taking tens of thousands or even hundreds of

thousands of pounds out of someone's estate, if they have been an lucky

enough to suffer an extended, debilitating condition later life.

Damian Green seems to feel he is qualified to tell people how much is

reasonable for them to pass on to their children, but the financial

exposure the Tories are leaving millions of elderly people is not

reasonable at all. In fact, this is a Russian roulette approach to

paying for social care, and the abrogation of government

responsibility. It makes a mockery of the claims of Mrs May and Nick

Ahad advisors to be running a communitarian Conservative

administration. Just consider typical house prices in parts of the

country, particularly but not exclusively in southern England. In

Dagenham, for example, average house prices are too good ?95,000. In

Thurrock, ?338,000. In Ramsgate, 210,000. In Epping, more than

?500,000. Homeowners requiring domiciliary social care are

typically people who have paid off their mortgages and therefore owed

all or nearly all of the value of the house, so in these ordinary

Ingolstadt was that I have listed, anything from 110,000-400,000 will

be exposed to the Tory death tax. The Prime Minister seems to wish to

avoid scrutiny on heavyweight political programmes in this

election. She went on the One Show recently. If she sticks to this

policy, her next appearance should be on Total Wipe-out, because that

is what she is planning to do to the estates of many elderly people. The

Conservatives have created a cult of the leader under Mrs May, but if

they persist with this policy in its current form, they will soon find

out that this is not North Korea. The British public free thinkers who

do not take kindly to being treated like fools. Older voters in

particular are not going to brainwashed into voting for Kim

Yong-may and against their own interest in such a scale. It is

often said that when there is weak opposition, the danger of bad

government escalates, and that is what we are seeing with the Tory

death tax. Mrs May's Tories think they can do what they like. This

policy is not just a dementia tax, it is effectively a tax on all forms

of debilitating disease and infirmity that need an elderly

person to need social care. Every extra week they live will lead

to a further loss of equity and what they can hang onto their children.

This will undoubtedly lead to an extra psychological toll on people

already with disease. At the extreme end of the spectrum it's likely to

make some elderly people feel regretful to still be alive. The

Tory policy will also pour some specific knowledge -- anomalies and

consequences... What happens, for instance, if a grown-up child is

sharing the house but working full-time? Does the house gets sold

immediately on the death of the elderly person? If so, that would

render someone homeless just as they have lost a parent, or if not, it

will lead to anomalies and sculpture of the avoidance. If this scheme is

implemented in its present form, it will create a whole new tax

avoidance industry, with elderly people piling intellect to release

schemes and being given incentives to go on spending sprees to get the

remaining value of their assets down under ?100,000. The message from

government would be, don't be successful, and don't be financially

responsible either. Another even more serious perverse outcome could

be that people who need social care refused to accept it and try and

model through in order to preserve their estate. With the inevitable

result they suffer far more falls and other accidents around the home,

which then necessitate long and expensive hospital stays or even

bring about their premature death. This is a devastating death tax

dreamt up on the back of an envelope and apparently winging its way to

the Tory manifesto without consultation with expert opinion,

the Cabinet or even the ministers in charge of the policy area in

government. It doesn't have to be this way, word governments to make

better and different choices on public spending. What is needed

first is an immediate and substantial injection of money into

the social care system. Because Ukip is prepared to cut unjustified

public spending on the Barnett formula, HS2 and overseas aid, we

are able to offer just such a financial boost, and will do so when

we set out our manifesto on Wednesday. But longer term, we also

need an agreed way forward for social care to ensure that risk is

fairly pooled and builds our fairly paid. Possible solutions range from

a national care service, as set out by Andy Burnham some years ago, to

insurance policies and products that people can be encouraged to invest

in. The Andy Burnham route may have something to commend it if the

public could be assured the resources of a national care service

funded out of tax revenue could be protected against freeloading, for

instance by new arrivals from other countries. I'm afraid that hurdle

would not be cleared if Labour were in government, because Labour has a

reputation for being generous to a fault with other people's money.

Were I in the shoes of the Tories today, the first thing I would do

would be to recognise that Denis Healey's law of holes is now in

play. For the uninitiated, I should explain this law is very concise and

simply state in regard to a hole, when you are in one, stop digging.

Declaring financial war and millions of retired people who spent working

life being responsible and building up assets does not amount to

compassionate conservatism. It amounts betrayal. So I offer this

advice to team Teresa Lu. Why don't you at least offer people a

meaningful choice? That is after all what conservatism used to be about.

So why not give people an option of chipping in to a voluntary social

care costs insurance system run by government from say the age of 50?

If people pay in and then need care, they are covered and should not be

charged a penny. If, however, they have chosen not to pay in, then at

least you would have the semblance of an argument for reclaim the costs

from estates after death. If you did this, you could even claim to be

adding to your manifesto proposal rather than abounding in it

altogether. -- abandoning it. Therefore sparing the blushes of

Tarquin without proper stress testing or scrutiny. One could tell

from the demeanour of Tory ministers sent out to bat for this policy on

the political programmes yesterday, that they knew they were on a loser.

So far the conservative newspapers have not really got stuck into the

policy with full figure. The ones that care about their readers will

do so this week. Because it is an unforgivable attack on the --

responsible and hard-working people. My message to all those who may be

hit by the Tory policy but would never eat vote for Jeremy Corbyn's

Labour, is simple. Ask yourself what has been the best way to influence

the Conservative Party's behaviour and policies in the recent past? And

the answer is obvious. By voting Ukip, or at least threatening to

vote Ukip, look how it worked on Brexit, look how it is working on

grammar schools. So if I were in your shoes, I would tell Tory

campaigners on the doorstep that you are going to vote Ukip for a

common-sense and fairer approach. And if you do that, there is a

strong possibility this policy will be ditched altogether, or at least

greatly modified by the end of the week. I want to turn briefly to the

second leg of the Tory attack on the elderly, on the issue of winter fuel

allowance. The Conservatives tell us they will means tested but will not

say at what income level people will lose it. Pensioners can be forgiven

for suspecting that vast majority of them would no longer be eligible.

The Tories have claimed to be making a principled case against

Universalism in this area. And for replacing it with an assessment of

need. So how come the very next day after unveiling the plan, the Prime

Minister was helping Ruth Davidson to launch a Scottish Tory manifesto

that placed to keep the allowance for all pensioners north of the

border. --? This is yet another example of the English and indeed

the wells being treated as second-class citizens within the UK.

There is simply no good reason why a millionaire pensioner in Edinburgh

should receive an allowance of up to ?300 million -- three to pay full

interview will, while pensioners on modest incomes in Essex get nothing.

It is the Barnett formula which leads to public spending in Scotland

being ?1700 per head higher than it is in England. That is what is

behind this. It is another vindication of the Ukip policy of

dumping that formula and replacing it with a needs -based funding

system instead. So Mrs May's social care plan is not conservative and

her winter fuel allowance is not a humanist. Apart from that, I'm sure

everything is going fine on the Conservative and Unionist campaign.

Thank you. Any questions. Does it matter if you

win your seat or your party wins anything at all? I think you may be

referring to the point Paul Nuttall made on the television yesterday,

which was simply that Ukip has shown it is able to influence the course

of politics in Britain without MPs. And indeed one could say that under

the current first past the post system, it is proved to date easier

for Ukip to get the United Kingdom out of the European Union than it

has together MPs elected to the House of Commons. But we hope to

change that in this election. We are not expecting an across the board

level of voting to match that of 2015, but we do believe we are very

much more successfully targeting the areas where we are very strong

without actually specifying the ranking of are target seats.

Do you think comments like that are helpful in terms of getting the vote

out? That it doesn't matter necessarily if you have no MPs? I

wouldn't say it doesn't matter. It is this the better for Ukip to be

represented in the House of Commons as well as to command the support of

hundreds of thousands of millions of people as well. We're just making

the point that one of the key ways that we have worked in recent years

has been frankly to scare the Conservative Party in particular

when they step out of line too badly. And that is why I am inviting

older people who get knocked up this week by Conservative campaigners, if

enough of you say, we are thinking of voting Ukip over this policy, I

don't see it lasting beyond next weekend.

Harry, you seem amused. Do you have any reaction to the news

that the Commonwealth are sending election monitors from Australia and

Mauritius to oversee the election? Is that something you welcome? I

think our electoral system has a lot of problems around postal voting on

demand in some areas. In some inner-city areas I think there have

been problems in the past with intimidation of voters. And I think

the Electoral Commission have recognised that certain features of

the way elections are run, particularly in inner-city areas,

are pretty disgraceful. I think there is no room for complacency at

all. And if we have visitors from other countries to have a look and

monitor, I think that is quite welcome. It doesn't necessarily mean

that their own democratic systems are above criticism. I think it is

perfectly welcome. Let's have as many eyes on how things are done as

possible. Yeah. Go on. If former leader of the Lib Dems was

on the radio this morning, waffling on for about half an hour and taking

up so much space that he was even cutting his own throat in hand...

It was waffle. It is typical of the BBC. They keep pushing the Lib Dems

all the time. As you know, I have had some

criticisms of the BBC over recent years. We have got a policy of

scrapping the licence fee. But I think during an election, they are

quite entitled to put on politicians of lots of different parties. And I

don't particularly see that increased exposure of Nick Clegg to

the masses is going to harm the prospects of Ukip or indeed any

other party at all. I think it is a great democratic festival, a general

election, so the more Nick Clegg, the better.

Anyone else? Thank you very much then. Thanks.

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