:00:33. > :00:41.On and thank you all for coming along today. One of the biggest
:00:42. > :00:42.challenges facing working people and pensioners is the crisis in living
:00:43. > :00:45.standards. Yesterday, the Conservative Party
:00:46. > :00:50.published their manifesto. Far from addressing that crisis,
:00:51. > :00:54.their proposals present a clear Today, we will be hearing
:00:55. > :01:01.from John McDonnell, Labour's Shadow Chancellor,
:01:02. > :01:03.and Rebecca Long Bailey, Labour's Shadow Business Secretary,
:01:04. > :01:11.about this threat. And the choice facing the British
:01:12. > :01:16.people on the 8th of June. We are also launching today our
:01:17. > :01:20.punchy and hard-hitting poster. Which demonstrates the risk
:01:21. > :01:23.of the Tories to pensioners' living As Andrew said, this week,
:01:24. > :01:36.Labour published its manifesto It was a bold and transformational
:01:37. > :01:42.programme for government. Designed to rebuild our economy
:01:43. > :01:54.and deliver for working people. This was a manifesto that
:01:55. > :01:58.promised more of the same. More Tory failure on living
:01:59. > :02:00.standards and a manifesto that fails working people
:02:01. > :02:06.and especially pensioners. A manifesto that dropped
:02:07. > :02:09.the triple lock. Dropped the tax and
:02:10. > :02:10.dropped their commitment There is not a single
:02:11. > :02:16.reference to living standards Living standards are falling under
:02:17. > :02:27.the Tories, a situation described Yet Theresa May couldn't promise
:02:28. > :02:39.that she would seek to address this. There is a clear and unambiguous
:02:40. > :02:44.threat to living standards. An attack on pensioners
:02:45. > :02:50.and on working people. Today, Rebecca and I will set out
:02:51. > :02:53.what this threat means for working The Tories have launched an all-out
:02:54. > :03:07.attack on pensioner incomes by abandoning the triple lock,
:03:08. > :03:12.cutting winter fuel payments, raising the state pension age
:03:13. > :03:15.and breaking promises on social care They have laid bare the threat
:03:16. > :03:27.they pose to pensioners security And have shown beyond a doubt
:03:28. > :03:30.that they are turning And future generations
:03:31. > :03:36.of pensioners. Those people who worked hard,
:03:37. > :03:39.they did everything asked of them. They put their blood, sweat
:03:40. > :03:42.and tears into making Britain great. And today they must feel
:03:43. > :03:44.they have been kicked Theresa May's message to them
:03:45. > :03:52.and millions of workers is now this, work for years longer only
:03:53. > :03:55.to receive far less generous Not even a carriage clock
:03:56. > :04:00.for your years of service, And Theresa May had the cheek to say
:04:01. > :04:09.she would end her party's pursuit On the triple lock, Theresa May used
:04:10. > :04:20.to support the triple lock. In a debate in the House of Commons
:04:21. > :04:25.in 2011, she acknowledged how crucial it is for pensioners
:04:26. > :04:28.when she said it gives real security It was a firm commitment
:04:29. > :04:34.in the last Tory manifesto. Now, only two years later,
:04:35. > :04:37.she is refusing to commit to the triple lock for the lifetime
:04:38. > :04:48.of the next Parliament. Under the Tories, after 2020,
:04:49. > :04:51.the state pension would be uprated by average earnings,
:04:52. > :04:54.growth rate or inflation, There is one very big
:04:55. > :04:59.problem with that. The Tories record on pay
:05:00. > :05:03.is absolutely atrocious. Real wages are lower
:05:04. > :05:05.than they were in 2010 If the Tories's abysmal record
:05:06. > :05:14.is anything to go by, pensioners are set to be hundreds
:05:15. > :05:17.of pounds worse off if the Tories Analysis we are publishing today
:05:18. > :05:24.shows just how weak Theresa May's new double lock would have been over
:05:25. > :05:26.the last seven years Older people receiving the basic
:05:27. > :05:35.state pension would have been ?330 worse off since 2010 under
:05:36. > :05:41.the double lock. The Tory record on wage growth
:05:42. > :05:47.is so weak that in 2015, under the double lock,
:05:48. > :05:54.the basic state pension would have been uprated
:05:55. > :05:57.by a measly ?1.36 a week. That's not good enough
:05:58. > :06:00.to guarantee the real value That is why I repeat today the firm
:06:01. > :06:11.commitment that Labour Unlike the Tories,
:06:12. > :06:18.we won't cut your pension. We will protect your income
:06:19. > :06:20.by keeping the triple lock over And the next Labour government will
:06:21. > :06:28.keep winter fuel payments as well. The last Labour government
:06:29. > :06:33.introduced them in 1997. Between then and 2010,
:06:34. > :06:35.they helped lift over 900,000 The Tories have tried to suggest
:06:36. > :06:42.that they are cutting winter fuel payments only
:06:43. > :06:50.from the richest in society. What we've got in the Tory
:06:51. > :06:52.manifesto yesterday was a substantial cut in support
:06:53. > :06:56.for millions of pensioners. According to the Resolution
:06:57. > :06:59.Foundation, 10 million pensioners could be at risk
:07:00. > :07:02.of losing their winter fuel That would not just be
:07:03. > :07:13.a cut for the very rich, that is a cut for five out of every
:07:14. > :07:21.six pensioners in Great Britain. When the average income,
:07:22. > :07:25.for retired households is just under ?20,000
:07:26. > :07:27.a year and pensioner poverty has this cut is nothing more
:07:28. > :07:31.than an attack on pensioners. The Tories should come clean
:07:32. > :07:38.about what their plans would mean. How many pensioners would lose
:07:39. > :07:41.out and by how much? We introduced winter fuel
:07:42. > :07:52.payments, they worked. We will keep them to protect
:07:53. > :07:55.pensioners' living standards. Let us move on to
:07:56. > :08:02.the state pension age. The Tories wrote their own review
:08:03. > :08:05.into the pension age. We got a clue as to
:08:06. > :08:08.why that might be. Instead of setting out their plans,
:08:09. > :08:11.they said they would only ensure the state pension age reflects
:08:12. > :08:16.increases in life expectancy. Worryingly, this suggests to many
:08:17. > :08:21.that the Tories could adopt the recommendations of a review
:08:22. > :08:24.bringing forward increases to the state pension age
:08:25. > :08:30.for millions of workers. Figures provided by the House
:08:31. > :08:33.of Commons library shows that plans to increase the state pension age
:08:34. > :08:35.would mean that 34 million people will work longer
:08:36. > :08:37.if the Conservatives win In contrast, Labour's
:08:38. > :08:48.manifesto, promises to leave We would commission a new review
:08:49. > :08:59.of the state pension system tasks with a flexible retirement policy
:09:00. > :09:02.to reflect the wide variations Lower incomes, less support
:09:03. > :09:14.and a shorter retirement. That's what the Tories
:09:15. > :09:15.are offering pensioners. And that is the thanks
:09:16. > :09:18.they are giving them for a lifetime The Tory squeeze on working
:09:19. > :09:31.families is just as severe. As Becky says, the threat to working
:09:32. > :09:43.families is real and severe. We are currently witnessing the
:09:44. > :09:54.worst decade for pay in 200 years. Real wages are still lower today
:09:55. > :09:57.than they were when the Tories This week we got news
:09:58. > :10:02.that the situation is Real wages turned negative
:10:03. > :10:09.in the last few months which means that prices
:10:10. > :10:13.outstrip pay packets leaving working It is worth pointing
:10:14. > :10:22.out how extraordinary According to the OECD,
:10:23. > :10:28.the UK is the only advanced major economy where growth has
:10:29. > :10:31.returned since the crash, and it is unlikely to stop there,
:10:32. > :10:39.experts have warned that with the cost of living increasing,
:10:40. > :10:41.household incomes are set to be Under the Tories, working families
:10:42. > :10:46.are paying more in tax and there are further tax rises
:10:47. > :10:48.in the pipeline. Since 2010 the average household
:10:49. > :10:50.is paying more in both direct and indirect taxation,
:10:51. > :11:00.a total of nearly ?2000. Under current proposals there
:11:01. > :11:06.are net tax rises of ?14.4 billion, or 4.6% of national
:11:07. > :11:08.income in the pipeline This is a net figure and takes
:11:09. > :11:16.into account any tax cuts. These ?14.4 billion of tax rises
:11:17. > :11:20.is equivalent to ?760 per family. That means, under the Tories,
:11:21. > :11:25.the tax burden is set to reach the highest level
:11:26. > :11:34.since 1986, 1987. The scrapping of the commitment
:11:35. > :11:39.to no increase in VAT. This is a clear and unambiguous
:11:40. > :11:45.threat to working people. Labour is promising no
:11:46. > :11:54.increase in taxation Secondly, you have not mentioned
:11:55. > :12:23.one of the more glaring promises on immigration
:12:24. > :12:35.that the Conservatives As a result of the Tories are
:12:36. > :12:42.abysmal record on living standards relative to what households could
:12:43. > :12:44.have experienced under Labour. The Tories have scrapped their
:12:45. > :12:49.commitment to raising living standards. In that 2050 manifesto,
:12:50. > :12:54.they promised to raise living standards, but living standards were
:12:55. > :13:06.completely omitted from yesterday's manifesto -- in the 2015 manifesto.
:13:07. > :13:16.This offers pensioners in security with a huge question over living
:13:17. > :13:21.standards. Gone was the commitment to not raise taxes for working
:13:22. > :13:25.people and gone was the failure to protect the triple lock. This is a
:13:26. > :13:31.clear threat to working people and pensioners. The choice at this
:13:32. > :13:33.election is clear. A threat to working people and pensioners living
:13:34. > :13:42.standards if the Tories are real elected on the 8th of June, or a
:13:43. > :13:48.Labour plan to help working people, to introduce a real living wage by
:13:49. > :13:53.2020, and a Labour plan that will have no tax rises to 95% of
:13:54. > :13:56.taxpayers and no increase in VAT and no increase in national insurance
:13:57. > :14:00.contributions and a Labour plan that will invest in our vital public
:14:01. > :14:06.services. That is the choice at this election. A clear threat to working
:14:07. > :14:11.people's living standards or a Labour Party that will stand up for
:14:12. > :14:19.the many and not the few. Let me just mention, though, the issue with
:14:20. > :14:22.regard to older people. Yesterday the Conservative Party abandoned
:14:23. > :14:30.older people. There was a triple whammy. The tearing up of the triple
:14:31. > :14:35.lock. The attack on the winter fuel allowance and yes, the plans on care
:14:36. > :14:40.costs where people could lose control of their homes. I just want
:14:41. > :14:45.to mention the issue around the winter fuel allowance. Because to be
:14:46. > :14:50.frank I'm angry. I'm one of those people who campaigned against fuel
:14:51. > :14:54.poverty for a number of years and I welcome the introduction of the
:14:55. > :14:59.winter fuel allowance. There are 1 million pensioners and more living
:15:00. > :15:05.in fuel poverty and 30,000 excess deaths a year in winter in this
:15:06. > :15:10.country. It looks as though as the resolution foundation has said, the
:15:11. > :15:16.means test could hit all those not on the pension credit am attempting
:15:17. > :15:20.people. We also know that a third, because it is a means tested benefit
:15:21. > :15:27.on pension credit, third don't claim. This is a savage attack on
:15:28. > :15:33.vulnerable pensioners, especially those who are just about managing.
:15:34. > :15:36.It is disgraceful and we are calling upon the Conservative Party now to
:15:37. > :15:39.withdraw it today. Two with two Dory today.
:15:40. > :15:45.We will not I Lou our pensioners winter fuel allowance to be cut in
:15:46. > :15:50.this way and for so many of them to be back in a situation where they
:15:51. > :15:54.have to choose whether they heat or eat. This is the fifth richest
:15:55. > :15:55.country in the world. We should be able to keep our pensioners safe in
:15:56. > :16:04.winter and warm. Thank you, John. Thank you Rebecca.
:16:05. > :16:09.Now we have a little time for questions from the media. I'll take
:16:10. > :16:14.them in groups of three. So if you can, please, tell me your name and
:16:15. > :16:20.where you're from. Tamara Cohen first and then the gentleman there
:16:21. > :16:24.and the lady there. REPORTER: Thank you, Tamara Cohen
:16:25. > :16:29.from Sky News why should the likes of Mick Jagger or Alan Sugar get
:16:30. > :16:32.money from the taxpayer when it should be spent on working-age
:16:33. > :16:36.people that you and Jeremy Corbyn kr have champ beyond. Would you not
:16:37. > :16:40.like to see any restrictions at all on the working fuel payment. You
:16:41. > :16:42.haven't mentioned one of the promises the Conservatives have
:16:43. > :16:45.broken on immigration is that because the truth is Labour has no
:16:46. > :16:51.plans to reduce immigration if you win the election? With regards to
:16:52. > :16:54.winter fuel. The whole point of introducing ain no means-tested
:16:55. > :16:58.benefit is because means-tested benefits actually do have a
:16:59. > :17:03.deterrent effect on claim. We've seen that on pensioner credits. A
:17:04. > :17:07.third who are entitled to pensioner credits not claiming. Largely
:17:08. > :17:16.because means testing is often so complex. The The pensioner credit
:17:17. > :17:20.form is 19 pages long. So historically that universal benefits
:17:21. > :17:24.reach the people who need it better. Those people who are, yes, have
:17:25. > :17:29.higher incomes pay through their taxes and that's the way in which
:17:30. > :17:35.actually you introduce the fairness into the system overall. We're
:17:36. > :17:42.putting at risk large numbers of pensioners this winter if the Tories
:17:43. > :17:46.get re-elected. So that's why we're demanding, actually, that they
:17:47. > :17:50.withdraw this proposal immediately because it introduced an insecurity
:17:51. > :17:56.in up to 10 million pensioners in this country. Most of them, the vast
:17:57. > :17:59.majority, on lower middle earnings, as Becky said, they have done
:18:00. > :18:03.everything asked of them, in erms it of working throughout their lives,
:18:04. > :18:09.contributing in their taxes and national insurance and saving. With
:18:10. > :18:15.regard to immigration. Let's make this absolutely clear - we've just
:18:16. > :18:21.had a manifesto published yesterday completely uncosted. 60 pledges with
:18:22. > :18:26.no costings beside them at all. When the Labour Party manifesto, we
:18:27. > :18:29.published our costings alongside our manifesto and we're open to
:18:30. > :18:35.discussion and debate around those costings. What we saw yesterday,
:18:36. > :18:40.uncosted manifesto, 60 pledges and the immigration pledge, well, it's
:18:41. > :18:44.been in two Conservative manifestos for the last two elections and it's
:18:45. > :18:49.not been met. Now an uncosted commitment, yet again. When it was
:18:50. > :18:53.put to Michael Fallon last night he fell apart unable to respond on the
:18:54. > :18:59.costs. Although we know there is a range of independent assessments of
:19:00. > :19:02.a cost between ?4-?6 billion a year. In terms of immigration, our
:19:03. > :19:06.immigration policy will be managed and fair, but it will be based upon
:19:07. > :19:10.the needs of this country. We will not undermine our economy on the
:19:11. > :19:16.basis of setting unrealistic targets in the way this Conservative Party
:19:17. > :19:19.has. Remember who was responsible for implementing and achieving these
:19:20. > :19:25.targets - Theresa May and the Home Office. So what we want is a
:19:26. > :19:27.realistic immigration policy, based upon, yes, fairness and management,
:19:28. > :19:31.but also based upon the needs of the economy. Thank you, John. The
:19:32. > :19:42.gentleman there and then the lady there.
:19:43. > :19:45.REPORTER: Hello. I'm from ITV News. John, what do you think it is about
:19:46. > :19:49.Labour's reputation that means that you have to cost everything whereas
:19:50. > :19:54.the Conservatives seem to feel that they don't have to cost anything?
:19:55. > :19:59.Their manifesto? Secondly, if I may, they said yesterday that they would
:20:00. > :20:02.expand Heathrow, you're against the expansion of Heathrow and Labour's
:20:03. > :20:05.manifesto was very unclear on what you would do about Heathrow. What is
:20:06. > :20:10.the party position and is it the same as your personal position? OK.
:20:11. > :20:13.It's a good point on the issue about this costing because I think it's
:20:14. > :20:19.outrageous that here we have the Labour Party coming forward with a
:20:20. > :20:22.costed programme, in detail, some people might disagree in the way in
:20:23. > :20:26.which we're trying to raise the funds, at least they know what our
:20:27. > :20:32.choices are. There's nothing in terms of the costings. 60, 60
:20:33. > :20:35.promises and pledges, uncosted. Those questions need to be asked of
:20:36. > :20:39.the Conservative Party. In fact, what we'll do this afternoon, we'll
:20:40. > :20:42.issue journalists with 30 questions to ask the Conservatives. It will
:20:43. > :20:49.help improve your journalistic careers! LAUGHTE What we'll try and
:20:50. > :20:52.do is measure productivity on how many of those questions you actually
:20:53. > :20:57.ask. I think it's important we pin them down on this. I think - how are
:20:58. > :21:02.they getting away with it? I don't think they are any more. You've got
:21:03. > :21:05.a job that you can help the general public, as part of this election,
:21:06. > :21:09.part of the democratic debate. Ask them point by point what the
:21:10. > :21:13.costings are some of these questions arer seerious. The issue around the
:21:14. > :21:17.winter fuel is serious. It's putting pensioners, many of them, under
:21:18. > :21:22.severe threat. As a result of that, feeling extremely insecure this
:21:23. > :21:26.morning. I think the difference between us is that, actually, we
:21:27. > :21:32.have a' now broken through as a party. It is innovative for us to
:21:33. > :21:35.lay out in detail in a general election campaign exact details of
:21:36. > :21:38.our funding. I think we've set a new standard for political parties to
:21:39. > :21:44.follow. I expect the Conservative Party to do that. If they can. But
:21:45. > :21:49.the advantage that they've had is that they're in Government they had
:21:50. > :21:54.access to the Treasury and OBR. We asked for to the office of budget
:21:55. > :21:59.responsibility and Treasury models to us on getting the information and
:22:00. > :22:02.that modelling could be substantiated independently. They
:22:03. > :22:06.denied us that access. We have drew upon what information we can and
:22:07. > :22:10.independent assessments. That's what we've done. Yes, open to challenge.
:22:11. > :22:15.Let's have that debate. Let's have them put their figures out there. We
:22:16. > :22:21.will issue the 30 questions this afternoon. Measure your
:22:22. > :22:26.productivity. There might be a prize for the most productivity journalist
:22:27. > :22:29.in answering them. With regard to Heathrow the Labour Party supports
:22:30. > :22:32.the work of the Airports Commission. That's recommended a third runway at
:22:33. > :22:36.Heathrow. The Labour Party's position is that any development on
:22:37. > :22:40.aviation expansion in London and the south-east is subject to meeting
:22:41. > :22:43.those conditions, which is about environmental protections and it's
:22:44. > :22:49.about economic benefits to the area itself. Objects lip bgs as the
:22:50. > :22:52.constituent MP, I have I have auto ehistorically campaigned against
:22:53. > :22:54.Heathrow Airport being expanded I don't think it will meet the
:22:55. > :22:58.conditions. There is the ability of an individual MP to represent their
:22:59. > :23:02.constituents, as I do. Thank you, John. We have the laid I there. Then
:23:03. > :23:07.I will come to another set of three. REPORTER: Thank you. Alex Forsyth,
:23:08. > :23:10.BBC News. On the winter fuel allowance you're quoting the
:23:11. > :23:13.Resolution Foundation figures that 10 million people could be affected.
:23:14. > :23:18.We don't know is the truth of it? Exactly. Aren't you just
:23:19. > :23:22.scaremongering around that? Foo I may as well, do you have a reaction
:23:23. > :23:25.to the fact we are not expecting the deficit figures for NHS Trusts to be
:23:26. > :23:32.published before the election? Yeah. OK. Let's get on to this issue with
:23:33. > :23:35.regard to how we're trying to arrive at some understanding of what the
:23:36. > :23:39.Conservatives are trying to do around the winter fuel allowance.
:23:40. > :23:43.They've signified they want to save anything up to ?2 billion as a
:23:44. > :23:46.result of this. Now, if you go down to linking it to pensioner credit
:23:47. > :23:50.levels I think the last parliamentary question said you
:23:51. > :23:54.would raise ?1.4 billion. That is why the Resolution Foundation and
:23:55. > :23:57.others have said, if they want to save a significant sum they will
:23:58. > :24:01.have to go down to that pensioner credit level. If they're not, please
:24:02. > :24:04.let us know. We want to be working on what they really mean. This is
:24:05. > :24:09.the problem with having an uncosted manifesto. You send out their
:24:10. > :24:14.messages that scare people, not us, that's the reality. It isn't us who
:24:15. > :24:18.came up with the ?10 million figure, it was the Resolution Foundation
:24:19. > :24:22.extrapolating from the saving that they want. I just... I think we have
:24:23. > :24:26.to say to the Conservative Party - politics have moved on. People
:24:27. > :24:28.expect a bit more honesty and transparency and openness. That's
:24:29. > :24:32.what evil with' done this week in terms of the Labour Party. We've
:24:33. > :24:37.done a fully costed manifesto. We expect that of them. I think they've
:24:38. > :24:42.got hours to do it otherwise their credibility is completely shot. With
:24:43. > :24:45.regard to the lack of publication this argument has been used about
:24:46. > :24:51.purdah, not to publish this information. I have to say, I'm
:24:52. > :24:55.sceptical of that. I really am. Again, in the interests of openness
:24:56. > :24:59.and transparency, so that people have all the information before
:25:00. > :25:02.them, when they go to vote on the 8th June, I think it's important
:25:03. > :25:18.that information is out there. OK. REPORTER: Sam Coates from the Times.
:25:19. > :25:23.Why do you need the winter fuel allowance and what do you spend it
:25:24. > :25:28.on? Secondly, I met a former Labour voter this morning who is deeply
:25:29. > :25:32.concerned about what the Tories proposals on social care and worried
:25:33. > :25:35.and angry free school meals for infants will be taken away, but is
:25:36. > :25:39.still going to almost certainly going to vote for the Conservatives
:25:40. > :25:41.because they say they have no alternative because of Jeremy
:25:42. > :25:44.Corbyn. What do you say to them? How does that mean you feel, sad or
:25:45. > :25:49.embarrassed? On the latter question. What I say to them is now, start
:25:50. > :25:55.exploring more, as we drag information out of the Conservative
:25:56. > :26:00.Party, it is like extracting teeth, to be honest at the moment, as we
:26:01. > :26:05.drag it out of them more and more of the consequences of what they're
:26:06. > :26:08.promising. More and more we've laid our policies and tried to draw out
:26:09. > :26:12.the information from them you've seen we've been rising in the polls.
:26:13. > :26:16.I think it's quite interesting that when we've polled and looked
:26:17. > :26:19.elsewhere the issue, when you mention Jeremy Corbyn's name next to
:26:20. > :26:22.that policy it has no difference whatsoever. What we're finding now
:26:23. > :26:26.is people are respecting the fact that here we have a politician in
:26:27. > :26:29.Jeremy Corbyn who is honest, decent and just open. We cannot be in a
:26:30. > :26:33.situation where we go into an election where a major political
:26:34. > :26:37.party, like the Conservatives, just refuse to tell us what they're going
:26:38. > :26:40.to do in Government when they get their, or cost what they're going to
:26:41. > :26:45.do in Government. I think they have to come clean now. With regards to
:26:46. > :26:50.the winter fuel allowance I spend it on winter fuel. The issue there
:26:51. > :26:55.overall is that, you know, I'm on a MPs salary. I get stacked. As a
:26:56. > :27:00.result it contributes to the overall exchequer. That's the fairest way to
:27:01. > :27:04.do it. I've campaigned on this for a number of years, I do not want means
:27:05. > :27:09.testing introduced on winter fuel because we know, as we've seen from
:27:10. > :27:14.the pensioner credit, go and ask Age UK, look at their figures, a third
:27:15. > :27:17.do not claim pensioners credits because it's means-tested. If you
:27:18. > :27:20.look at the figures on the costings of administering a means-tested
:27:21. > :27:25.benefit as against a non-means-tested benefit it's quite
:27:26. > :27:30.staggering. I think it's a more efficient way of getting the money
:27:31. > :27:35.to where it's really needed. REPORTER: Can I follow up on that.
:27:36. > :27:39.Yes. Pensioner credit, are you saying that hasn't worked? As a way
:27:40. > :27:44.of helping poor pensioners? It was an idea brought in by Labour? I
:27:45. > :27:56.agree. Are you saying it hasn't worked? I think it's helped. . It
:27:57. > :27:59.has worked to a large extent. I'm demonstrating how difficult
:28:00. > :28:03.means-tested benefits are. Goen o the website, a 19 page form you have
:28:04. > :28:09.to fill in for pensioner credit. A third don't get it. If we link
:28:10. > :28:13.winter fuel allowance to it a large number of people won't get the
:28:14. > :28:17.winter fuel allowance. The last Labour Government was terrific in
:28:18. > :28:22.terms of lifting children and pensioners out of poverty. It has
:28:23. > :28:25.worked, but it has draw backs we should not translate those draw
:28:26. > :28:30.backs on to something that pensioners can heat their homes in
:28:31. > :28:33.winter. 30,000 excess deaths. That doesn't happen in Scandinavian
:28:34. > :28:38.countries, which are colder than us. Why - because it's about insulating
:28:39. > :28:41.your homes, proper income to afford. It's about energy prices. That is
:28:42. > :28:47.why we're doing stuff around the energy industry as well. The lady
:28:48. > :28:51.there and the gentleman behind. REPORTER: Thank you. Kate McCann
:28:52. > :28:55.from the Telegraph. You say the polls are moving in Labour's favour,
:28:56. > :28:58.in reality even though some of your policies are well liked and poll
:28:59. > :29:02.well - Thank you very much for that. You are a long way behind. What can
:29:03. > :29:07.you expect from the party in the remaining weeks that will change
:29:08. > :29:13.voters minds? If I may, on your poster above how exactly is the
:29:14. > :29:24.person holding the third boxing glove? I've got the answer to that.
:29:25. > :29:28.It's jab, jab, swing. When I saw it I thought John Prescott had
:29:29. > :29:33.returned. I'm really pleased you you said our policies are well liked.
:29:34. > :29:41.Could it be a Telegraph headline? OK. Report honestly. "Well liked."
:29:42. > :29:47.You've seen a shift in the polls. I think - who believes polls? Look,
:29:48. > :29:49.you've seen a shift in the polls. I think there an underlying move
:29:50. > :29:54.across the country where people are waking up that the elections is in a
:29:55. > :29:58.few weeks' time. They are beginning to explore the policies. They are -
:29:59. > :30:02.the real debate has happened now. Now the manifestos are out there,
:30:03. > :30:06.they know what we're about. They know what the Tories are about, but
:30:07. > :30:10.they're unsure because there might be statements of policy but no
:30:11. > :30:13.costings and no detail of implementation. That is one thing
:30:14. > :30:18.they can't say about us. In the next few weeks the real debate is
:30:19. > :30:20.starting. I just wished, I just wished that Theresa May would debate
:30:21. > :30:24.with Jeremy Corbyn live on I have challenged
:30:25. > :30:27.Philip Hammond to come I wonder if he is the architect
:30:28. > :30:36.of this winter fuel allowance thing. It smacks of Philip Hammond,
:30:37. > :30:51.like the last budget The one thing that me and Theresa
:30:52. > :30:57.May have got in common. Neither us trust Philip Hammond. I'm from the
:30:58. > :31:00.Financial Times. First question, when you say
:31:01. > :31:02.pensioners would be at risk from the removal of the winter fuel
:31:03. > :31:05.allowance, are you saying people In the past, you said
:31:06. > :31:11.you would wade through vomit to prevent cuts to welfare,
:31:12. > :31:13.here we have a Labour manifesto throwing money
:31:14. > :31:19.at students regardless regardless if they are wealthy
:31:20. > :31:21.but when it comes to working age benefits,
:31:22. > :31:24.you are not lifting the freeze although you will
:31:25. > :31:26.mitigate it slightly. Why are you no longer going to wade
:31:27. > :31:30.through vomit to help those people? In the overall costings,
:31:31. > :31:39.we have ?4 billion there, we are scrapping the bedroom tax,
:31:40. > :31:45.implementing the PIP legal ruling. Restoring housing benefit for
:31:46. > :31:48.under-21ss. And then ?2 billion for funding
:31:49. > :31:51.universal credit as we start You will see a reform
:31:52. > :32:07.of the welfare system to ensure we tackle
:32:08. > :32:09.the problems in our society, particularly with disabled
:32:10. > :32:10.people themselves. We don't need to swim through vomit
:32:11. > :32:13.under a Labour government. You would be walking down a path
:32:14. > :32:15.which ensures we have What was the first question? Sorry,
:32:16. > :32:24.yes. What I am saying is this,
:32:25. > :32:29.I don't want to be in a situation where people do not get the winter
:32:30. > :32:33.fuel allowance they are getting now and as a result, this winter,
:32:34. > :32:36.they will not be able I do not want our pensioners
:32:37. > :32:42.cold this winter. That is why we introduced
:32:43. > :32:49.the winter fuel allowance. I just appeal to the Tories -
:32:50. > :32:59.withdraw it today. This is a bad policy,
:33:00. > :33:02.uncosted, and in my view, it is extreme concern to anyone
:33:03. > :33:19.who has concerns about elderly I'm going to take a couple more and
:33:20. > :33:23.that will be at. Kevin Schofield from politics home.
:33:24. > :33:26.What do you say to pensioners who remember the IRA bombing
:33:27. > :33:31.of the British mainland in 70s, 80s and 90s who might be concerned
:33:32. > :33:38.about the man who says that because of the bravery of the IRA,
:33:39. > :33:42.and people like Bobby Sands, we now have a peace process,
:33:43. > :33:47.I apologise for those words but if you also look at what I said,
:33:48. > :33:49.I said no cause is worth an innocent life.
:33:50. > :33:53.I also did everything I possibly could to secure the peace process
:33:54. > :34:00.At times, that was contentious, of course.
:34:01. > :34:06.We were trying to talk to people who at that point of time,
:34:07. > :34:08.you were condemned for talking, but we discovered governments
:34:09. > :34:15.I apologise for my language but I have made it clear
:34:16. > :34:18.everything I did was about securing peace and no innocent
:34:19. > :34:27.The peace process was a result of a dialogue and if I contributed
:34:28. > :34:29.in any small way, I was pleased to do so.
:34:30. > :34:31.I made it absolutely clear that I have apologised
:34:32. > :34:37.I made it clear then - I did a Guardian article,
:34:38. > :34:43.no cause is worth the loss of an innocent life.
:34:44. > :34:47.Kate Langston from the Yorkshire Post.
:34:48. > :34:57.This morning you dismissed Len McCluskey's comments that Labour
:34:58. > :35:00.might only get 200 seats on June 8th.
:35:01. > :35:06.But the Tory manifesto with a shameless pitch to the centre.
:35:07. > :35:08.It was last night in the Labour seat of Halifax.
:35:09. > :35:11.And the regional polls show Labour trailing in Yorkshire and falling
:35:12. > :35:13.down in the northern heartlands, surely you must be concerned
:35:14. > :35:15.about making significant losses in places like Yorkshire
:35:16. > :35:24.The more we have the policy debate, the more people see
:35:25. > :35:26.what the Tories are about, like the winter fuel allowance
:35:27. > :35:32.Living standards and the burden on ordinary working families.
:35:33. > :35:35.The more the Tories are exposed in that way and you can
:35:36. > :35:44.The productivity levels on the 30 questions.
:35:45. > :35:46.The more we expose that, the more people are realising
:35:47. > :35:48.that the threat that there is with Theresa May going
:35:49. > :35:53.That is why I am confident we will have a Labour government.
:35:54. > :36:05.It is a real issue that the Tory triple whammy on pensioners is a big
:36:06. > :36:14.We've got to make sure we fight hard for our pensioners in this country,
:36:15. > :36:17.to maintain their living standards and to make sure they aren't hurt
:36:18. > :36:24.Which is why we need to make sure they understand the importance
:36:25. > :37:10.The perils of travelling with the Prime Minister and using her
:37:11. > :37:17.lecturing when she is a foot taller than you! Can I welcome you to the
:37:18. > :37:21.launch of our Scottish manifesto. Let me start by thanking the Prime
:37:22. > :37:25.Minister but coming to Edinburgh. A Prime Minister who has shown she has
:37:26. > :37:30.what it takes to do the job, and he doesn't shirk the big challenges
:37:31. > :37:34.that our country faces and someone we can trust over the next five
:37:35. > :37:36.years, not to bend in the wind, but to stand strong and always put the
:37:37. > :37:38.national interest first.