17/05/2017 The Election Wrap

Hello and welcome to The Election Wrap, your essential

guide to the day's campaigning across the UK.

Roll-up, roll-up for a Brexit referendum sequel.

An upbeat vibe as the Liberal Democrats launch their manifesto

in the last hour, saying it's logical to have a second vote

But critics say hang on, that's a do over.

What a difference a day makes for Labour.

Yesterday Len McCluskey of Unite said Labour were dead ducks

But today he says no, Labour will be soaring eagles on June 8th.

We will clear everything up, fear not. After June if you are

re-elected, we used to be next-door neighbours?

Philip Hammond and Theresa May had some awkward moments

at a press conference today, but the pair have dismissed rumours

How do you deal with a problem like Boris? He has not been seen too much

on the campaign trail. But he has been out and about in Bristol. A

campaign asset or a ticking time bomb? What about you?

And we speak to the human and animal residents of Dumfries and Galloway

to find out whether Scottish independence would be a deciding

We will be getting the pet theories of our panel,

Stephen Bush from the New Statesman, and the Sun on Sunday's

Let's catch up on the latest developments from the campaign trail

The Liberal Democrats have launched their party

Leader Tim Farron called on voters to support his party and ensure

they get a choice about Britain's future relationship with Europe.

I believe that our children will have a brighter future

That they will be safer and better off.

That our economy will be stronger and our country will have more

But just because I believe that doesn't mean I think people

One of Jeremy Corbyn's key allies, the Unite leader Len McCluskey,

says he is now full of optimism about Labour's general election

hopes despite saying in an interview he could not see the party winning.

It was against the backdrop of if the opinion polls are to be believed

that I made those comments. Of course since then Labour have

launched their manifesto, it is a fantastic manifesto.

Theresa May has brushed aside questions about whether

the Chancellor Philip Hammond will keep his job if

The Green Party of England and Wales is promising free sanitary products

And the Pirate Party launches its manifesto with a photo

It describes itself as a civil liberties party and has fielded ten

candidates and will be campaigning for copyright reform, opposing

surveillance and fighting for a free and open Internet.

We are trying to retain a lot of rights, especially human rights,

that those before us have enjoyed and it is more a protectionist star,

but we would like to see human rights expanded in general.

The Scottish Labour Party has suspended all nine members

of the Labour group in Aberdeen for breaching party rules.

It comes after Labour joined forces with the Conservatives

and independents to form a coalition to run the City Council.

This isn't about positions or gold medals around

the necks of councillors, this is about the job Labour

councillors are elected to do to protect public services,

to invest in and defend public services.

The deal coming from Aberdeen didn't pass that test,

that is why it was rejected by the democratic body

of the Labour Party and that is why that must be respected and why

we have moved to suspend these councillors.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron wants to give power back

That's what he said at the launch of the party's

It's really obvious when you think about it.

Someone is going to have the final say over the Brexit deal.

It could be the politicians or it could be the people.

You should have the final say on whether Theresa May's Brexit deal

is right for you and your family in a referendum.

And if you don't like that deal, you should have the choice to remain

With me are our guests David Wooding and Stephen Bush

and in a moment we'll talk to them about the manifesto in a bit

more detail, but first the Liberal Democrats have promised

to help young people get on the housing ladder

The BBC's Chris Morris has been giving the figures a Reality Check.

The biggest revenue raising proposal is to add 1p to income

They estimate it will raise ?6.3 billion per year,

money they would spend exclusively on the NHS, care services

Then they want to reverse cuts in corporation tax,

not by nearly as much as Labour proposed yesterday, but back up

to 20% raising, they say, ?3.6 billion annually.

There is also an eye-catching proposal to legalise

The Lib Dems say this will raise another 1 billion per year.

Overall this is a manifesto that will cost the country more.

By 2020 the Liberal Democrats would spend 14.1 billion more

in new day-to-day spending than they would raise in taxes.

That would mean a small rise in the budget deficit

But if you strip out the money going into longer-term investments

in things like hospitals and roads, they say they would

And they want to launch a package of infrastructure

investment worth ?100 billion, including plans to build

But the big thing in this manifesto, it's something that

sets the Lib Dems apart from the Conservatives and Labour,

is they want to hold another referendum on Brexit.

This time the vote wouldn't just be in or out, it would be

about whether to accept the terms of the deal on offer from the EU

at the end of the Brexit negotiations in 2019.

They will also put the option of staying in the EU

Over the course of the next parliament the biggest factor

in determining the health of the British economy

and spending will be the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.

The Lib Dems say they oppose a hard Brexit.

There will be a vote on Parliament on the proposed deal,

but in this manifesto Liberal Democrats argue

it is the British people who should have the final say.

Some are suggesting the Liberal Democrats have as much chance of

winning the next election as Liverpool have of winning the

Champions League. But there are some eye-catching pledges in this

manifesto, not least the possibility that the British public would have

the opportunity for a final say on Brexit. Actually, to turn away from

Brexit, if the final deal is not good enough. The only unique selling

point of the Lib Dems is they are going to be the campaign for the

die-hard remainders. They are the only party who will offer you an in

and out referendum marked two. The problem with that is that the Lib

Dems are extremely unlikely to get into power and deliver that and

people have to weigh that up against what is being dubbed by the

Conservatives as a coalition of chaos between the SNP and the Labour

Party. But also I think more than half the people would vote to leave

the EU now if they were given a second referendum. A lot of those

who voted to remain did so because of project fear and now they have

seen the sky has not fallen in and they would probably vote to leave

anyway. I am not sure how well being the remain party in this general

election will work. Stephen, they got into a lot of hot water over the

decision to back tuition fees after pledging not to in their 2010

manifesto. Now they are going after younger voters, helping young people

get on the housing ladder, they want to legalise cannabis. They want to

push a few things that will attract younger people, but is it going to

work? Is the toxicity of the whole tuition fee issue one that is too

much? That is the big question. We thought from the Richmond

by-election and the Whitney by-election that people had forgiven

them for the things they did not like about the comic coalition, but

now we are looking at the local elections and the polls and it seems

people are not perhaps ready to give the Lib Dems a second go. But we are

not too sure and it is difficult to say one way or another.

Now the Unite leader Len McCluskey insists he is "now full of optimism"

about Labour's general election hopes despite saying in an interview

The union boss had told Politico a Labour victory would be

"extraordinary" and suggested winning just 200 seats would be

The interview I did with Politico was a conversational piece

and it was against the backdrop of if the opinion polls are to be

Of course since then Labour have launched their manifesto,

it is a fantastic manifesto, a manifesto for workers,

ordinary working people, a manifesto that will change Britain

for the good and the response that we have had from Unite members

That is why I was checking our polls that we did, constant rolling polls,

and the response has been like something we have

If I was having an interview today, I wouldn't be making those comments.

Now one of the most interesting places to watch on General Election

night could be Dewsbury in West Yorkshire.

It's also one of the most unusual constituencies,

taking in rural villages and the very diverse areas around

The seat has changed hands several times over the past ten years

flip-flopping between Labour and the Conservatives.

There can be few constituencies more diverse than this one.

On the outskirts of Dewsbury town centre is the largely Muslim

I just tend to think they probably do more for the working class.

I am thinking of voting for Labour because of Jeremy Corbyn.

I would just kind of like that whoever is interested in a family

But even those who do not feel passionately about the politics

certainly feel passionately about the issues.

Education is one thing I am concerned about,

It is the local issues that are important, the fact the health

service is changing, the fact we are losing a hospital,

the fact we may lose a library in the area,

the fact they are wanting to build on what is

But yet you want to stick with a Conservative government?

I am not quite sure what the difference would be

I also feel very strongly about the north - south divide.

I think there needs to be much more realisation that we exist up here.

Of course although many of these women might be voting Conservative,

the village they live in does have plenty of Labour supporters.

It seems this constituency really could go either way.

Here is the full list of candidates standing in that constituency.

Let's take the pulse of the Labour Party. Len McCluskey, yesterday he

said they would be rubbish in the election, 200 seats would be seen as

a victory, that is losing more than 30. Today he says they could win.

What is going on? It is the usual Len McCluskey dance. Don't forget

that Trade Union Bill Eden is our elected politicians who need to

balance their own voting interests. He came very close to being defeated

by a candidate who did not have much time for Jeremy Corbyn so is trying

to have his cake and eat it. He is saying things are not good, hinting

by saying 200 seats, if Jeremy can't get that he might be out. Today he

is giving something to his left by saying the manifesto is great. Len

is a politician, he is acting like any politician would. Dave, that is

a hostage to fortune? It is a bit of managing

expectations. They always go below what they think it might be so that

when they get more it looks good. If he does under 200 seats, it is even

worse for them. Stephen, do you believe that the clear plan now,

barring a wipe-out, is for Jeremy Corbyn to stay on? Yes, the

leadership... No question about it? There is no doubt in my mind. Some

believe they can turn it around and go on to win, but you do not give up

the keys to the castle willingly is they're lying. But people are

underestimating Lent when he thinks that Labour will get 200. I would be

very worried if I was in the leader's office and I was seeing Len

McCluskey say, you have got to get 200 to be a success. I do not

believe for a moment Len McCluskey believes they are on course to get

200 seats, so I think Jeremy Corbyn will find it harder to stay leader.

So the unions are the power brokers. If Len McCluskey says, sorry,

Jeremy, that is it? Do not forget that Len McCluskey is from the same

hard left wing of the party as Jeremy Corbyn and he has been even

described as his puppet master. He is a big backer and so if he loses

Len McCluskey, then the sound will be shifting from underneath his

feet. OK, let's move on. Meanwhile, on the eve of the launch

of the Conservative party manifesto, the chancellor Philip Hammond has

sought to play down reports of a rift with Theresa May

and her team of advisers. He dismissd it as "media

tittle tattle". Look, we work very closely together.

The Prime Minister and I have known each other for many years. We work

closely together, she has got an extremely strong team around town

and I work very closely with her team and some of them are people I

have known for many years. We do work very well together as a team.

There is all this media to do that and it is just that, media tittle

tattle. Sharp analysis. Noted all tattle on the election wrap.

Noted all tattle on the election wrap.

Now we've not really seen or heard much from the Foreign Secretary this

week but there's been criticism of Boris Johnson after

an uncomfortable election campaign stop in Bristol.

He was taken to task for talking about boosting sales of alcohol

Members of the community were also unhappy with other aspects

But Mr Johnson has since apologised for the unfortunate incident.

I think if I remember correctly, she said she had some personal

experience of alcohol abuse within her family. I said I was sorry to

hear about that will stop that was the issue.

This is not the first time that Boris Johnson has done or said

something that has caused controversy or embarrassment.

Let's remind ourselves of some of his greatest hits...and misses.

Here's the then Mayor of London hanging around

near the Olympic Park in East London.

Don't think he made the team though - not sure of his

Another team he won't be making is the British Lions -

here is on a trade visit to Japan - talk about picking on someone

And credited with winning the Brexit vote by many,

here he is milking it at an cattle auctioneers in Lancashire.

David, are they hiding Boris? Well, this campaign has been completely

dominated by Theresa May. They are hiding the party! Yes, but Boris is

high risk, but he is also box office. You put Boris out there and

he attracts a crowd. He is probably the biggest crowd puller of any of

the Cabinet. Getting him out there, they like him. Even traditional

Labour voters like him. They are prepared to forgive him for the

gaffes. But he is a risk. Some are suggesting he is a risk. The flip

side for Labour is that they are all too happy to talk about the party

and not about Jeremy Corbyn. If you have got a popular leader, you put

them out front, if not you talk about your brand. Boris is a bit of

an appendix. An appendage. No, an appendix. He should be cut out?

David Cameron could not reach out to the country and Theresa May is

hugely popular, which means what is the point Boris Johnson in an

election campaign when you have got a Conservative leader who a great

number of people seem to like great deal. How are Philip Hammond and

Theresa May getting on? The suggestion is it is not very good. I

have been involved in this tittle tattle over the last few years. You

have to stop it. It is no secret they do not really see eye to eye.

He lives next door and he does not get into the half past eight Downing

St meetings which George Osborne used to go into when David Cameron

was Prime Minister. He says he is happy with that and he has got a

direct line to the Prime Minister. But there has been some friction

over things he has said about the economy, he wants more wriggle room

in the economy, and there have been arguments over taxation policy. This

little slip, you talk about Boris making a gaffe, but Philip Hammond

made a gaffe by saying sometimes he is reduced to swearing when he is

dealing with him and tittle tattle was the case when Len McCluskey was

hosing down his own outspoken gaffe. Is it because they do not see eye to

eye philosophically about the way to Reza make this taking the party,

perhaps a little bit more interventionist, a bigger role of

the state, cutting back on private enterprise? That kind of classic

Tory thing, or is it also to do with Brexit, that Philip Hammond is not

pushing in any way for any kind of hard Brexit. And Theresa May say

that is the way forward? It is both. The role of the Treasury and the

government is in many ways the weakest it has been under Theresa

May and it is partly about that institutional friction as well.

Eddie Price is continuing her tour of the UK with lots of balls,

speaking to voters about what really matters to them. She asked people in

the SNP held constituency of De Vries and Galloway if the issue of

Scottish independence is a crucial issue for them in the forthcoming

general election, with some interesting results. Dashed

Dumfries. I am proud to be Scottish. I am very proud to be British and I

am very proud to be European and you can't have all of them. What about

you? School, educating, NHS, things like that. Not independence? No. I

am a staunch campaigner for the union and I will be voting

Conservative to remain as part of that. Why yes? I am voting

independence and I have always voted yes. The election, if it included a

yes or no vote for independence, I would vote that way. It is not about

independence for me. What is it about? Who would be best running

this country. I have believed in independence all my life, so I will

not vote for anyone else except SNP. I do not want independence, I do not

think anyone in Scotland should either.

Dumfries and Galloway, make some noise. Thank you very much. Would

you like one? Oh! Nicola Sturgeon is just hell-bent on independence. You

want to bow to make sure she cannot have that? Yes. What is the most

important issue in this election? It would be Brexit. Scottish

independence is not a burning issue? Definitely not. What is? Helping the

working class. I think this must be the first in our history, I verified

dead heat in the mood box. Thank you, Dumfries and Galloway and thank

you Robbie Burns. Ellie and her balls. There are

several other different kinds of chocolate bars that you can get from

all kinds of confectioners. A little bit of a health warning. Anyway...

This is a crucial issue for the Scottish Nationalists because the

whole idea of a second independence referendum, if that plays against

them, they are in trouble. Yes and the Conservatives are unusually

making big gains in the polls in Scotland and there are suggestions

they could win five or more seats up there. If that happens, that will

give more strength to Theresa May's hands to say you will not have

another referendum on independence. But like the Lib Dems were remain is

a big selling point for them, just most people voted to leave, so how

good a unique selling point is it in the same weight for the SNP,

independence. Most people just voted independence. Most people just voted

is playing to just half of the is playing to just half of the

Scotland, rather than looking at the looking at the record of the SNP

Scotland, rather than looking at the slightly higher issues some would

argue of the referendum and the role of Westminster in Scottish politics?

I think why they won in 2011. They are quite

good at running Scotland. But they have been NPower for a decade. Think

about how Labour looked when Tony Blair had been in power. We kind of

expect the SNP to be a bit mouldy. They are doing quite well for a

government that has been in that long. But it is still not as good as

they would ideally like. It looks like a straight fight between the

Conservatives. It is difficult for them. We will leave it there. It is

good to see you. I am sure we will be seeing you over the next three

weeks. We will be back with more from the campaign trail tomorrow at

7:30pm. Goodbye. Time for the latest weather update.

You wait weeks for a proper rain to come and you get lots of