Rudd: Diane Abbott’s morning of chaos
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This morning Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott showed exactly why
Jeremy Corbyn poses a grave risk to Britain’s economy and national
security. In an excruciating interview with LBC, Abbott
floundered over Corbyn’s flagship new police funding idea – unable
to answer basic questions on how much it would cost or how she
would pay for it. Under sustained questioning from Piers
Morgan on Good Morning Britain, Abbott refused
to...Request free trial
This morning Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott showed exactly why Jeremy Corbyn poses a grave risk to Britain’s economy and national security.
In an excruciating interview with LBC, Abbott floundered over Corbyn’s flagship new police funding idea – unable to answer basic questions on how much it would cost or how she would pay for it.
Under sustained questioning from Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, Abbott refused to say whether Jeremy Corbyn would authorise the use of nuclear weapons if Britain were about to be attacked by another nuclear power. In doing so, she effectively scrapped Britain’s nuclear deterrent which keeps our country safe. There is no point having a deterrent unless you are prepared to use it.
And on Sky News she said that Corbyn’s previous promises on where Labour’s police money would be used – arts, welfare and schools – were ‘illustrations’ rather than ‘promises’. Showing that Jeremy Corbyn’s promises are simply not worth the paper they are written on.
Abbott also:
Responding, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said:
“Diane Abbott has laid bare the chaos that Britain would face if Jeremy Corbyn is voted into Downing Street.
“One of Corbyn’s closest allies has clearly shown that Labour’s sums don’t add up, they would weaken our defences, and their nonsensical promises aren’t worth the paper they are printed on.
“Jeremy Corbyn and his coalition of chaos pose a grave risk to our economy and our national security. We would all pay the price if he ends up in Number 10 propped up by the Lib Dems, Greens and SNP.
“Only Theresa May and the Conservatives can be trusted to deliver the strong and stable leadership for Brexit and beyond.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact the Conservative Party Press Office on 020 7984 8121. Notes to Editors
LBC Transcript – key sections
Nick Ferrari: So how much would 10,000 police officers cost?
Diane Abbott: Well, if we recruit the 10,000 policemen and women over a four year period, we believe it’ll be about £300,000.
Nick Ferrari: £300,000?
Diane Abbott: Sorry, ... (Interrupted)
Nick Ferrari: 10,000 police officers? What are you paying them?
Diane Abbott: No, I mean, sorry ... (Interrupted)
Nick Ferrari: How much will they cost.
Diane Abbott: They will cost [long pause], it will cost, erm, about, about £80m.
…
Nick Ferrari: The £80m is the figure we use. But I don’t understand. If you divide £80m by 10,000, you get 8000.
Diane Abbott: What ... (Interrupted)
Nick Ferrari: Is that what you’re going to pay these policemen and women?
Diane Abbott: No, we’re talking about a process over 4 years.
Nick Ferrari: I don’t understand. What is he or she? £80m divided by 10,000 equals £8000. So I don’t, what are these police officers going to be paid?
[papers rustle]
Diane Abbott: We will be paying them the average ... (Interrupted)
Nick Ferrari: Has this been thought through?
Diane Abbott: Of course it’s been thought through!
Nick Ferrari: Where are the figures?
Diane Abbott: The figures are that the, the additional cost in year 1 when we anticipate recruiting 250,000 policemen will be £64.3m
Nick Ferrari: 250,000 policemen?
Diane Abbott: And women.
Nick Ferrari: Right. Where…? So you’re getting more than 10,000? You’re recruiting 250,000?
Diane Abbott: No, we are recruiting 2000 and perhaps 250. And the cost ... (Interrupted)
Nick Ferrari: Where did 250,000 come from?
Diane Abbott: I think you said that not me.
Nick Ferrari: I can assure you - you said that figure because I wrote it down.
Diane Abbott: What I’m saying about the cost is in year 1 obviously we’re getting ready to recruit, but in year 2 the cost will be £64.3m, in year 3 the cost will be £139.1m, year 4 the cost will be £270m, and year 5 the cost will be £298m, and that can be amply covered by reversing the cuts in capital gains tax.
Sky Transcript – key sections
Sarah Jane Mee: Ok, but just going back, you have said that reversing cuts to capital gains tax will help arts funding schools and welfare – will that be in the manifesto fully costed?
Diane Abbott: Our policies will be fully costed, and I have to say I think it suits the Tories not to talk about the loss of 20,000 police officers, not to talk about the rise in violent crime, but to quibble about figures. Our manifesto will be fully costed and what people want to know, they want answers to their worries about the rise in violent crime.
…
Sarah Jane Mee: Well [the Conservatives] are saying it’s nonsensical because you’ve already spent this money when talking about other pledges – you’ve committed to – the capital gains tax – the money you’ll get from that – that £2bn – to things like schools, welfare and the arts, so you’ve already spent that money – how can you spend it on 10,000 police officers.
Diane Abbott: We’ve not actually committed that money to anything, we’ve used these huge cuts in capital gains tax, cuts which will only help the top 5%, we’ve used them to illustrate the type of places where we could get the money to fund some of our policies, but as we roll out our manifesto, you will see that each policy pledge is specifically costed, and this is a really important issue – the rise in violent crime on our streets.
...
Sarah Jane Mee: But you’ve made promises – Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, have all stood up and said by reversing capital gains tax, we will help tackle these problems.
Diane Abbott: You will find that we haven’t specifically allocated the money. We are rolling out our manifesto, and this morning I am specifically allocating some of the £2.7bn to funding the 10,000 policemen.
Good Morning Britain Transcript – key sections
Diane Abbott: I know you referenced that we’ve promised it, we’ve pledged it in to other areas – we’ve not pledged it in to other areas. We’ve always used it as an illustration of the type of Tory tax cut we’re going to reverse, but now as we roll out our manifesto, we’re specifically saying how we’re going to pay for the specific items in our manifesto.
Susanna Reid: This is the difference that you’re trying to make between a pledge and an illustration, because all your critics will say in August last year arts funding, Jeremy Corbyn promised money saying that that can be funded through a reversal of reductions in capital gains tax. On schools he would deal with the teacher shortage and rising class sizes by reversing the capital gains tax cut and on welfare John McDonnell, your shadow Chancellor, said that he would use the capital gains tax reversal to reverse the cuts in universal credits. So we’ve got to discount now all of those pledges and stick with this one. Is that the case?
…
Piers Morgan: Ok Diane, look, you’re the shadow Home Secretary, and if you get in to power you might well be Home Secretary, therefore in charge in many ways of the defence of this country. Jeremy Corbyn got in to all sorts of problems recently when he was asked pretty straightforward questions about how he would defend us if he was Prime Minister. Let me ask you some similar questions – would you be prepared to authorise, along with whoever was Prime Minister, the use of a nuclear weapon from our nuclear armament if we had to?
Diane Abbott: On the question of nuclear weapons, you will know as well as I do, that if we press the button for a nuclear weapon, we’re not just incinerating millions of people oversea ... (Interrupted)
Piers Morgan: Sure but my question is would you use it? We have a nuclear armament – would you be prepared to use it? People I think are entitled when they vote on June 8th to know whether a Labour government would actually use our nuclear deterrent if it came to it?
Diane Abbott: A Labour government would do everything in its power to protect the people of this country, and we believe that there are more important and more vital ways to protect the people of this country than actually nuclear weapons.
Piers Morgan: So Diane, just to clarify, sorry to push you on this – would a Labour government use one of our nuclear weapons if it had to? In other words, if we got information that a rogue power was about to unleash one on us, would you be prepared to defend our country by going first?
Diane Abbott: Well we’re always prepared to defend our country, but we believe that Jihadism, chemical weapons, these are more pressing dangers ... (Interrupted)
Piers Morgan: So when you say ... (Interrupted)
Diane Abbott:... Than a rogue power with ... (Interrupted)
Piers Morgan: I’m just trying to get a yes or no: would you be prepared to pre-emptively use a nuclear weapon if it was to save millions of lives in this country?
Diane Abbott: We don’t believe that the most pressing threats ... (Interrupted)
Piers Morgan: It’s yes or no! It’s yes or no! It’s one of the single most important questions any government in the world can have, if they have nuclear weapons is if you have to use it, would you use it? Why can nobody on the Labour side say yes or no to that simple question? Yes or no?
Diane Abbott: because we believe there are many more pressing threats and the debate around pressing the button actually detracts from the real pressing threats, chemical warfare ... (Interrupted)
Piers Morgan: What could be more pressing than somebody about to Nuke us into extinction? Tell me what is more important in a nuclear age than a rogue power, a Kim Jong-Un, somebody like him or an ISIS leader about to unleash a nuclear weapon on this country, you’re in charge, I need to know before I vote for you, are you going to press that button? Or are you not?
Diane Abbott: We believe that loose talk about pressing the button is actually a threat to world peace, we believe the way that Donald trump wakes up in the middle of the night and talks about weapons, that’s a threat to world peace. We want to keep this country safe and we are dealing with pressing and immediate concerns.
Piers Morgan: what is the point of a nuclear armament if you’re never going to use is, what’s the point?
Diane Abbott: What is the point of ignoring the more pressing threats to this country?
Piers Morgan: What could be more pressing? Seriously, what could be more important?
Diane Abbott: Jihadism! No, no Piers. A few weeks ago I was in the House of Commons when a terrorist burst in and killed a policeman. It’s that terrorism and Jihadism which is a more pressing threat Ask anybody ... (Interrupted)
Piers Morgan: what if ISIS get a nuclear weapon and are about to use it and you know where they are and you know where they’re going to fire it from, what are you going to do?
Diane Abbott: We are dealing with pressing immediate threats as we saw ... (Interrupted)
Piers Morgan: You just said terrorism was a bigger threat than nuclear attacks.
Diane Abbott: yes.
Piers Morgan: I’m telling you what is a terrorist group gets a nuclear weapon and is about to attack us with it?
Diane Abbott: I’m saying terrorism is a more immediate threat and I’m also saying ... (Interrupted)
Piers Morgan: That is an immediate threat Diane – that is the immediate threat I’m presenting to you – a terror group with a nuclear weapon about to fire it on this country. You’re in charge – what do you do?
Diane Abbott: You’re posing a hypothetical threat. I’m talking about the real threat of terrorism, and also real issues around crime. Which is kind of what I want to get back to.
Piers Morgan: Blowing people up with a nuclear weapon’s kind of criminal. Diane we’ve got to leave it. You’ve made your position crystal….clear isn’t quite the word. But I appreciate you joining us.
Jeremy Corbyn has no way to pay for his police promise.
Corbyn say this promise will be ‘Paid for by reversing cuts to Capital Gains Tax.’ But he has already promised this for numerous things:
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