Asked repeatedly at a factory visit in Derbyshire if the
Conservative Government had “cut too much”, refused to apologise for
austerity and its impact.
, Labour’s National Campaign
Co-ordinator, said:
“Boris Johnson’s Conservatives have spent almost a decade
cutting our schools, NHS and police services.
“He won’t apologise because he is standing on a manifesto
that has austerity baked in. The Conservatives want to usher in
more cuts to our public services and more giveaways to the
super-rich.
“Labour will end austerity and deliver real change for the
many not the few.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
Transcript:
ITV: My question
though is, if you want voters to believe you aren't turning over
a new leaf on austerity, can you be honest and say that you think
your predecessors cut too much?
Johnson: What
happened in 2010 was that a new government did come in and found
that the place was totally bankrupt. And all Labour governments
end up by running out of money and all Labour governments end up
with debt higher than when they began. Indeed, all Labour
governance and that with unemployment higher than they began. I
think it was right to govern prudently, I still think it is right
to govern prudently, but what I want to do as a One Nation Tory
is to invest massively in our public services and we are going to
do that. And we’re going to do it because we’re going to run a
strong economy and we’re going to be able to run a strong economy
because we’re going to get Brexit done and move on.
ITV: But if you
think you should invest more now, does that mean you think there
was too much cut earlier? You must do?
Johnson: This is an
idle speculation, if I may say so, Paul. What I want to do is get
on now and invest in our country and in our future. If I look at
the alternative, every Labour government ends up with an economic
crisis. If I look at what and the , you know, these guys would
start an economic crisis, not end up with one.
