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| Diane Abbott LBC interview overshadows Labour policing pledge | Diane Abbott LBC interview overshadows Labour policing pledge |
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| Labour’s pledge to recruit an extra 10,000 police officers has been overshadowed by a stumbling and error-strewn interview by Diane Abbott in which the shadow home secretary repeatedly struggled to explain how the promise would be funded. | |
| In the interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari on Tuesday, described by the Conservatives as “excruciating”, Abbott frequently paused, shuffled her papers and gave out the wrong figures. | In the interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari on Tuesday, described by the Conservatives as “excruciating”, Abbott frequently paused, shuffled her papers and gave out the wrong figures. |
| When asked about her performance, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, insisted he was not embarrassed by what many pundits called a “car crash” interview. | |
| Abbott initially said that recruiting 10,000 officers would cost only £300,000. After an apology and some hesitation, she gave a different figure. “No, I mean, sorry, they will cost, it will cost about, about £80m,” she said above the sound of turning pages. | |
| But when it was pointed out that this would involve paying the additional officers only £8,000, Abbott hesitated further. At one stage she mistakenly suggested that Labour was planning to recruit an extra 250,000 officers, after an earlier error that it was 25,000 officers. | But when it was pointed out that this would involve paying the additional officers only £8,000, Abbott hesitated further. At one stage she mistakenly suggested that Labour was planning to recruit an extra 250,000 officers, after an earlier error that it was 25,000 officers. |
| She then wrongly denied claiming she had said Labour planned to recruit 250,000 officers, before partially regaining her composure. Abbott then read out what appeared to be annually costed figures from the party. | She then wrongly denied claiming she had said Labour planned to recruit 250,000 officers, before partially regaining her composure. Abbott then read out what appeared to be annually costed figures from the party. |
| She said: “In year one we are getting ready to recruit, but in year two the cost will be £64.3m. In year three the cost will be a £139.1m. Year four the cost will be £217m and year five the cost will be £298m and that can be amply covered by reversing the cuts in capital gains tax.” | She said: “In year one we are getting ready to recruit, but in year two the cost will be £64.3m. In year three the cost will be a £139.1m. Year four the cost will be £217m and year five the cost will be £298m and that can be amply covered by reversing the cuts in capital gains tax.” |
| The Conservatives seized on Abbott’s apparent failure to brief herself on the figures as an example of its claims about the risks to the economy of a Labour government. The home secretary, Amber Rudd, said: “Diane Abbott has laid bare the chaos that Britain would face if Jeremy Corbyn is voted into Downing Street.” | The Conservatives seized on Abbott’s apparent failure to brief herself on the figures as an example of its claims about the risks to the economy of a Labour government. The home secretary, Amber Rudd, said: “Diane Abbott has laid bare the chaos that Britain would face if Jeremy Corbyn is voted into Downing Street.” |
| Earlier, the Conservatives had dismissed the policing proposal as “nonsensical” and claimed Labour had already committed the same savings to fund other pledges. | |
| Abbott’s answer to this was more coherent. She told LBC: “The Conservatives would say that. We’ve not promised the money to any area. We have just pointed out that the cuts in capital gains tax will cost the taxpayer over £2bn and there are better ways of spending that money.” | Abbott’s answer to this was more coherent. She told LBC: “The Conservatives would say that. We’ve not promised the money to any area. We have just pointed out that the cuts in capital gains tax will cost the taxpayer over £2bn and there are better ways of spending that money.” |
| She added: “As we roll out our manifesto process we are specifically saying how we will fund specific proposals … We will fund the 10,000 extra police officers by using some, not all, but just some of the £2bn.” | She added: “As we roll out our manifesto process we are specifically saying how we will fund specific proposals … We will fund the 10,000 extra police officers by using some, not all, but just some of the £2bn.” |
| Campaigning in Southampton, Corbyn defended Abbott. Speaking to Sky News, he said: “She corrected the figure and that’s the figure [£300m – the cost of the extra police officers] and it will be paid for by not going ahead with the cuts in capital gains tax.” | |
| Asked if he found her performance embarrassing, he replied: “Not at all. We have corrected the figure. And it will be absolutely clear now, today, and in the manifesto. I’m not embarrassed in the slightest.” | |
| Abbott is a close friend of Corbyn’s and one of his most important leftwing allies in the shadow cabinet. |