Jeremy Corbyn accuses Boris Johnson of Donald Trump-style 'lurch to the hard right' as he makes election pitch
3 min read
Jeremy Corbyn will accuse Boris Johnson of making a "lurch to the hard right" as he talks up Labour's chances in a general election on a visit to a key marginal seat.
Speaking on a trip to a children's centre in the Conservative-held seat of Corby, the Labour leader will insist that only his party can "deliver the change that’s needed" if a snap general election comes in the autumn.
The pitch comes after Mr Corbyn urged fellow opposition parties and Conservative rebels to back a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson and then support a "time-limited" Labour government that would extend the Brexit process and call a general election.
The Labour leader - whose offer has been given a frosty reception by both the Liberal Democrats and Tory MPs - will say his party will do "everything" it can to stop Britain leaving the EU without a deal.
Mr Corbyn will say: "The Conservative Party’s failure on Brexit, and its lurch to the hard right, has provoked the crisis our country faces this autumn.
"After failing to negotiate a Brexit deal that would protect jobs and living standards, Boris Johnson’s Tories are driving the country towards a no-deal cliff edge.
"We will do everything necessary to stop a disastrous no-deal, for which this government has no mandate. Boris Johnson’s government wants to use no-deal to create a tax haven for the super-rich on the shores of Europe and sign a sweetheart trade deal with Donald Trump: not so much a no-deal Brexit as a Trump Deal Brexit."
Mr Corbyn will meanwhile double down on his call to put Brexit "back to the people" through a fresh referendum, saying that Labour would "commit to holding a public vote, to give voters the final say" if an election is held in the autumn.
And he will say Labour's agenda represents "a once-in-a-generation chance for a real change of direction, potentially on the scale of 1945 or 1979", when elections ushered in Clement Attlee at Margaret Thatcher respectively.
Hitting out at the Prime Minister, he will add: "The Tories have lurched to the hard right under Boris Johnson, Britain’s Trump, the fake populist and phoney outsider, funded by the hedge funds and bankers, committed to protecting the vested interests of the richest and the elites, while posing as anti-establishment."
But Conservative Party Chairman James Cleverly hit back, saying Mr Corbyn had done "all he can to frustrate delivering on the referendum result".
"This is a cynical attempt to seize power by a man who would wreck the economy, is soft on crime and won't stand up for Britain. All Jeremy Corbyn offers is more dither and delay," he added.
"Only Boris Johnson and the Conservatives can provide the leadership Britain needs and deliver Brexit by 31 October, whatever happens."
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