WATCH: Diane Abbott hits back at ITV over latest police numbers gaffe
2 min read
Diane Abbott has accused ITV News of "gotcha journalism" after she was filmed once again struggling to explain how Labour would pay for 10,000 new police officers.
The Shadow Home Secretary said she was subjected to more death threats after the footage was aired by the broadcaster yesterday.
At one point, Ms Abbott appeared to turn towards the interviewer for help, saying: "And that would give us, I think, 170…how..sorry. We would find the money by restoring levels of capital gains tax. We think that by restoring the cuts in capital gains tax that would find us another £300m a year."
However, the £300m figure cited by Ms Abbott is for a four-year recruitment period, rather than a single year.
It was the latest in a line of broadcasting gaffes by the Labour frontbencher, who came unstuck in several interviews during the election campaign.
In retaliation, Ms Abbott last night tweeted her own video with a direct message to ITV. The accompanying message said: "Sick of "gotcha" journalism? I certainly am. Maybe journalists should try focusing on the real issues that affect peoples lives."
She said: "Today the Government released figures which reveal that we're seeing the biggest annual rise in crime for a decade. We also know that police numbers are at a 30-year low - this is news. But ITV News chose to carefully edit a piece of video showing me stumbling over some figures and said that that was news.
"So for them - yes, Labour will recruit 10,000 extra police officers and we will pay for it by reversing the Tory cut in capital gains tax. I hope it gets them more viewers, because all it's got me is hundreds more pieces of abuse, including the usual death threats."
Watch the whole video here:
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