Election at-a-glance: 'Radical' pledges, subverted searches and polls

Jeremy Corbyn, launched Labour's election manifesto in Birmingham (Credit: AP)

'It's Time for Real Change'

Jeremy Corbyn launched what has been dubbed Labour's most radical manifesto in decades, saying that if elected, the left-wing party would preside over an "investment blitz" paid for by taxes on billionaires, corporations and top-tier earners.

Speaking to activists and students at Birmingham City University, he fleshed out the details of this year's Labour program, called It's Time for Real Change, promising a 5 percent increase in public sector pay and the renationalization of major infrastructure, including gas, rail and the broadband arm of BT, to name but a few of the industries targeted.

The document also promises a major shake-up of the UK economy, pledging a windfall tax on oil and gas companies to raise £11 billion ($14 billion) for their contribution to climate change, increasing income tax for people who earn more than £80,000 a year, and finding £75 billion to build 150,000 new council and social homes.

"It's time to take on the vested interests holding people back," Corbyn said in the foreword to the election manifesto. "The future is ours to make."

In Pics: Corbyn's thumbs steal the day

Corbyn gives the thumbs-up to his party's manifesto (Credit: AP)

Corbyn's speech captured on a smartphone (Credit: AP)

Corbyn poses with Labour supporters (Credit: AP)

Conservative leader Boris Johnson dons a Hi Vis jacket at a building site (Credit: AP)

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson hits home her party's message: "Stop Brexit" (Credit: AP)

In other election news…

Disregarding criticism for other naughty electioneering antics this week, the Conservatives set up a website claiming to show details of Labour's 2019 manifesto on the day of its launch, but instead directed users to an in-depth criticism of the document, accompanied by a photo of Jeremy Corbyn looking confused.

The Conservative Party allegedly paid Google for the advert, which appeared in its "top searches" if users looked for the term "Labour". The stunt comes just two days after the Conservatives were accused of misleading the public by pretending their party Twitter account was actually a fact-checking service during Tuesday's televised leadership debate.

In other Conservative Party news, home secretary Priti Patel came under fire for saying the government was not responsible for poverty in the UK.

UK election jargon-buster: manifesto

"Manifesto", a term that emerged in 17th Century Italy from the Latin word manifesto (to make public), is the name given to a party's program of policies that it pledges to instigate if elected. While erroneous policy costing and broken promises have made many politicians wary of being too detailed in their manifestos, Labour's 2017 program - For the Many, Not the Few – bucked the UK trend by promising a wide program of fully costed policies. The document was credited with winning Labour the country's largest vote share since 1945.

While the party's latest manifesto has been put together by thrashing out policies voted on during the 2019 Labour party conference, the Conservative Party has charged Rachel Wolf, a lobbyist for the fracking company Cuadrilla, as well as Amazon and Facebook, with drafting its document this year.

Opinion poll update...

According to pollsters ICM, this is the latest level of voter support:

Conservatives: 42 percent (up 3 percent on the previous week)
Lab: 32 percent (up 1 percent)
Lib Dem: 13 percent ( down 2 percent)
Brexit Party: 5 percent (down 3 percent)
Green: 3 percent (unchanged)
SNP: 3 percent (unchanged)
Others: 2 percent (up 2 percent)

Catch up with the electoon:

01:00

Source(s): Reuters