“We’re on your side,” Corbyn vows at Labour manifesto launch

Jeremy Corbyn will declare that “it’s time for real change” and Labour is “on your side” when he launches the election manifesto pitched as the “most radical and ambitious plan to transform our country in decades”.

Speaking in Birmingham on Thursday, where Labour will unveil its policy agenda in full for the first time in this election, Corbyn is expected to attack “the tax dodgers, the bad bosses and the big polluters” – and fiercely defend his radical proposals for change.

“This is a manifesto of hope. A manifesto that will bring real change. A manifesto full of popular policies that the political establishment has blocked for a generation,” the Labour leader will announce.

Labour’s manifesto is expected to include bold plans such as free and fast broadband for all, a 32-hour working week, significant progress towards net zero carbon emissions by 2030, £26bn for the NHS, no tuition fees, and a new entitlement to six years of free adult education.

Referring to the ‘grey book’ of costings published by John McDonnell alongside the main manifesto, the Labour leader will affirm: “Those policies are fully costed, with no tax increases for 95% of taxpayers.”

Pre-empting the criticism Labour is expected to receive in the run-up to polling day, Corbyn is set to say: “Over the next three weeks, the most powerful people in Britain and their supporters are going to tell you that everything in this manifesto is impossible. That it’s too much for you.

“Because they don’t want real change. Why would they? The system is working just fine for them. It’s rigged in their favour. But it’s not working for you. If your wages never seem to go up and your bills never seem to go down, if your public services only seem to get worse, despite the heroic efforts of those who work in them, then it’s not working for you.

“And that’s why so many people in Britain have given up on politics. That’s why you hear people say about politicians: “They’re all the same.” Well, not any more. Because this party, this movement, this manifesto is different. Labour is on your side. And there could scarcely be a clearer demonstration of that than the furious reaction of the rich and powerful.

“If the bankers, billionaires and the establishment thought we represented politics as usual, that we could be bought off, that nothing was really going to change, they wouldn’t attack us so ferociously. Why bother?”

“But they know we mean what we say. They know we will deliver our plans, which is why they want to stop us being elected. They know we will go after the tax dodgers, the bad bosses and the big polluters so that everybody in our country gets a fair chance in life.

“That’s why they throw everything they’ve got at us. Because they’re scared of real change. Because they aren’t on your side.”

Corbyn will reiterate points made by McDonnell earlier in the week based on the report released by Labour, ‘In the pockets of the few’, which showed that 48 of the country’s 151 billionaires have donated over £50m to Boris Johnson’s party since 2005.

“A third of Britain’s billionaires have donated to the Conservative Party. The billionaires and the super rich, the tax dodgers, the bad bosses and the big polluters – they own the Conservative Party,” the Labour leader will argue.

“But they don’t own us. They don’t own the Labour Party. The people own the Labour Party. That’s why the billionaires attack us. That’s why the billionaire-owned media makes things up about us.

“The US President who led his country out of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt, had to take on the rich and powerful in America to do it. That’s why he said: “They are unanimous in their hate for me, and I welcome their hatred.”

“He knew that when you’re serious about real change, those who profit from a rigged system, who squirrel away the wealth created by millions of people, won’t give up without a fight.

Predicting that he will face strong opposition while making the case for voting Labour next month, Corbyn will say: “I accept the implacable opposition and hostility of the rich and powerful is inevitable.

“I accept the opposition of the billionaires because we will make those at the top pay their fair share of tax to help fund world class public services for you. That’s real change.

“I accept the hostility of the bad bosses paying poverty pay because we will give Britain a pay rise, starting with a real living wage of at least £10 an hour, including for young workers. That’s real change.

“I accept the implacable opposition of the dodgy landlords because we’ll build build a million homes, empower tenants and control rents. That’s real change.

“I accept the hostility of the big polluters because we will make sure they pay their fair share of the costs of their destruction, create huge numbers of climate jobs and build the healthy, green economy of the future. That’s real change.

“I accept the fierce opposition of the giant healthcare corporations because we will stop them sucking out profits from our NHS. That’s real change.

“I accept the hostility of the privatised utilities companies because we will stop their great rip off by bringing rail, mail, water and energy into public ownership and running them for the people. That’s real change.

“And here’s a brand new one: I accept the implacable opposition of the private Internet providers because we’re going to give you the very fastest full fibre broadband for free. That’s real change.

“You can trust us to do all this because we’re opposed by the vested interests for standing up for a different kind of society. We’ll deliver real change for the many, and not the few. That’s what this manifesto is all about.

“And you really can have this plan for real change because you don’t need money to buy it. You just need a vote – and your vote can be more powerful than all their wealth.”