General election: Trump claims even if NHS 'handed on silver platter' in trade deal, US doesn't want it – live news – The Guardian, Theguardian.com

Q: You have the lowest popularity ratings for a leader since records began. Does that worry you?

Corbyn says he does not comment on polls. He will not start now.

This is not just about him, he says.

He says he has a lot of highly motivated candidates who want to win the election.

The interview is over. Vine says they asked if there was a record Corbyn wanted to play. He says he was told Get Ready, by The Temptations.

Corbyn says he would be an “honest broker” in a second referendum campaign.

Q: What happens if your team negotiates a fantastic Brexit deal, and you can hardly contain your excitement?

Corbyn says he can contain his excitement in all circumstances.

Q: But what happens if it is so good that you should campaign for it?

Corbyn says he wants the public to take the decision.

Q: In your heart of hearts you are a Brexiter, aren’t you?

Corbyn says he has been accused of many things. He wants a prosperous economy, and for the people to make the final decision.

Q: You are promising lots of free stuff. Can you afford this?

Referring to broadband, Corbyn says this is an essential service.

Q: The IFS says it is unlikelyLaborwill be able to raise the sums it needs from its plans plan.

Corbyn says that is what the IFS says. He says Labor thinks it can raise the money to be had. There is a debate to be had about this, he says. He says the Labor party has spoken to the IFS about this.

Q: And, after the manifesto came out, you announced plans to spend £ 58 BN compensating the Waspi women. Where does that money come from?

Corbyn says Labor would use the “headroom” available.

Is it right to break a contract with these women, he asks. He says these women paid into the system expecting a pension.

Q: Shouldn’t Labor have pointed out in the 1990 s what the government was doing on this?

Corbyn says Labor has said it will address this, and it will.

And here are some lines from earlier in the interview.

Jeremy Corbynis being interviewed byJeremy Vineon Radio 2 now.

Q: Dave Merritt, whose father Jack was killed in the London Bridge attack, said he did not want politicians to exploit his son’s death. But hasn’t Labor done some of this as well as theConservatives, by talking about spending cuts?

Corbyn says he met Dave Merritt at the vigil yesterday. He says resources for prisons and the Probation Service are an issue.

Q: But won’t lots of people support the Tory ‘lock them up and throw away the key ‘approach?

Corbyn says this would require many more prison places. And eventually prisoners come out.

Q: Doesn’t this case suggest deradicalization does not work?

Corbyn says the government should not allow prisons to become a breeding ground for extremism.

Here is more from what (President Trump) said in his press briefing earlier.

Asked if he could work with a possible Prime Minister [Jeremy] Corbyn, Trump replied:

I can work with anybody. I’m a very easy person to work with. You wouldn’t believe it.

Trump also seemed to acknowledge that he might not be popular in the UK. This sounded new; on previous visits,he has been keen to boast about how popular he is in the UK.(He isn’t.) In response to a question about the UK election, Trump said in the US, when he endorsed candidates, he helped them win elections. But Britain was different, he said.

I’ve won virtually every race that I’ve participated in [in the US, where he has endorsed candidates.]. But this is a different country.

I say often, in Germany they like Obama. The reason they like Obama is because Obama gave the ship away. He allowed them to take everything. He gave them things that I wouldn’t do. I love Germany, I love this country, I love other countries. But I’m representing the US. So they may not like me because I’m representing us, and I represent us strong. President Obama did not represent us [strongly]; he gave everything away, and he shouldn’t have done that. And that’s why we’re still paying a price for what he did.

So, I’ll stay out of the election.

Channel 4 has been cleared over its use of an ice sculpture to stand in forBoris Johnsonduring a debate on climate change, Ofcom has said. As PA Media reports, Ofcom said the prop “was not a representation of the prime minister personally”, and that “little editorial focus was given to it, either visually or in references made by the presenter or debate participants”.

TheConservativescomplained that the broadcaster failed to allow the former environment secretary Michael Gove to be its representative for the debate, during which party leaders faced questions over how they would tackle climate change.

Rejecting the complaint,Ofcom said:

Broadcasters have editorial freedom in determining the format of any election debate.

Depending on the circumstances, they may choose to proceed without having agreed the participation of a particular political party or politician, providing they take steps to ensure the program complies with our due impartiality and elections rules.

In this case, the election committee concluded that, across the one-hour debate and a subsequent news program, Channel 4’s use of editorial techniques ensured that the Conservative’s viewpoint on climate and environmental issues was adequately reflected and given due weight.

The committee also took into account that the globe ice sculpture was not a representation of the prime minister personally, and little editorial focus was given to it, either visually or in references made by the presenter or debate participants.

The committee therefore considered that this program, including the use of the ice sculpture, did not raise issues warranting further investigation under our due impartiality and elections rules.

Boris Johnsonsaid he could “categorically rule out” that “any part of the NHS will be on the table in any trade negotiations”, including pharmaceuticals, when he spoke to reporters during a campaign visit to Salisbury this morning. He described Labor claims that the NHS was under threat (see (9) 19 am)as “pure Loch Ness Monster, Bermuda Triangle stuff”.

Asked if Donald Trump’s support was an embarrassment to him, Johnson said:

On the contrary and I have good relations with Washington, the president, with President Macron, Chancellor Merkel and that’s vital for the UK and we’ll be having a series of meetings – bilateral , trilateral of all kinds – in the course of the next couple of days.

Any readers requiring an explanation of the “Bermuda Triangle” jibe will find one on Wikipediahere.Like many of Johnson’s cultural references, this one relates to something prominent in the media in the 1970 s.

Peter Walker

Almost a third of voters now say they will vote tactically in the election, according to polling carried out for theElectoral Reform Society(ERS), with the proportion rising rapidly.

The polling by BMG found 30% of people said they would be “voting for the best-positioned party / candidate to keep out another party / candidate that I dislike ”on 12 December. This is up from 22% saying this at the start of the election campaign, and 24% in a parallel poll last week.

Only 51% of people said they would pick “the candidate / party I most prefer, regardless of how likely they are to win”.

The ERS, which has long campaigned for a move from the first-past-the-post electoral system to a proportional method, said the polling “should sound alarm bells for our democracy” , adding that given the sometimes contradictory advice on who to vote for tactically in different seats, the election could become “a lottery”.

In his ITV This Morning interviewJeremy Corbynalso said that he was “very sorry” for “everything that has happened” in his party regarding antisemitism .

This came when he came under repeated pressure to say sorry from the presenter,Phillip Schofield. (See10. 56 am.)Corbyn said:

Our party and me do not accept antisemitism in any form … Obviously I’m very sorry for everything that has happened.

But I want to make this very clear: I am dealing with it, I have dealt with it, other parties are also affected by antisemitism.

Candidates have been withdrawn by the Liberal Democrats, and theConservativesand by us because of it. We just do not accept it in any form whatsoever.

Corbyn has apologized to the Jewish community several times in the past for his party’s handling of antisemitism, but he caused controversy when he refused to apologise last week when challenged to do soin his interview with the BBC’s Andrew Neil.

That interview was mostly rather bland, but at the endJeremy Corbynsaid something that at face value sounded very interesting.

Phillip Schofieldasked:

Would you still be Labor leader at the end of, if you were prime minister, or whatever happens on 12 [December], would you still be (Labor) leader at the end of the next term?

Corbyn replied:

I hope so, yes, because I feel I’m fit, I feel I’m quite young enough to do the job … and I’m very determined to carry out what we’ve got there, because we’ve got [to] change our country, we’ve got to change our society, we cannot go on with this massive division between the richest and the poorest, and call ourselves a decent, civilized country. So, I want to help people all across the country. And that’s what I want our government to do. And, do you know what? I’m absolutely looking forward to doing it, starting in Christmas week.

Taken literally, Corbyn seems to be saying he intends to stay on as Labor leader for a full parliamentary term regardless of whether or not he wins the election.

But, taking into account the context (ie, the reference to carrying out the Labor manifesto, and being in government) it seems much more likely that Corbyn was addressing the point about whether he intended to serve a full term as prime minister if he wins the election. (He does – or at least, he always says he does when asked this question.)

There are very few people at t he top of the Labor party who would expect him to stay on for another five years as leader if the party loses, and that does not seem to be what he meant to say. But I will ask the party for clarification.

UPDATE:I have amended the paragraph above to say there are very few peopleat the topof the Labor party who thinkJeremy Corbyncould stay on for five years if he loses. The original sentence said that was the view in the party as a whole. It might be, but we don’t know that the membership as a whole thinks on this point, and some members would want Corbyn to stay on for as long as he wanted.

Q: Aren’t you exhausted by the campaigning?

No, says Corbyn.

He says he believes in public service. He believes in representing people. And he wants to have a society where we don’t have food banks, or child poverty.

He says he is inspired by the wisdom he encounters.

He says he goes around with a note book. He writes notes everywhere he goes. He says everyone you meet knows something you don’t.

Q: What happens if you don’t win?

Corbyn says he intends to win.

Q: But if you don’t?

Corbyn says his principles and life will be the same.

Corbyn says, when he becameLaborleader, there were no processes for dealing with antisemitism. He introduced those, plus a fast-track disciplinary system. And a system of education.

He says a rabbi was attacked in north London this week. That was disgusting. He has discussed this with other rabbis, he says.

Q: Will you apologize to the Jewish community for any antisemitism committed by Labor members?

Corbyn starts an explanation.

Schofield intervenes: “Just say sorry.”

Corbyn says he is sorry for what has happened.

He says antisemitism is a poison. You know what happens, from 20 th century history, if it is allowed to continue .

Q: Many people will fear that, if you tax big business more, prices will go up for everyone.

Corbyn says people need higher wages. And we need to so something about child poverty. Raising wages is good, he says.

He says he wants to invest in infrastructure and training.