Are you clear on what Labour and the Tories stand for? | LBC debate

As Keir Starmer sets out Labour's 'first-steps' in government and Jeremy Hunt promises further tax cuts, Matthew Wright asks are you clear on what either the Labour Party or the Conservatives stand for?
The Labour leader promised to deliver economic security, cut NHS waiting times, create a new border security command, set up a nationalised energy company, crack down on anti social behaviour, and recruit 6,500 new teachers.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt vowed to deliver further tax cuts if the Conservatives win the next general election, while hitting out at Labour over "playground politics".
Matthew Wright was joined by author and journalist Paul Mason and Tory MP Sir John Redwood to discuss.
Listen to the full show on Global Player: app.af.globalplayer.com/Br0x/...
#matthewwright #labour #tories #LBC
LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK.
Join in the conversation and listen at www.lbc.co.uk/
Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: l-bc.co/signup

[@johnrussell3961]

Ask centre right Tories if they think they are the same. The Tories are now a far right party with bonkers idea that don’t work. Starmers Labour is a centre left party with policies attractive to those centre right tories.

[@shaun906]

I was going to say the same thing

[@GuzziHeroV50]

I'd say that under Starmer, Labour is soft right.

[@daveruda]

Starmers labour have ousted the leftists and have broken every promise he made. A rightwing snake

[@shaun906]

@@GuzziHeroV50 I bet you put your left shoe on your right foot!

[@GuzziHeroV50]

@@shaun906 Nah, but Starmer is so far right, he has two right feet.

[@RuMixesButBetter]

Absolutely not. One main point of difference: Rwanda. Labour aren’t hellbent on throwing red meat to their base unlike the Tories

[@rw31415]

Agreed. One has also been in power for over a decade while the other hasn't. It is a deeply cynical approach saying 'oh, they're all the same' (as well as being meaningless).

[@RuMixesButBetter]

@@rw31415 exactly! Any party who only appeals to their base will lose. I understand why people on the left are upset with Starmer, but you can’t carry on as you were and expect to win

[@gooner7331]

To me (much like Blair) Starmer and the rest of the leadership group are center right Tories without the incompetence and same levels of corruption and yes they're corrupt and in the pockets of big business because they rolled back promises of extra worker protections as soon as Reeves received donations from business leaders. Or how about Streeting that accepts donations from American healthcare insurers and providers and then starts slagging off the NHS and says that they always moan about being underfunded, especially around Christmas time and that they need to manage their finances better. Where have we heard that before or him pushing to "have private healthcare be involved more with the NHS to help with the backlog of patients". Pretty sure that private healthcare isn't going to leave the NHS alone once the backlog is lowered 🙄. Which in the medium and long term is going to drain what little money is left and leave us with worse and unaffordable care. Just take a look at the USA for proof of what happens when for profit private healthcare gets involved and private insurance companies

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

Oh they will.

[@gooner7331]

@@malcolmmitchell6529 already have by accepting Elphicke into the party. If that isn't throwing red meat to the Tory base, i don't know what is

[@MegaKapo12]

Sir conservatives MP telling how much it will cost us but not telling us how much this has already cost ustime to go 15 years is enough.

[@user-zc4yd9ss7h]

New Labour delivered all of its 1997 pledges and went far beyond them.

[@melodic-cactus]

Yes we remember their biggest pledge " let's invade Iraq" just another imperialist party

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

On the road to insanity

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

Oh dear.

[@johnrussell3961]

They promised to keep those Thatcherite policies the centre right thought reasonable. Repealing everything would have lost them the election..

[@olibirkett331]

More importantly, they gave us a minimum wage.

[@shugieshugied2269]

Whenever I hear the likes of Redwood wittering on about efficiency, the more I understand what he really means is paying people lower wages to do more work. I'm sure lots of people will vote for that, as long as it's not them getting less money and more grief.

[@catherinemartin6258]

No one is like the Tory’s.

[@jimmeltonbradley1497]

The "They're all the same" argument has been promoted for decades by those who really can't be bothered to think, or want an excuse not to make the effort to vote. Whether you like the current choices or not, there is a clear diffence. The Labour party is just to the left of centre, while the Tories have shifted to the far right, much closer to the politics of the bonkers Reform Party.

[@craig3533]

Actually, it's mostly the people targeting those who don't want to think, and to discourage any idea that things can change from people who only see politics in limited amounts. If you can sell people that the only difference is the colour of the rosette, then people don't vote, or at least don't vote for anything that can win. Which is great when you are, say, the only party in one half of the spectrum. It's why Reform makes the Tories freak out - "They're both the same" makes some Right wing voters vote Reform/UKIP/etc and hurts them too, rather than just hurts Labour.

[@david030491]

Hahaha left of centre?

[@gooner7331]

Labour are clearly not left of centre. They're what the Tories would be if they were still right of centre but without the incompetence and same levels of corruption and yes the Labour leadership are corrupt. Reeves receives donations from business leaders and immediately rolls back on the extra workers protection promises. Streeting receives money from the American private healthcare providers and insurers and goe on a tirade against the NHS (says that the NHS always cry about being underfunded at Christmas and that they need to manage finances better, where we heard that before 🤔) and pushes for more involvement of private healthcare providers within the NHS. Very left of centre

[@InArgCroitheGoDeo]

Labour are a liberal party not a social democratic party.

[@jacknorman8236]

I agree with you on the large part, but these two really are the same at the minute. They both stand for exactly the same thing.

[@Mikey72182]

*Labour are no different to the Tories under Starmer. Vote Green!* 🇪🇺🇬🇧

[@TheF1uffyOne.50]

After the last 14 years, its a tough sell to say they are all the same. Try leaving your bias at home.

[@benwrong6855]

600milluon in Rwanda and no one mentions child poverty ...,

[@MrDeadhead1952]

It would help if Wright had taken the trouble to actually read what he is trashing, because if he had he would have found out that it folds out with a detailed explanation how each of the issues listed are going to be achieved. They don't replace any of the already stated plans they are as it says first steps. They will a point to this argument if the manifesto when it's issued once Rishi calls an election has any major differences.

[@robc7162]

I've noticed a number of "journalists & commentators" deliberately ignoring the pull-out detail.

[@williamelewis464]

15 yrs of Tory rule says otherwise

[@seamuspadraigsanders431]

They're distancing themselves from the incoming disaster. The bottom line is they're saving their own necks from being in the chopping block after 14 years of saying the opposition could do better than the conservatives. That was a lie.

[@chrisr3570]

So let a private company charge you x and take profit, or nationalise and then instead of profit, that money can go back into the service

[@Tom_murray89]

I just wish Rishi would call an election

[@sandyellis28]

Redwood & the Tories don’t even see the problems let alone any grasp or ability to deal with them.

[@1erkyrob2]

Matthew Wright is a complete fool if he thinks the two are the same. When did you give up being a journalist?

[@acrodave9287]

At the same time that a lot of journalists gave up on journalism: when the prevailing wind blew in that direction.

[@david030491]

But they are? Same fiscal rules. Same dogmatic slavishness to big business.

[@hashburystumble8808]

Westminster is the problem not the solution.

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

At least its nice &clean.

[@hashburystumble8808]

@@malcolmmitchell6529 🤣

[@ElemennoP]

tbf there's not any party that would be capable of sorting the mess this country has got itself into..🙄..

[@DinnenG]

Agreed. The best thing we can do is put the children who got us here in the naughty corner

[@Jonnyonthespot123]

​@@DinnenG Jail would be nice. Shame that the rules don't apply to the rich

[@susanthompson5381]

We need a labour government to get the country back on track and look after the working people of our country

[@DoneDunning]

Voters don't know any different. That's an issue.

[@user-sd3ik9rt6d]

It should be a broad church but they are totally ignoring their foundations even though some in the left of the party would rather have unelectable purity.

[@johnrussell3961]

They don’t get democracy under FPTP. You have to win most seats to win power. And currently most seats are held by the Tories. Offering left wing policies is not gong to make them flip.

[@sanchezz4387]

Corbyn tried appealing to the left wingers....and I supported him.....look what happened. The UK is a predominantly conservative country by nature. Labour MUST attract Tory voters and Scottish voters To win

[@SirKeefyKeef]

I am convinced now after watching Paul Mason that there will be more than just one election within the next two years.

[@stephenadams5349]

When was he elected?

[@morizwan123]

Conservatives were re-elected in 2019. You voted for the party 😊

[@nojuice457]

because the people funding both are of the same tribe with the same interests.

[@StephenFentiman]

What a shock, the tory lies with every breath.

[@MiPointIs]

Why do all media outlets fail to report the Labour presentation correctly? Have they only skimmed the presentation or are they reporting via secondhand reports? The pledges made by Labour are the first 6 steps laying foundations to deliver the 5 missions, giving details of how they will be funded. Starmer acknowledged the need for inclusion of peripheral issues to attain success. Labour are already preparing so that no time is wasted once they are running the government and their key pledge is to delivered realistic targets rather than making unrealistic promises which never come to fruition.

[@seamuspadraigsanders431]

They have 0 policies, they're keeping current tory policies. The policies laid out in the Labour manifesto are vanity projects that are unfunded.

[@sanchezz4387]

Sunak jas just made £150 million in a year where the country is on the Verge of collapse.....how much does the prime minister getbpaid again?

[@rebeccanoble6797]

On the verge of collapse? What do you mean? Explain.

[@rebeccanoble6797]

I'm pretty sure ministerial pay is published by law.

[@michaelsmedley7519]

By passive income on his wealth. Including some invested 'blind' in Russia

[@Human_Herbivore]

The current opposition doesn't have to be specific because they are not in control of when the elections happens, so, don't need to publish a manifesto yet.

[@user-hl1ex6py8l]

Yes I am totally clear what they stand for. The Tories stand for more of the same or even worse and Labour stand for not being the Tories. That is all I need to know. In fact I would vote for whatever party stands the best chance of winning in my constituency for not being the Tories. VOTE TACTICALLY GET THE TORY OUT.

[@robc7162]

Matthew, time you put yourself up for election and find out how hard it actually is. Not sure how political parties are supposed to try and get their messages out other than making pledges until a manifesto is published. And how many people actually read a manifesto? What's your alternative?

[@CRINOTH]

Exactly. I'm an active member of one of the political parties and I very much doubt that I'll read our manifesto... Elections have to fought with bullet points and broad strokes, not fine print. Funnily enough, manifestos these days only come into play way after elections when whichever party is elected fails to deliver on parts of whatever was written in them and the media, rightly, point it out to the voters.

[@keiranmorrisart]

They both stand for big brother and lbc is part of the ministry of truth

[@malcolmmitchell6529]

Watch starmer plead poverty continuously, " we can't t afford" will be repeated ad infinitum. He will be no different and just as annoying. The whole scam of party politics has proven unworkable. Glad I'm old, the future looks grim.

[@johnrussell3961]

Atllee said we can only afford things by having enough tax to pay for them.. Tax was hiked and put everyone into Austrity. But that tax made the state able to pay off war debt, create the NHS and start massive welfare. It was the Tories who said let’s have tax cuts and fund things with borrowing.

[@chrisrobinson1209]

Paul Mason isn’t well, there should be a duty of care, don’t give him a platform until he gets help.

[@derekwhite2929]

Balderdash deflection and distractions, nothing more! We'll all be too distracted by the war with Russia to be worrying about it for much longer! The political equivalent of whackamole!

[@hilaryporter7841]

We need to protect our borders from foreign financial interests who own our water, rail, mail, energy, increasingly our NHS, our buses, lots of residential housing blocks and also own our members of parliament (through lobbying). We have little to fear from small boats; we have most to fear from being conquered financially, I fear the worst has already hapoened and the people have been put back to feudal conditions. That is what I think of that 'dear listeners'.

[@jeffsuter344]

I could stop the boats overnight. Just create safe routes and allow Asylum Seekers to use planes, trains and ferries. Or open a processing Centre in France as the French offered.

[@SirKeefyKeef]

Mason is more of an activist than a journalist.

[@kablegames2446]

i can tell you why they are in bed together in 7 council in scotland

[@christinavuyk2026]

Labour aren’t concentrating on housing because social housing won’t make them any money. Pink tories the lot of them 😐

[@StuartSouter]

Redwood is at it.

[@archiemcberry7102]

They are basically the same because the both want to be in the middle of the road. Straddle the fence. Be friend with everyone and be universally loved. Love at both parties and their feeble response to the illegals crossing the Channel. Middle of the road = feebleness.

[@robc7162]

That's where the majority of the votes are.

[@johnrussell3961]

Are China feeble for realising communism doesn’t work, nor does liberal free markets?

[@melodic-cactus]

A true democracy would have equal representation of every colour creed and gender, someone to represent everybody and dual nationals or representatives of other states or corporates would be banned

[@johnrussell3961]

That requires PR.

[@MurphyOCP-001]

They aren’t the same. End of video

[@Transformers-oe5jj]

Both Z10 run and payed

[@michaelfairclough6039]

Chalk &Cheese

[@MichaelSmith-ns8ow]

Doom

[@anthonymcnamee6297]

Both blue 👎same people

[@Jonnyonthespot123]

15 years of Conservative rule shows us people don't want/are brainwashed to vote against a Labour government. If the only way you can win an election is to look and speak like a Tory then don't be surprised when Labour start looking and sounding like Tories.

[@Dr_Raja_King_Quotes_]

Keir starmar keeps breaking promises...

[@rebeccanoble6797]

The UK is commencing CPTPP participation in mid October or thereabouts. And we are close to landing an FTA with India. There's not going to be any announcement until that happens.

[@mwd331]

The unicorns have come! We are saved..

[@rebeccanoble6797]

@@mwd331 Fool.