Boris Johnson news – live: PM challenged over NHS funding plan as Labour attacks ‘billionaires’ manifesto’
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson faced scrutiny as he launched the Tory manifesto over its lack of a long term plan for social care, with the party’s commitment of £1bn a year having already been announced in September.
The document, titled “Get Brexit Done, Unleash Britain’s Potential”, also promises £1bn for primary schools to develop after-school and holiday childcare.
His pledge of “50,000 more nurses” led to accusations of “deceit”, as it turned out to include 18,500 existing nurses hopes to convince not to leave the workplace.
The PM also stumbled when quizzed on the Tories' fake fact checking debacle, stuttering incoherently before turning a series of metaphors about croutons, minestrone and the Bermuda Triangle into an attack on Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit stance.
Nigel Farage welcomed the manifesto, particularly on immigration, and claimed he recognised many of the ideas within it, as they resembled many of Ukip’s in the 2015 election.
Jacob Rees-Mogg was the only cabinet member not in attendance at Telford, continuing his conspicuous absence ever since he questioned Grenfell victims ”common sense” in following official advice.
Reporter asks if social care pledge is just "a bit of money to stop the system falling over and some warm words for the future" and asks about a long term solution to the social care crisis.
Mr Johnson says Tories will build on a growing national consensus about the way forward, and will cross party lines to bring people together.
He wants to make sure everyone is secure in their old age, he says.
The Guardian's Rowena Mason asks the PM to comment on Tory CCHQ's Twitter rebranding as a fact-checking services during the ITV debate.
"The Twittersphere is not really my province," Johnson says.
A lot of stuttering takes place, before PM finds his feet with typically outlandish verbosity.
"I haven't followed this with perhaps the attention you would like," he says. "When it comes to trust in politics, and the facts of this election, there is one giant fact which we continue to chase down - like the hunting of the snark ... or the Bermuda triangle."
With a final metaphor about searching for croutons in minestrone, the PM finally turns it into an attack on Labour's Brexit stance.
And that wraps up the PM's speech.
He leaves the stage to cheers and more electric guitar, quite possibly regretting taking that final question at the end.
Some key takeaways from Boris Johnson's speech:
- A large U-turn in reinstating nurses bursary, with investment of £897m a year towards building pool of nurses by 50,000 in four years.
- Tories will bring Brexit deal back to parliament before Christmas.
- They'll bring back 20,000 police officers.
- £1bn a year funding for social care but no long term plan
- PM has ditched plan for high earner income tax cuts
- They're going to "Get Brexit Done".
Watch the PM's response to a question about the Tory 'fact checking' debacle
Read more here:
Jacob Rees-Mogg watches launch from afar
As the only cabinet member not in the crowd, the Leader of the House of Commons was conspicuous by his absence during today's manifesto launch.
But it appears he was cheering on the PM from an unknown location.
Mr Rees-Mogg has not made any public appearances on behalf of the party since he drew widespread fury with remarks that Grenfell victims did not use "common sense" in following official stay-put advice.
Tory manifesto just like Ukip's in 2015, Farage says
The former Ukip leader says he recognises much within the manifesto "because they're things that I have campaigned on for years".
Mr Farage is happy to see the Tories "changing the agenda" by talking about immigration levels, he told PA.
The MEP left Ukip in late 2018, not long after they appointed Tommy Robinson as an adviser, citing the party's "fixation" with Islam.
His new Brexit Party has published a so-called Contract With the People, claiming "the old mainstream parties have made ‘manifesto’ a dirty word".
They pledge to reform the voting system, abolish the House of Lords and phase out the BBC licence fee.
Tory manifesto published
Several hours after the launch, the Conservatives have published their manifesto: "Get Brexit Done, Unleash Britain's Potential".
You can read it here.
Boris Johnson fails to commit to long-term social care plan after 'dementia tax' backlash
On his first day as prime minister, Mr Johnson said: "I am announcing now – on the steps of Downing Street – that we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared.”
Here's what he said today.
The manifesto pledges to "build a cross-party consensus to bring forward an answer", while giving an extra £1bn a year, which had already been announced in the autumn Spending Round.
A raft of more specific spending pledges included promises to double funding for dementia research, and extending the entitlement to leave for unpaid carers to one week.
Lizzy Buchan brings more details:
Tom Watson condemns "betrayal" of over-75s
A carefully worded sentence in the Tory manifesto reveals the party will not keep funding licences for over-75s.
It reads: "We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC."
In response, Tom Watson - Labour’s shadow secretary of digital, culture, media and sport - called it "a complete betrayal".
He said: "Last election they promised over 75s that they would keep their free TV licence. Now we know the truth - under the Conservatives, millions of older people, many of whom are housebound and live alone, are going to lose out."
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