Jeremy Corbyn pledges 10,000 extra cops just days after bragging about being arrested
Leader claims Labour would reverse the Government tax cut on assets to provide £720million boost
JEREMY Corbyn will today pledge 10,000 extra coppers - just days after bragging about being arrested.
A Labour government would pay for the £720 million boost in “bobbies on the beat” by reversing the Government’s £2.74 billion tax cut on assets.
The hard-left Labour leader will put policing at the centre of his election pitch today on a campaign trip to Southampton - as he bids to repair his rock-bottom reputation on law and order.
Mr Corbyn has been slammed for his IRA sympathies and his criticism of the police’s ‘shoot to kill’ policy in the event of a terror attack.
And last week he made the bizarre claim that his arrest when protesting apartheid in the 1980s was proof of his prime ministerial credentials.
Labour’s latest spending pledge came after its plan to introduce tough minimum standards for landlords was branded a “tenants tax” because it would lead to higher rents to cover costs.
And Labour was humiliated over its 20-point plan to boost workers’ rights when it emerged there were only 18 promises.
As he shifts his focus to policing today Mr Corbyn will pledge to put 10,000 more police officers on the streets to tackle crime across England and Wales. He will say: “The safety of our communities is vital to us all.
“Community policing means uniformed officers being visible, local and accessible. They engage with the public, have a detailed local knowledge and build a network of relationships.
“That’s why Labour will reduce crime by putting more police in the community to make sure policing works for the many not the few.”
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Labour said the policy will be paid for by scrapping the Government’s 8p cut in Capital Gains Tax.
But the Tories dismissed Mr Corbyn’s latest policy as another “nonsensical unfunded pledge” - and claimed Labour had already pledged to spend the money elsewhere.
They pointed out he has already pledged to use the money to pay for a boost in arts funding, employing more teachers and reversing cuts to disabled benefits.
Policing minister Brandon Lewis said: “Jeremy Corbyn promises all sorts of things, but we all know he can’t deliver. He and his supporters want to take away the powers the police need to keep us safe, and his coalition of chaos would undermine the Brexit negotiations.”
Taxpayers’ Alliance chief John O’Connell said Mr Corbyn’s decision to hike taxes to pay for the policy was “yet another example of politicians making policy on the hoof”.
He said: “If Labour wants to promise more money for a certain service, they should get real and suggest spending reductions elsewhere to pay for it instead of seeking to dip their hands in taxpayers’ pockets.”