Veteran leftie was left stuttering in excruciating exchange on Woman鈥檚 Hour聽this morning
JEREMY Corbyn was humiliated in a radio interview yesterday in which he could not answer a basic question on the cost of his manifesto childcare policy.
In a day of mayhem, the Labour leader floundered as he forgot the 拢5billion a year bill for extending free care to a million more kids.
He was challenged six times for an answer by BBC Radio鈥檚 Woman鈥檚 Hour presenter Emma Barnett.
But he could not give a figure despite his notes, manifesto and iPad sitting right next to him.
Ms Barnett even offered to find out for him as she asked how Brits could trust the leftie on the economy.
The childcare policy is at the heart of Labour鈥檚 manifesto and the party had spent the morning publicising it.
The childcare policy is at the heart of Labour鈥檚 manifesto and the party had spent the morning promoting it.
Challenged about the bill on Woman鈥檚 Hour, Mr Corbyn stuttered: 鈥淓rm, it will cost, erm, it will obviously cost a lot.鈥?/p>
Asked again given he 鈥減resumably鈥?knew, he said: 鈥淚鈥檒l give you the figure in a moment鈥︹€?/p>
Ms Barnett interrupted to say: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e logging into your iPad, you鈥檙e announcing a major policy, and you don鈥檛 know how much it will cost.鈥?/p>
He replied: 鈥淐an I give you the figure in a moment?鈥?/p>
Asked how much his manifesto commitment to extend the provision of 30 hours of free childcare to all two-year-olds, he stumbled, saying: 鈥淚t will cost鈥?um鈥?it will cost a lot to do so.鈥?/p>
The presenters asked: 鈥淚 presume you have the figures?鈥?/p>
After saying 鈥淚 do鈥? she asked again, to which Mr Corbyn paused, then said: 鈥淚鈥檒l give you the figure in a moment.鈥?/p>
The full transcript of the Corbyn car crash on Woman's Hour:
Emma Barnett: 鈥淭he women鈥檚 vote is largely a myth, the economy tops both men and women鈥檚 top issues, so can I ask, how much will it cost to provide un means-tested childcare for 1.3 million children?鈥?/p>
Jeremy Corbyn: 鈥淓rm it will cost, erm, it will obviously cost a lot to do so, we accept that.鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淚 presume you have the figures?鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淵es I do. It does cost a lot to do it, the point I鈥檓 trying to make is, we are making it universal so we are in a position to make sure every child gets it and those that can at the moment get free places will continue those that have to pay won鈥檛 and we鈥檒l collect money through taxation. Mainly through corporate taxation.鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淪o how much will, it cost鈥︹€?/p>
JC: 鈥淚 will give you the figure in the moment.鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know it? You鈥檙e logging into your iPad here, you鈥檝e announced a major policy and you don鈥檛 know how much it will cost?鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淐an I give you the exact figure in a minute?鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淚s this not exactly the issue with people and the Labour Party, which came up under Gordon Brown, that we cannot trust you with our money?鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淣ot at all, all our鈥︹€?/p>
EB: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know the figure.鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淎ll of our manifesto is fully costed and examined.鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e holding your manifesto, you鈥檙e 铿俰cking through it, you鈥檝e got an iPad there, you鈥檝e had a phone call while you鈥檙e in here, and yet you don鈥檛 know how much it鈥檚 going to cost?鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淐an we come back to it in a moment?
EB: 鈥淲hat, when you鈥檝e looked it up? This is a policy you鈥檙e launching this morning.鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淚 think what is important for voters to understand is that if we don鈥檛 invest in our children they do less well in primary school. Less well in secondary school. Less will in the future.鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淏ut you don鈥檛 know the cost?鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淚 want to give you an accurate figure.鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淭his is a very expensive policy. Mr Corbyn. I鈥檓 going to help you out with the figures. Would you like to hear how much it鈥檚 going to cost?鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淲hat we think is, it鈥檚 important to invest for the whole community and collect the money back through taxation on the principle of universalism.鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淲ould you like to know how much your policy is going to cost, Mr Corbyn?鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淲hat is your estimate of it?鈥?/p>
EB: 鈥淲ell. it鈥榮 actually from Angela Rayner, your shadow education secretary. 拢2.7billion, and then 拢4.8billion. With half a billion to reverse the cuts to the Sure Start scheme. Does that sound about right?鈥?/p>
JC: 鈥淚t does sound correct鈥︹€?/p>
The BBC presenter continued: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e holding your manifesto, you鈥檙e flicking through it... you鈥檝e had a phone call while you鈥檙e in here, and yet you don鈥檛 know how much it鈥檚 going to cost.鈥?/p>
She added: 鈥淚s this not exactly the issue with people and the Labour Party, which came up under Gordon Brown, that we cannot trust you with our money?鈥?/p>
Mr Corbyn asked: 鈥淐an we come back to it in a moment?鈥?That prompted Ms Barnett to counter: 鈥淲hat, when you鈥檝e looked it up?鈥?/p>
He then resorted to asking the presenter: 鈥淲hat is your estimate?鈥?/p>
He later made a grovelling apology for the gaffe.
But it was only the start of a series of setbacks for the bungling Labour leader.
He infuriated parents after cutting short an hour鈥搇ong webchat on Mumsnet so he could catch a train.
Ignoring the hundreds of serious questions left for him he instead started by answering one about why he said he didn't like sugar the last time he joined them for a webchat.
Members rounded on Mr Corbyn for only spending 20 minutes answering 鈥渇luffy鈥?questions.
One said: 鈥淭his was all a waste of time.鈥?figure class="article__media">
He 聽was later forced to break off from launching Labour鈥檚 equality manifesto in Watford to condemn supporters unleashing 聽anti-Semitic abuse on Ms Barnett, who is Jewish.
Labour-backing Twitter trolls branded the award-winning journalist a 鈥淶ionist鈥?stooge.
One told her: 鈥淭he blood of the disabled and hungry stomachs of children in poverty will be on your hands if this hurts his campaign.鈥?/p>
Ms Barnett had posted: 鈥淪o abuse from Jeremy Corbyn鈥檚 support begins. He didn鈥檛 know his figures plain & simple.鈥?/p>
The day had been designed to build on Mr Corbyn鈥檚 sudden surge in popularity among female voters.
A poll at the weekend showed 40 per cent of women may vote Labour, up from 31 per cent in the middle of May.
Earlier Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner had sad free childcare for all two to four-year-olds would cost up to 拢4.8billion a year.
During the Woman鈥檚 Hour interview Mr Corbyn also forgot he was vice-president of the anti-nuclear CND campaign group.
He said 聽he was surprised it was on the group鈥檚 website. CND gave him the honorary title in 2015.
And he refused three times to say whether he would quit if Labour loses on June 8.
The meltdown came four weeks after Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott suffered ridicule for mistakenly saying it would cost just 拢30 to recruit a police officer.
Jubilant Tories said Mr Corbyn鈥檚 performance proved he was not ready to lead the country.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said: 鈥淛eremy Corbyn鈥檚 day of chaos has laid bare the mess he would make of Brexit negotiations, the economy and our nation鈥檚 security.鈥?/p>
Development Secretary Priti Patel added 鈥淚n this shambolic interview he鈥檚 made Diane Abbott鈥檚 grasp of detail look impressive.鈥?/p>
Lib Dem Shadow First Secretary Alistair Carmichael said it was just the latest in a series of mistakes by Labour. He cited uncertainty over whether the party was ending the benefits freeze or not.
During the Sky News/Channel 4 leaders debate on Monday night, Mr Corbyn once more suggested it was.
But Shadow Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner yesterday said not all benefits would be 鈥渦prated鈥?
Mr Carmichael said: 鈥淛eremy Corbyn has had two brain fades in two days. It seems he鈥檚 been borrowing Diane Abbott鈥檚 calculator.鈥?/p>
Speaking at the launch of the equality manifesto, Mr Corbyn said: 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have the exact figures in front of me, so I was unable to answer the question, for which I obviously apologise. But I don鈥檛 apologise for what鈥檚 in the manifesto.鈥?/p>
One exasperated ex-shadow minister said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 sheer incompetence.鈥?/p>
The Labour leader will seek to fight back today by warning of the 鈥淭ory threat鈥?to public services if Theresa May wins the Election.
He will claim NHS waiting lists will increase by a further 1.8million people by 2022.
And he will argue that a Conservative education system will see 650,000 pupils crammed into classes of more than 30 pupils.
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