Veteran leftie was left stuttering in excruciating exchange on Woman’s Hour 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 £5billion a year bill for extending free care to a million more kids.
He was challenged six times for an answer by BBC Radio’s Woman’s 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’s manifesto and the party had spent the morning publicising it.
The childcare policy is at the heart of Labour’s manifesto and the party had spent the morning promoting it.
Challenged about the bill on Woman’s Hour, Mr Corbyn stuttered: “Erm, it will cost, erm, it will obviously cost a lot.”
Asked again given he “presumably” knew, he said: “I’ll give you the figure in a moment…”
Ms Barnett interrupted to say: “You’re logging into your iPad, you’re announcing a major policy, and you don’t know how much it will cost.”
He replied: “Can I give you the figure in a moment?”
Asked how much his manifesto commitment to extend the provision of 30 hours of free childcare to all two-year-olds, he stumbled, saying: “It will cost….um….it will cost a lot to do so.”
The presenters asked: “I presume you have the figures?”
After saying “I do”, she asked again, to which Mr Corbyn paused, then said: “I’ll give you the figure in a moment.”
The full transcript of the Corbyn car crash on Woman's Hour:
Emma Barnett: “The women’s vote is largely a myth, the economy tops both men and women’s top issues, so can I ask, how much will it cost to provide un means-tested childcare for 1.3 million children?”
Jeremy Corbyn: “Erm it will cost, erm, it will obviously cost a lot to do so, we accept that.”
EB: “I presume you have the figures?”
JC: “Yes I do. It does cost a lot to do it, the point I’m 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’t and we’ll collect money through taxation. Mainly through corporate taxation.”
EB: “So how much will, it cost…”
JC: “I will give you the figure in the moment.”
EB: “You don’t know it? You’re logging into your iPad here, you’ve announced a major policy and you don’t know how much it will cost?”
JC: “Can I give you the exact figure in a minute?”
EB: “Is 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?”
JC: “Not at all, all our…”
EB: “You don’t know the figure.”
JC: “All of our manifesto is fully costed and examined.”
EB: “You’re holding your manifesto, you’re flicking through it, you’ve got an iPad there, you’ve had a phone call while you’re in here, and yet you don’t know how much it’s going to cost?”
JC: “Can we come back to it in a moment?
EB: “What, when you’ve looked it up? This is a policy you’re launching this morning.”
JC: “I think what is important for voters to understand is that if we don’t invest in our children they do less well in primary school. Less well in secondary school. Less will in the future.”
EB: “But you don’t know the cost?”
JC: “I want to give you an accurate figure.”
EB: “This is a very expensive policy. Mr Corbyn. I’m going to help you out with the figures. Would you like to hear how much it’s going to cost?”
JC: “What we think is, it’s important to invest for the whole community and collect the money back through taxation on the principle of universalism.”
EB: “Would you like to know how much your policy is going to cost, Mr Corbyn?”
JC: “What is your estimate of it?”
EB: “Well. it‘s actually from Angela Rayner, your shadow education secretary. £2.7billion, and then £4.8billion. With half a billion to reverse the cuts to the Sure Start scheme. Does that sound about right?”
JC: “It does sound correct…”
The BBC presenter continued: “You’re holding your manifesto, you’re flicking through it... you’ve had a phone call while you’re in here, and yet you don’t know how much it’s going to cost.”
She added: “Is 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?”
Mr Corbyn asked: “Can we come back to it in a moment?” That prompted Ms Barnett to counter: “What, when you’ve looked it up?”
He then resorted to asking the presenter: “What is your estimate?”
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–long 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 “fluffy” questions.
One said: “This was all a waste of time.”
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He was later forced to break off from launching Labour’s equality manifesto in Watford to condemn supporters unleashing anti-Semitic abuse on Ms Barnett, who is Jewish.
Labour-backing Twitter trolls branded the award-winning journalist a “Zionist” stooge.
One told her: “The blood of the disabled and hungry stomachs of children in poverty will be on your hands if this hurts his campaign.”
Ms Barnett had posted: “So abuse from Jeremy Corbyn’s support begins. He didn’t know his figures plain & simple.”
The day had been designed to build on Mr Corbyn’s 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 £4.8billion a year.
During the Woman’s Hour interview Mr Corbyn also forgot he was vice-president of the anti-nuclear CND campaign group.
He said he was surprised it was on the group’s 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 £30 to recruit a police officer.
Jubilant Tories said Mr Corbyn’s performance proved he was not ready to lead the country.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s day of chaos has laid bare the mess he would make of Brexit negotiations, the economy and our nation’s security.”
Development Secretary Priti Patel added “In this shambolic interview he’s made Diane Abbott’s grasp of detail look impressive.”
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 “uprated”.
Mr Carmichael said: “Jeremy Corbyn has had two brain fades in two days. It seems he’s been borrowing Diane Abbott’s calculator.”
Speaking at the launch of the equality manifesto, Mr Corbyn said: “I didn’t have the exact figures in front of me, so I was unable to answer the question, for which I obviously apologise. But I don’t apologise for what’s in the manifesto.”
One exasperated ex-shadow minister said: “It’s sheer incompetence.”
The Labour leader will seek to fight back today by warning of the “Tory threat” 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.
