The Tories used to pitch themselves as a party for aspirational professionals. After their attacks on doctors and teachers, it's anyone's guess what they stand for now
Jeremy Corbyn pointed out something important at PMQs today: as the Tories turn on aspirational professionals during a week of junior doctor walk-outs, they’ve scuppered their own PR. In fact, they are choosing to attack the very people who voted them in to power less than a year ago.
Cameron’s jokes about rocket ships and repeat television shows could not disguise the fact that he was out of his depth today. Corbyn was right to align himself with the concern the public have for the latest Tory education plan. The stand-out line from their exchange – “When will the government listen to the public, parents and patients... and change his ways, listen to them, rather than imposing things from above?” – neatly summarised the fact that middle class voters, teachers and doctors are all feeling their patience wear thin with a Tory government which seems to have no one’s best interests at heart except its own.
While the Prime Minister reeled off the supporters of his plans, he couldn’t even find quotes that directly backed his academy programme – perhaps because there’s an absolute dearth of them. In the case of the junior doctors’ strike, the same can be said as polling shows that the public still overwhelmingly support junior doctors in their pursuit to protect the NHS, even as they leave emergency care for the first time this week.
This is the second week in a row that Jeremy Corbyn has forced the Prime Minister into treacherous waters. The Labour leader was passionate in condemning Tory arrogance, calling on the Prime Minister to trust people who work in our public services to run them. This was perhaps where Corbyn was at his strongest. While Cameron attempted to align his party with aspiration, the Labour leader made clear that it is actually the Labour party that stands with parents, teachers, patients and professionals alike.
Labour must show that it can stick to its core belief of supporting the poor and vulnerable while also creating an economy that allows aspirational people to get on. In this – largely due to the errors of Cameron’s own government – it is succeeding.
Where is the legendary Tory support for those who want to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”? The government’s teaching of our brightest and best in recent times hardly even seems to align with Conservative ideology.
The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn
He called Hezbollah and Hamas ‘friends’
True. In a speech made to the Stop the War Coalition in 2009, Mr Corbyn called representatives from both groups “friends” after inviting them to Parliament. He later told Channel 4 he wanted both groups, who have factions designated as international terror organisations, to be “part of the debate” for the Middle East peace process. “I use (the word ‘friends’) in a collective way, saying our friends are prepared to talk,” he added. “Does it mean I agree with Hamas and what it does? No. Does it mean I agree with Hezbollah and what they do? No.” Reuters‘Jeremy Corbyn thinks the death of Osama bin Laden was a tragedy’
Partly false. David Cameron used this as a line of attack at the Conservative Party conference but appears to have left out all context from Mr Corbyn’s original remarks. In an 2011 interview on Iranian television, the then-backbencher said the fact the al-Qaeda leader was not put on trial was the tragedy, continuing: “The World Trade Center was a tragedy, the attack on Afghanistan was a tragedy, the war in Iraq was a tragedy.”He is ‘haunted’ by the legacy of his ‘evil’ great-great-grandfather
False. A Daily Express exposé revealed that the Labour leader’s ancestor, James Sargent, was the “despotic” master of a Victorian workhouse. Addressing the report at the Labour conference, Mr Corbyn said he had never heard of him before, adding: “I want to take this opportunity to apologise for not doing the decent thing and going back in time and having a chat with him about his appalling behaviour.”Jeremy Corbyn raised a motion about ‘pigeon bombs’ in Parliament
This one is true. On 21 May 2004, Mr Corbyn raised an early day motion entitled “pigeon bombs”, proposing that the House register being “appalled but barely surprised” that MI5 reportedly proposed to load pigeons with explosives as a weapon. The motion continued: “The House… believes that humans represent the most obscene, perverted, cruel, uncivilised and lethal species ever to inhabit the planet and looks forward to the day when the inevitable asteroid slams into the earth and wipes them out thus giving nature the opportunity to start again.” It was not carried.He rides a Communist bicycle
False. A report in The Times referred to Mr Corbyn, known for his cycling, riding a “Chairman Mao-style bicycle” earlier this year. “Less thorough journalists might have referred to it as just a bicycle, but no, so we have to conclude that whenever we see somebody on a bicycle from now on, there goes another supporter of Chairman Mao,” he later joked.'Jeremy Corbyn will appoint a special minister for Jews'
False so far. The Sun report in December was allegedly based on a “rumour” passed to the paper by a Daily Express columnist who has written pieces critical of the Labour leader in the past. The minister did not materialise in his shadow cabinet.‘Jeremy Corbyn wishes Britain would abolish its Army’
False. Another gem from The Sun took comments made at a Hiroshima remembrance parade in August 2012 where Mr Corbyn supported Costa Rica’s move to abolish it armed forces. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world…abolished the army and took pride in the fact that they don’t have an army,” he added. The caveat that “every politician” must take the step suggests Mr Corbyn does not support UK disarmament just yet.Jeremy Corbyn stole sandwiches meant for veterans
False. The Guido Fawkes blog claimed that the Labour leader took sandwiches meant for veterans at at Battle of Britain memorial service in September but a photo later emerged showing him being handed one by Costa volunteers, who later confirmed they were given to all guests.He missed the induction into the Queen’s privy council
True. After much speculation about Mr Corbyn’s republican views and willingness to bow to the monarch, his office confirmed that he did not attend the official induction to the privy council because of a prior engagement, but did not rule out joining the body.Jeremy Corbyn refuses to sing the national anthem.
Partly true. The Labour leader was filmed standing in silence as God Save the Queen was sung at a Battle of Britain remembrance service but will reportedly sing it in future. Mr Corbyn was elusive on the issue in an interview, saying he would show memorials “respect in the proper way”, but sources said he would sing the anthem at future occasions.He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cheese
True. The group lists its purpose as the following: “To increase awareness of issues surrounding the dairy industry and focus on economic issues affecting the dairy industry and producers.”Those who voted for David Cameron only a few short months ago want and deserve to know the answer to why the Prime Minister has turned on teachers and doctors as much as the most vocal supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. The smug sense that he can truly get away with anything is threatening to become Cameron’s fatal tragic flaw.