Sunday Shows Round-Up: Labour Dismisses ‘Fictional’ Tory Attack On Spending Plans

Questioned on what the correct figure for Labour’s spending is, he said that was “still being finalised”. Labour will finalise its manifesto next weekend at its clause five meeting.

Nia Griffith, the shadow defence secretary, told Sky News’ Ridge On Sunday Labour would not implement every policy from its annual conference, as she dismissed the £1.2 trillion figure as “absolutely ludicrous”.

“We’re not going to be implementing every single thing that was in our conference in this manifesto,” she said. “You can only do a certain amount at once, can’t you?”

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called the £1.2 trillion figure “nonsense”.

He told Pienaar’s Politics the correct figure would be clear “when we publish our manifesto”.

Laughing at the £1.2 trillion figure, he said: “The reason I’m laughing is I used to do this rubbish for the Labour Party years ago.

“I used to go through obscure Tory MPs and add up all the spending commitments and then Gordon Brown would stand there and say ‘we can now reveal that the Tories are spending billions’.

He added: “So I know exactly what the Tory researchers have done because I used to do it”.

SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said his party will come up with “a wish list” of things they want if the election results to a hung parliament.

He told Ridge On Sunday “a good night for the SNP is sending a very strong message from Scotland to Westminster” that about a second independence referendum. 

“We’re going into this election defending 35 seats in Scotland out of 59, and we want to improve on that,” he said.

Co-leader of the Green Party Jonathan Bartley said he believes his party will secure “the biggest Green vote ever” in the upcoming General Election.

Speaking to Pienaar’s Politics, Bartley said: “I think at this election we’re seeing climate change right up there at the top of the agenda. We think we’re going to see the biggest Green vote ever.”