That’s a polite way of saying the party is putting forward a lethal mix of the unaffordable, the impossible and the irresponsible.
Voters should see right through it. That’s why the polls suggest that there isn’t going to be a majority Labour government. And if they are even half-right there probably won’t be a coalition one, either.
So a rather more important question is what a Conservative government would do to the economy. What do we know? Ignore the noise.
On spending, as the IFS says, there would be “little in the way of changes to tax, spending, welfare or anything else” apart from increases, announced before the campaign began, for the NHS and schools. That means a Conservative chancellor “would keep debt fairly constant as a fraction of national income”.
Or at least that sensible approach is the one it would follow if the economy doesn’t tank if faced with the hardest of Brexits next year.
But what if the government fails to agree a trade deal with the EU by next December? Even with goodwill in the talks (which isn’t certain) getting one in place will be a practical challenge. A lot of people think it will be impossible.
Yesterday a leaked document from the Brexit department described how hard it will be to agree terms for trade across the Irish border by then.
The Prime Minister insists this will not involve checks between Britain and Northern Ireland. Everyone else thinks it will. Of course, the Government could just extend the transition period agreed in the exit deal to keep current terms in place. But the Prime Minister says that won’t happen, either.
Maybe he’ll change his mind when faced with the alternative. It wouldn’t be the first time.
But Brexit is not the only uncertainty.
We know that the next Government will want to spend more on infrastructure. But where and how?
The Conservative manifesto does not mention Crossrail 2, the essential line planned to run under London to take the strain off the Tube. HS2 and Heathrow’s planned third runway are also vital projects which need to go ahead.
But the Prime Minister was vague about his personal commitment to them this week. Of course that might be because there’s an election on and his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat is one of those affected. But we need clarity and government commitment.
Seeing off Jeremy Corbyn’s Marxist tribute act is what this week is about.
But it’s not the same as an economic policy.
https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/evening-standard-comment-stopping-jeremy-corbyn-is-not-the-same-as-an-economic-plan-don-t-keep-city-a4309656.html
