• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News Media

Audience member brands Jo Swinson ‘Tory in disguise’ as Tories chicken out of TV debate altogether

Conservative and Brexit Party chicken out of TV debate on the other issues that aren’t Brexit

Ben Gelblum by Ben Gelblum
2019-12-09 03:10
in Media
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Channel 4 stood two empty podiums where the Conservative and Brexit Party candidates would have been after both parties decided not to send representatives to the Britain Decides: Everything But Brexit Debate. 

It followed a similar move last month, with the publicly owned broadcaster opted to have two melting ice-sculptures on stage during a leaders climate change debate to represent the absent Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. 

On Sunday, presenter Cathy Newman read out the Tory responses to some of the non-Brexit related questions, but the governing party’s decision to skip the debate was heavily criticised during the hour-and-a-half programme.

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said: “You’re doing a sterling job, Cathy, of reading out what they would have said but to be honest I think they should have turned up if they wanted to be represented – just like Boris Johnson couldn’t be bothered to turn up to the Channel 4 climate change debate.

“It tells you exactly what the Tories think about the importance of the environment in this election.”

As well as Labour and the Lib Dems, the SNP, Green Party and Plaid Cymru also took part in the 6.30pm debate.

But the Conservatives came into a lot of flack for not turning up to answer awkward questions on their record after a decade in power.

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price says children born today are at the highest risk of living in poverty in 60 years. #C4Debate pic.twitter.com/dq0XLidmx5

— Channel 4 (@Channel4) December 8, 2019

The Tories were able to avoid answering to awkward facts such as Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price’s point that children born today are at the highest risk of living in poverty in 60 years.

Or Labour’s Angela Rayner’s accusations that the Tories have failed Britain as violent crime has doubled over the past ten years.

RelatedPosts

Daily Mail acknowledges founder was a ‘known anti-Semite’ in flattering piece

BBC chairman set to be grilled by MPs amid questions over Boris Johnson loan

Daily Mail’s attempt at pointing the finger at poor people goes horribly wrong

Telegraph says rejoining EU will happen ‘far sooner than anyone imagines’

https://twitter.com/Channel4/status/1203757539038511104

Audience member brands Swinson ‘Tory in disguise’ 

Channel 4’s prime time Sunday night election debate turned heated after an audience member accused Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson of being a “Tory in disguise”.

The outburst on Britain Decides: Everything But Brexit Debate came after Jo Swinson said her party was being “honest” in announcing it would raise the basic rate of income tax to better fund the NHS if it won Thursday’s General Election.

The woman in the audience said: “Why doesn’t Jo Swinson show her true colours? They’re blue.

“You’re a Tory in disguise, state what you are. You dare to try and raise taxes on lower earners when the country is in austerity. How dare you.”

“How can you dare to raise taxes of lower earners when the country is in austerity” an audience member asks Lib Dem Leader Jo Swinson after calling her “a Tory in disguise.” #C4Debate pic.twitter.com/cfZOjJ0Qzy

— Channel 4 (@Channel4) December 8, 2019

Ms Swinson – who was part of the Tory and Lib Dem coalition government between 2010 and 2015 – replied to her critic by saying: “And we need to end that (austerity) by investing in our public services and we need to be honest about how we do that.

“If you look at the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, they have looked at the Labour plan and they say they are not credible.”

The comeback saw shadow education secretary Angela Rayner respond with outrage at the former coalition minister: “You voted for the bedroom tax, you voted for austerity, you voted for tuition fees.

“You did that nine years ago – apologise for tuition fees.”

The Lib Dem leader responded by accusing Labour of “making a list of promises that you cannot deliver”.

The leader of five months said she had apologised for her party’s part in hiking tuition fees, from £3,000 per year to a maximum of £9,000 in 2010.

She told the debate audience that she wanted Father Christmas to give shadow chancellor John McDonnell an abacus because “Labour’s plans do not add up”.

Firing back, Ms Rayner accused the Lib Dems of the same, arguing that there were not enough professional minders to fulfil the manifesto pledge of providing free childcare to all children over the age of nine months.

“You’ve said you’re going to provide early years (childcare) but the truth is the figures don’t add up,” said the shadow cabinet member.

Content Protection by DMCA.com
Please login to join discussion

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Depression,obesity & chronic pain are linked and could be treated with new drugs

‘Weaknesses’ in border protections as hunt for mystery person with Brazilian variant continues

Marcus Rashford tells Johnson to ‘level up’ UK by ending child hunger

Man denies murdering 52-year-old man in South West London with overdose of chemsex drug GBL

Virgin Trains Add Flying Scotsman To Its Fleet In April Fools Prank

Italian who held top university rank explains why he left UK after Brexit

Elevenses: 24 Hour Punishment People

George Osborne to quit Evening Standard to join ‘tiny M&A boutique with massive pay’

‘Putin go f*** yourself:’ Squatters move into oligarch’s London mansion

History will judge Theresa May more kindly, says knighted ex-de facto deputy

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.