London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jun 18, 2026

Labour unveils 'radical' plan to remake Britain

Labour unveils 'radical' plan to remake Britain

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn unveiled his party’s election manifesto on Thursday, setting out radical plans to transform Britain with public sector pay rises, higher taxes on companies and a sweeping nationalisation of infrastructure.

Voters face a stark choice at the country’s Dec. 12 election: opposition leader Corbyn’s socialist vision, including widespread nationalisation and free public services, or Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s drive to deliver Brexit within months and build a “dynamic market economy”.

Speaking in Birmingham, Corbyn set out his crowd-pleasing plans, offering something for almost everyone in Britain - from help to parents with young children to free university education and more money for elderly care.

In a speech punctuated by applause and standing ovations from supporters, he promised to stand up for ordinary people against the “bankers, billionaires and the establishment” who were fighting to keep a system “rigged in their favour”.

“Labour’s manifesto is a manifesto for hope, that is what this document is - a manifesto that will bring real change,” Corbyn said, describing his approach as the most “radical and ambitious plan” in decades.

Lagging in the polls, Corbyn hopes his message of change will drown out criticism of his Brexit stance, which even some in his party say lacks the clarity of Johnson’s vow to “get Brexit done”.

Instead, the Labour leader says he will get Brexit “sorted” in six months, with a new exit deal put to a second referendum as a way to bring the country together.

Hoping to avoid comparisons with Labour’s 1983 socialist-inspired manifesto described later by a then Labour lawmaker as “the longest suicide note in history”, Corbyn rejected suggestions he was harping back to the 1970s.

He was instead offering “a green industrial revolution”, an ambitious plan that, he said, could be paid for in part by taxing the richest in Britain.

The manifesto showed an extra 82.9 billion pounds of spending, matched by 82.9 billion pounds of revenue-raising measures.

“It’s impossible to understate just how extraordinary this manifesto is in terms of the sheer scale of money being spent and raised through taxation,” said Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies independent think-tank.

He said Labour plans to raise the revenue required from taxes on high earners and corporations were “simply not credible”.


SPEND, SPEND, SPEND

Both parties have promised to end economic austerity and spend more money on public services before the election, which will determine how, when and even whether Britain leaves the European Union.

Brandon Lewis, a Conservative minister, said Labour would go on “a reckless spending spree which would take a sledgehammer to the British economy”.

Most pollsters put the Conservatives in front, but few are prepared to predict a victor.

Labour could be in a position to form a minority government if Johnson’s Conservatives fall short of outright majority and rivals are prepared to support Corbyn as prime minister.

But to implement its manifesto in full the party would need an even bigger turnaround in the election race to claim a majority of its own. One polling expert described the chances of this as “close to zero” on current evidence.

Held after three years of negotiations to leave the EU, the December election will show how far Brexit has torn traditional political allegiances apart and test an electorate increasingly tired of voting.

Labour has put at the forefront of its campaign its attack on “vested interests”, taking aim at Johnson, who was educated at England’s elite Eton public school, has considerable personal wealth and whose party has rich backers.

Among the proposals, Labour said it would bring in a windfall tax on oil companies, de-list companies that do not contribute to tackling climate change and increase public sector pay by 5%.

The manifesto also promised to reverse privatisations begun by former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, by nationalising rail, mail, water, and BT’s broadband network to provide free internet for all.

Those pledges have been mocked by the Conservatives, with Johnson calling plans to nationalise broadband as a “crazed Communist scheme”.

While business groups welcomed investment in infrastructure, they warned many of Labour’s policies risked damaging business and the economy.

“Command and control isn’t the way,” British Chambers of Commerce Director-General Adam Marshall said.


But Corbyn is defiant.

“If the bankers, billionaires and the establishment thought we represented politics as usual, that we could be bought off, that nothing was really going to change - they wouldn’t attack us so ferociously,” he said. “But they know we mean what we say.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Cornwall Clergy Raise £40,000 for Church Repairs Through Everest-Themed Charity Challenge
UK Business and Social Landscape Reflects Strain From Geopolitical and Domestic Pressures
Tensions Grow in UK Over Sikh Kirpan and Religious Symbolism in Public Debate
Energy Price Cap Increase Set to Lift UK Household Bills by 13 Percent
University of Reading Ranked 196th in QS World University Rankings
UK Maritime Archaeologists Identify 17th-Century Dutch Shipwreck Off Devon Coast
Oxford Union Islam Debate Sparks Protest From Faith Leaders in UK
UK Social Cohesion Debate Intensifies After Religious Prejudice Survey Findings
UK SME Lending Rises Despite Geopolitical Uncertainty and Cautious Outlook
Foreign Demand for UK Gilts Remains Sensitive to Global Inflation Trends
Labour Party Faces Leadership Pressure After Weak Local Election Results in UK
Transport Costs Drive Inflation Pressure as Petrol Prices Push Up UK CPI
British Chambers of Commerce Cuts Growth Forecast as Middle East Conflict Weighs on Investment
UK Economy Grows 0.6 Percent in First Quarter but Outlook Remains Weak
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75 Percent as Inflation Risks Persist
Energy Price Cap Rise Expected to Keep UK Inflation Above Target Through 2026
Health Authorities Warn of Rising Cases of Seasonal Respiratory Illnesses
BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce Advance Multi-Nation Fighter Aircraft Programme
National Archives Publish Declassified Documents on Cold War Energy Security Planning
British Retail Spending Rises Despite Continuing Cost-of-Living Pressures
Wales Launches Social Housing Pilot to Address Affordability Pressures
British Energy Companies Commit £5 Billion to Geothermal and Hydrogen Projects
Northern Ireland Debates Cross-Border Healthcare Partnership With the Republic of Ireland
UK Establishes National Artificial Intelligence Safety Centre With Leading Universities
UK Reports Decline in Small Boat Crossings After Expanding Intelligence Cooperation With France
Scottish Parliament Launches Inquiry Into Delays to Renewable Energy Projects
National Crime Agency Dismantles Alleged Multi-Million-Pound Money Laundering Network in London
Transport Strikes Disrupt Rail and Bus Services Across Northern England
United Kingdom and European Union Open New Security Dialogue on Defense and Border Cooperation
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 5% as Services Inflation Remains Elevated
UK Government Unveils Major National Health Service Reform Focused on Decentralization and Performance Funding
Government Advances New Airport Slot Rules to Ease Airline Operating Constraints
BBC Opens Flagship Science-Fiction Franchise to Competitive Production Bids
Chancellor Meets City Leaders Amid Concerns Over Gilt Market Liquidity
Rathbones Shares Fall Seventeen Percent After Regulatory Review Reveals Compliance Failings
United Kingdom Joins Group of Seven Initiative Using Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing for Cancer Research
Parliament Debates Doubling Tax Allowance for Pensioners After Major Public Petition
Measles Cases Exceed Seven Hundred in London and the West Midlands
British Military Leadership Faces Parliamentary Scrutiny After Defence Secretary's Sudden Resignation
House of Lords Begins Debate on Steel Industry Nationalisation Legislation
Parliament Advances Bill to Abolish NHS England and Create Single Patient Records
Parliament Fast-Tracks National Security Bill to Expand Powers Against Foreign Threats
United Kingdom and European Union Set July Summit to Deepen Post-Brexit Cooperation
United Kingdom Imposes Seventy New Sanctions on Russia and Expands Support for Ukraine's Nuclear Sector
United Kingdom Announces Social Media Ban for Children Under Sixteen
0British Government Investigates Reports of Russian Warship Firing Warning Shots Near Isle of Wight
UK Supreme Court Revises Legal Definition of Deprivation of Liberty
King’s Birthday Honours Recognise Contributions Across Science, Culture and Public Service
UK Ministry of Defence Reports Interdiction of Russian Shadow Fleet Vessel
UK and US Launch Joint Regulatory Programme for Medicines and Healthcare Products
×