advertisement

Spend more, tax the rich: UK's Labour stakes election turf

LONDON (AP) - Britain's main opposition Labour Party is appealing to voters with promises to increase the minimum wage, boost public spending, nationalize key industries - and pay for it all by raising taxes on high earners.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says it is a "radical and responsible" program "for the many, not the few."

The election manifesto unveiled Tuesday is being seen by both supporters and opponents as a return to Labour's democratic socialist roots after the business-friendly "New Labour" years.

Corbyn and his allies hope the policies will speak to anxious voters who have seen living standards squeezed.

The governing Conservatives say Labour has an outdated economic vision that will stifle growth.

Opinion polls consistently give the Conservatives a big lead over Labour before the June 8 election.

Britain's Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, center, and shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott arrive at the launch the Labour Party's General Election manifesto in Bradford, England, Tuesday, May 16, 2017. The British electorate go to the polls on June 8, in a general election. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Copies of the Labour Party's General Election manifesto are handed out to journalists ahead of Jeremy Corbyn's appearance at the document's launch in Bradford, England, Tuesday, May 16, 2017. The British electorate go to the polls on June 8, in a general election. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP) The Associated Press