Corbyn to slam ‘elite’ as he launches election campaign

Jeremy Corbyn will kick off Labour’s general election campaign with a pledge to take on “the few who run a corrupt system”.

The BBC says Corbyn will describe the December poll as a “once-in-a-generation chance to transform our country”, promise to “rebuild” public services and criticise “tax dodgers, dodgy landlords, bad bosses and big polluters”.

He will galvanise his supporters for what he describes as “the biggest people-powered campaign in history” but also warn them that there will be a bitter battle ahead.

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“You know what really scares the elite? What they're actually afraid of is paying their taxes. So in this election they'll fight harder and dirtier than ever before.

“They'll throw everything at us because they know we're not afraid to take them on.”

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The Guardian says Corbyn “will single out individuals”, including Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley, the financier Crispin Odey and media mogul Rupert Murdoch as examples of individuals Labour’s policies would target.

The BBC’s Nick Eardley says Corbyn’s “scathing attack on the elite and what he calls a corrupt system is a clear if unsurprising sign he intends to run a radical campaign”.

The Times says the speech shows Labour is “determined to prevent the campaign being dominated by Brexit and whether or not parliament should back Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement”.

Although the 12 December polling day has been approved by MPs and the Lords, it has yet to receive Royal Assent.

However, this will not stop leaders from kicking off their crusades. “While parliament is not expected to be disbanded until early next week, the leaders are already in full campaign mode,” remarks The Independent.