The first attack ad of this year's general election has been released, with the Tories placing a picture of Jeremy Corbyn over an image of a bomb alongside the slogan: "No bombs for our army, one big bombshell for your family."
Although the focus of the advert's words is economic, "the bomb is likely to have been included as a way of reminding people of Corbyn's pacifist views", says The Guardian.
Brexit Secretary David Davis added fire to the poster's message, saying: "Jeremy Corbyn's nonsensical and irresponsible ideas pose a grave risk to the future of Britain's economy and the finances of every family in the country."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A Labour spokesman said the Tories were attempting to distract attention from the fact that Prime Minister Theresa May has not ruled out tax increases.
"Their false claims about Labour's plans in this campaign haven’t been worth the paper they've been printed on," he said.
Hard-hitting posters attacking Labour on the economy have worked for the Conservatives in the past, says the Daily Telegraph, while Jolyon Green, Labour's former head of press operations, says the ad is effective because it combines a number of perceived weaknesses on the side of the Labour party.
Pre-election propaganda has been a staple of the UK political system for many years. Here are some of the more memorable examples.
And now – win the peace (1945)
Still referred to as Labour's finest hour, the 1945 election saw Clement Atlee snatch power from war hero Winston Churchill and the Conservatives. Their campaign poster focused on rebuilding peacetime Britain following years of hardship during World War II and captured the desire for a change in the country's leadership.
Labour isn't working (1979)
Margaret Thatcher famously rejected this poster, reports The Guardian, telling its designer, Saatchi & Saatchi's Tim Bell: "You know perfectly well that you should never have the other side's name in your own poster."
Bell fought his corner and the Tory leader eventually relented, resulting in the poster being used throughout her successful 1979 election campaign.
It was the first partnership in a long and largely fruitful marriage between the design company and the Conservatives, "helping the party win the next four elections and the agency grow into a global behemoth", says the Guardian.
Get out and vote. Or they get in (2001)
Perhaps the first victim of the Photoshop generation, Conservative leader William Hague was placed front and centre of Labour's campaigning in 2001. Harking back to the days of Thatcher, the ad saw Hague sporting an impressive bouffant and alongside a very simple message.
Year for change (2010)
Perhaps better known for the subsequent Photoshop edits rather than its initial message, this 2010 poster initially saw the Conservatives pilloried in the press for having "retouched" an image of David Cameron.
But the internet quickly seized upon a different method of subverting the Conservative message, by simply replacing the words on the poster.
The new images were one of the first political memes, with the production of spoofs accelerated by a website allowing anyone to make their own version of the posters.
Vote Conservative (2015)
The most iconic poster of the 2015 campaign epitomised the Tories' main line of attack against a Ed Miliband's Labour.
"What makes the poster so impressive is that they have managed to bring to life the possibility that a vote for Labour could help usher the SNP into Downing St without even using a headline," writes Political Advertising.
"In one foul swoop it damned Miliband's leadership credentials, excited the SNP activist base in Scotland and distracted Labour from their NHS-led campaign and forced them onto the back foot."
-
Freakier Friday: Lohan and Curtis reunite for 'uneven' but 'endearing' sequelThe Week Recommends Mother-and-daughter comedy returns with four characters switching bodies
-
Al fresco art: the UK's best sculpture parksThe Week Recommends Soak up the scenery with a stroll through these open-air galleries
-
Sudoku medium: August 14, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Who will win the battle for the soul of the Green Party?An ideological divide is taking root among the environmentalists
-
Are we facing a summer of riots?Today's Big Question Anti-immigrant unrest in Essex has sparked fears of a summer of disorder
-
Who stands to gain – and lose – from 16-year-old voters?Today's Big Question Many assume Labour will benefit but move could 'backfire' if Greens, a new hard-left party or Reform continue to pick up momentum
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
-
Mortgage reform: is Rachel Reeves betting the house on City rules shake-up?Today's Big Question Reforms could create up to 36,000 additional mortgages next year
-
Corbynism returns: a new party on the LeftTalking Point Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's breakaway progressive party has already got off to a shaky start
-
How will Labour pay for welfare U-turn?Today's Big Question A dramatic concession to Labour rebels has left the government facing more fiscal dilemmas
-
Backbench rebellions and broken promises: is it getting harder to govern?Today's Big Question Backbench rebellions and broken promises: is it getting harder to govern?
