Jeremy Corbyn has singled out Crispin Odey in his first speech of the election campaign, which pitched the “establishment elite” against the “British people”.
The Labour leader said the Conservatives had “slashed taxes for the richest and slashed vital services and support for everyone else” as he kicked off the campaign in Battersea – an electorate the Conservatives lost in a surprise upset at the 2017 election.
The Labour party is expected to poll better if it focuses the electorate’s attention on issues other than Brexit.
It is currently sitting at just 21% compared to 36% for the Conservatives, according to a Yougov poll conducted on 29 and 30 October. The Liberal Democrats are on 18%.
‘Greedy bankers like Crispin Odey’
“Whose side are you on?” Corbyn asked his audience on Thursday. “The greedy bankers like Crispin Odey, who makes millions betting against our country and has donated huge sums to Johnson and the Conservative Party?
“Or are you on the side of working people who create the wealth that’s then squirreled away in tax havens?”
Odey, who is worth £775m according to this year’s Sunday Times Rich List, donated £10,000 to Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign. He also contributed £900,000 in favour of Brexit ahead of the 2016 referendum and has been accused of backing no deal so he can profit from a falling pound.
The alternatives manager was namechecked alongside News UK owner Rupert Murdoch and Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley, who were respectively accused of promulgating propaganda and exploiting workers.
Don’t mention Brexit
Waverton CIO Bill Dinning thought this election would be more difficult for Labour than 2017, when the Conservatives ran a “terrible” campaign and Corbyn was viewed as a “free” protest vote because his polling was so low. But Johnson will be a more formidable opponent because he is a strong campaigner and “ruthless in the pursuit of power”.
Dinning said: “If Labour can turn the campaign away from Brexit and onto these issues then I do think it’s polling numbers will improve although whether it can come back from this far behind (again) does seem unlikely.”
Policies outlined by Corbyn in the speech included: public ownership of rail, mail and water; a living wage of £10 from the age of 16; and 30 hours free care for all children aged two to four. On Brexit, he said Labour would put a “sensible deal” to the people in a second referendum.
The general election on 12 December will be the fourth national vote in four years, with three general elections and the Brexit referendum.
