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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Dan Bloom

Labour figures play down 'change of tack' in general election campaign

Labour figures have played down reports the party is shifting its election strategy to stop Leave voters voting Tory on December 12.

The BBC today reported the party was changing tack after overestimating the threat of Lib Dems and underestimating the threat of Conservative rivals.

It was claimed shadow ministers who back a Leave deal, including chair Ian Lavery, would be given a higher profile in the final two weeks of the campaign.

Labour sources did not deny the reports but claimed they were not as significant as reported by the BBC.

One senior insider said: “It’s a bit overblown.

“We are putting additional resources into some seats and honing in on simple messaging nationally, as you’d expect towards the end of an election campaign.”

Jeremy Corbyn did not address the BBC's reports when asked directly if they were true by the Mirror today.

Jeremy Corbyn with youth climate strikers today in Southampton (Getty Images)

But he said Labour’s Brexit plan was “completely clear” - to negotiate a new deal in three months, and put a choice between it and Remain to a referendum in six months.

And in an apparent nod to the BBC report, he insisted he would not tell different voters different things but give the same message “at every place I go.”

Speaking at a Q&A in Southampton, he said: “People have got to come together on this. We cannot go on forever debating what happened in 2016.

“We have to recognise that in 2016, nobody voted to lose their job.

“That is the message I will take out all over the country and our campaign is in every part of the country.”

Shadow minister Barry Gardiner said the apparent change was "news to me" adding: "I have not had any discussions on that."

"Obviously what we want to do is to make sure that we keep on, as we have been doing over the past few weeks, narrowing that margin in the polls," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Mr Corbyn said: “I don’t have one message for one group and another message for another group" (Getty Images)

Nigel Farage said the apparent "change of direction” showed Labour were “in trouble”.

But Mr Corbyn said: “I say the same thing at every place I go.

“I don’t have one message for one group and another message for another group.

“I say the same message everywhere.

“Vote Labour in order to get a government that will deal with the inequalities and poverty and injustice that austerity is heaping on this country.

“Vote Labour in order to have a sensible grown-up approach with Europe in the future.

“And vote Labour in order to have a government that’s serious about dealing with the biggest issue facing the whole planet - the climate emergency.”

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