Making up Labour spending figures may backfire on the Tories | Tom Kibasi

The numbers may be fictional, but the idea of a break from the old economic order will appeal to many young votersIf there is one lesson of British politics of recent years, it is that politicians underestimate the public's appetite for change at their peril. So the Tories may yet come to regret dedicating the weekend to promoting a dodgy dossier from the Conservative research department that grossly overstated Labour's spending plans.The Conservatives claim that Labour's plans will cost the public purse an additional ?1.2tn during the next parliament. It is designed to generate "sticker shock" - to be a number that fixes in the public consciousness as a sign that Labour cannot be trusted with the economy. The dossier is not a serious attempt at public policy analysis but a political hatchet job with a calculator. No matter that Labour is yet to agree or publish its 2019 manifesto. The Tories are always happy to speculate wildly - especially when a pliant rightwing press are unwilling to pick apart their claims. Continue reading...