Peter Mandelson, Labour’s Chair of Election Strategy, has responded to the launch of the Tory manifesto.

Mr Mandelson said:
"When the Tories say 'we’re all in this together', what they really mean is 'you’re on your own'.

"This is not an agenda for empowerment – it’s an agenda for abandonment.

"At the very moment when people need help and support the Tories believe that Government support should be cut.

"Look behind the gloss and it’s the same old Tory message: sink or swim, you’re on your own.

"The do-it-yourself Tory agenda for public services described today won’t work unless the frontline is properly protected and properly funded. But the Tories will have to cut spending very sharply to make all their manifesto tax and spending promises add up.

"You cannot build a strong society without a strong economy.

"This is the big hole in the Tory manifesto. It’s called economic credibility. They say they will reduce taxes, protect spending and lower the deficit. This is something-for-nothing ‘Santa Claus’ economics. It will kill the recovery and mean we would be paying the price for years to come.

"A combination of their black hole and a sink-or-swim approach to public services shows that for all the PR blitz, David Cameron has not changed the Tory Party.

"They may not talk about the age of austerity anymore but that is what they would create."

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www.labour.org.uk