We're on the bus with Boris Johnson - and Labour's big broadband promise

11/15/19 • 16 min

Calling Peston: The ITV News Politics Podcast

Today's campaign can be summed up with two B's: broadband and (the Tory) bus. There's been loads of talk about Labour's £20 billion pledge to provide free full-fibre internet access across the UK by 2030, which the party says would be funded by renationalise part of BT. The Tories and Lib Dems have said the scheme is unaffordable. We chat to our correspondent Libby Wiener who spoke to Jeremy Corbyn in Lancaster today - he told her "It is affordable, and it's got to be affordable because our country needs it." Is the policy a gamechanger? As for the Conservatives, Boris Johnson launched the party's battle bus in Greater Manchester today. Robert Peston got on the bus to speak to the prime minister in his first sit-down interview of the campaign. We bring you the key parts of that interview - watch it in full at youtube.com/itvnews. And Daniel and Shehab take a look at who's up and who's down at the end of week two of the campaign.

Previous Episode

Could the NHS cost the Tories or is Jeremy Corbyn too unpopular to win it?

New figures out today show more patients than ever waited longer than four hours in A&E in England during October. Labour's seized on the data, saying the NHS was in crisis - but Boris Johnson says Labour would "rack up such colossal debt" that it would be impossible to invest the money needed into the health service. With the NHS high up on many voters' key priorities, will today's figures see support switch away the Conservatives and to Labour? Robert gives us his take. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been heckled for a second day in a row during his visit to Scotland. Our correspondent Libby Wiener has been following Mr Corbyn - we chat to her about how the party's campaign in Scotland is going so far. Plus some very important discussion about what really is the right way to make a cup of tea, after a Tory campaign video showed Boris Johnson adding milk to his cup of tea BEFORE removing the bag.

Next Episode

Bonus episode: Robert answers your questions on Russian interference, Remain coalitions and winter elections

Earlier this week on the podcast, Robert Peston dropped by the Calling Peston studio/cupboard to answer some of the many election-related questions you tweeted him. We couldn't fit all of the Q&A in that episode, so here it is for you in full. Among the questions: why hasn't the Russian interference report been released; will Remain parties come together to form a coalition - and are we now stuck with winter general elections forever? We'll do another Q&A with Robert on the podcast soon - so send your election questions by tweeting @DanielHewittITV, @ShehabKhan and @Peston using #CallingPeston. We'll be back as usual with a new episode on Monday evening.