Boris Johnson has pleaded with voters to give him a House of Commons majority to help change the “punctured Parliament” he claims has frustrated his vision for Britain.
The plea came on a day when the prime minister also apologised “for any offence caused” by his comments about Muslim women in hijabs and refused to concede it could take more than a year to agree a trade deal with the EU.
As the election campaign entered its final week, Jeremy Corbyn also outlined how Labour would “poverty proof” schools and reduce the number of pupils going hungry with a huge investment package, thought to be worth in the region of £2.5 billion in Barnett consequentials for Scotland.
Labour’s announcement was overshadowed, however, as the party faced further criticism over its handling of anti-Semitism.
Lawyers for the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) said 70 Labour staffers, past and present, had given sworn testimony in an official inquiry by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) into anti-Semitism in the party.
According to a leaked copy of its submission to the inquiry, the JLM said Labour was “no longer a safe space” for Jewish people or those who stood up against anti-Semitism.
Mr Corbyn rejected claims he had made Labour a “refuge” for anti-Semites, telling reporters on Thursday: “I completely reject that.”
He said: “When I became leader of the party, there were no processes in place to deal with anti-Semitism.
“We introduced an appeals procedure to deal with it and we introduced an education process, so that party members understood the hurt that can be caused by anti-Semitic remarks or anti-Semitic behaviour.
“I think we’ve got processes in place that have improved it a great deal.”
Mr Johnson meanwhile faced awkward questions over Islamophobia.
Appearing on ITV’s This Morning programme, the prime minister was asked if he would apologise for an article in which he described Muslim women who wear a face-covering veil as looking like “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”.
He said: “People dig out all sorts of articles. I’ve already said sorry for any offence caused and I say it again.”
The prime minister claimed his words had been taken out of context and added: “What the Conservatives have to do is have an inquiry over xenophobia and prejudice of all kinds.”
Mr Johnson, later taking questions while visiting a factory in Derbyshire, repeated lines and jokes about the need to “get Brexit done” and said his deal could be brought back to Parliament “before you cook your Christmas turkey” if the Tories get a majority.
Asked if he would “absolutely promise” to get a trade deal with the EU by the end of the transition period, Mr Johnson said he thought he could.
He said: “I think I can and I’ll tell you why. Look at what we achieved, in three months, with the new deal that I did.
“We did it and it’s a great deal and it will take this country forward. I’m very proud of it.”
Following the day of campaigning, Mr Johnson came in for criticism after Conservative HQ confirmed the prime minister would not be taking part in an ITV election interview, as all the other leaders of the major parties have done.
Mr Corbyn’s interview with ITV, which was broadcast last night, included a bizarre exchange in which the Labour leader appeared to forget the time of the Queen’s speech on Christmas Day.
Ian Lavery, Labour’s chairman, said: “Boris Johnson thinks he’s born to rule and doesn’t have to face scrutiny.
“He’s running scared because every time he is confronted with the impact of nine years of austerity, the cost of living crisis and his plans to sell out our NHS, the more he is exposed.”
