ITV News interview with Robert Peston: Reform voters, the triple lock and the Green Party

Well, I haven't actually announced policies for tomorrow. You are guessing. You will have to wait and see what is actually announced. But let's take the

but but that's a perfect example. We are doing something for everybody, whether you're retired or a pensioner earning 10,000 or 100,000 or 200,000, we have something for you. We are the party of people who are out there working hard and are aspirational. There are a lot of people in Clacton like that. There are reform voters all over the country and Labour voters and Lib Dem voters, too, who will be very attracted by the Conservative offer.

It is about making the country richer. We've had a system of just giving bumps to different groups of people. This is about having a

No, no, no, no, no, no, this is about No, it's about having a simpler, clearer system. We shouldn't have a cliff edge where you suddenly lose tens of 20,000 lbs worth of child care because you've had a 1 lb pay rise. That makes no sense. This affects teachers. If you're a deputy head and you want to become a head teacher, that has an impact on you.

I know it has impacted GPs. There are GPs who don't work more hours because they don't want to hit that cliff edge. That's not good for the NHS. So, we need to bring common sense back. It's not about attacking rich people or attacking people on 100,000.

What we're not doing is uh you know, trying to punish people for earning money. We want people to be rewarded for working harder.

What we're trying to do is grow our economy. The country is getting poorer and the only way we can make the country richer is by making sure people can go out, earn more money, be more productive and we want to strip the barriers away from that. So, Robert, I'm very sad I'm very sad I'm very sad that you're looking at this in crude electoral terms, but the fact is

That's That's That's the wrong way. That's how we've all got into this problem where we keep thinking about winning elections rather than thinking about what works. How do you run a country? That's the right way of doing things. That's why I've called my pamphlet The Right Way.

Let's fix the economy. Let's get business working. Let's get people out there earning more. Let's get people off welfare and into work. It's the complete opposite of what Labour's doing, by the way.

But that's the way that we're going to get Britain working again.

If I I think that's actually the opposite of what's happening. I was told that actually you know, in polling people are seeing us as the only ones providing effective opposition to Labour. We're the ones who've got them to U-turn. You look at this early release of prisoners, for example. Until I had that press conference with those victims, Andy Burnham was going to let out pedophiles, killers, rapists, people like the killers of PC Andrew Harper.

We are forcing them to change tack. And I will keep doing my job as leader of the opposition. I've got to hold the government to account. Reform don't even have a defense spokesman. We have talked about how we're going to get a missile defense shield for the new age of warfare we're in.

We are the only serious alternative to Labour.

Absolutely.

Yes.

Well well actually, we have been setting out how we will pay for that. The plan for the missile defense system I've already set out about 3 weeks ago in September. You will remember I had lots of questions on it. And the difference between us and other parties is that I set out my plans. Other parties don't say anything because they're hoping just to sneak in.

I'm very happy to be challenged. I love it that you're asking me these questions because I can explain how it's all going to work. The missile defense shield

for more. But on the missile defense system, we've put put that all out. We've explained how we're going to get to 3% on defense. We're the only party that has done that. Labour has kicked this into the long grass again until next year when we can see the threats facing our country right now.

Look at what happened in Fairford. Look at Iran shutting down a power plant. We need to get serious.

Well, there are very respectable arguments on both sides about the triple lock.

Jessica No, no, no, no, there are respectable arguments on both sides. That is not the choice we are making. The triple lock is our policy. The choice we are making is focusing on people who can work but don't work. That is the area that is going to deliver the biggest bang for our buck, not chasing after elderly pensioners.

Well, um I don't know the context of Blake's uh of Blake's comments. Blake Stevenson is a very sensible Yes, he's a very sensible, very sensible MP. He's put out a lot of good stuff um on immigration.

No, no, no, no, not not quite. Um if Blake Stevenson is saying there are no-go zones, he will have a reason for that, and I'm sure that he can explain it. So, I'm very happy to stand by him. Robert Jenrick is Nigel Farage's problem now. Nigel has done my spring cleaning.

Robert can go create all his problems over there. I'm very happy to stand by what Blake Stevenson said.

Uh well, it's very interesting that now um Andy Burnham is telling us that it was actually Abu Dhabi that paid for Manchester's growth all along, rather than him. So, his story is certainly changing. Um look, the the the UAE um are our allies. As trade secretary, I did a lot of work with them. I think it is important that we maintain good relationships, but people still have to follow the rules.

And I do not endorse rule-breaking. You know, I know people think I might be a bit headmistressy about that, but um where rules are broken, then there need to be consequences. I've been saying this at conference. It's in the pamphlet I I um published on Sunday. I'll be talking about more of that tomorrow.

Uh let's look at what happened. I'm not a football expert. I've never pretended to be. It's Andy Burnham who goes around um pretending to be Mr. Football.

I don't know why he said what he said um on those comments, but let's let's take a look and see what's happened.

Uh I don't know I don't know what people mean by that, but I'm I'm certainly pro uh the state of Israel. They have a right to exist. I am very pro uh British Jews. Um I think that they are under threat in this country. Uh we need to protect them.

I see huge anti-Semitism uh uh or a huge increase in anti-Semitism in this country. I'm appalled by what the Green Party uh did at their conference. Uh throwing around words like Zionist uh you know, people like to use these labels. I'm not sure exactly what to these people mean by that, but if you mean supporting the state of Israel and its right to self-determination, yes, I do believe in that. I do believe in a two-state solution.

Um and I think that uh anyone who talks about uh there not being a state of Israel um is actually talking about wiping them off the face of the earth. I think that's completely wrong um and uh I will do everything I can to fight against that.

Well, uh I think that the Green Party is full of a lot of people who are anti-Semites and are quite frankly not okay. This is disgusting. This is These are not people whose opinions we should be uh respecting. These are people who we should be calling out as being shameful. Um I'm embarrassed that a political party in this country would actually do something like that.

Oh, I thought you were going to say something else. [laughter] Has she committed a crime? Or some sort Why is she being handcuffed?

Oh my god. Like, this is just a horrible scenario that you're presenting in front of me. Can I just not be in a handcuffs at all? Both of them have their plusses and minuses. I'm sure both of them would actually pick me if they had to choose between the two of them.