Labour hits back at critics over economic policy as Corbyn arrives in York ahead of leaders debate

Speaking in York ahead of the Question Time leaders special, Jeremy Corbyn and shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey turned the fire back on their Tory critics as they pointed to the country's low productivity and high level of debt as proof of the government's economic failure.

Their comments came in response to Conservative accusations that Labour's manifesto pledges “don't add up” and would leave the country facing a tax and borrowing “bombshell”.

Recent polling also suggests that the party is struggling to gain trust among voters, with the majority favouring the Tories on issues like tax and business.

Unveiling further details of Labour's alternative industrial strategy, which the party claims will create one million new jobs, Ms Long-Bailey described it as a "transformative vision" that would create a "fertile environment" for business.

This will be delivered through investment in infrastructure and skills, "transforming the way we look at our economy" and assessing the needs of individuals sectors to ensure they receive "the support that they need to prosper".

Mr Corbyn added that the party's "innovative" approach would include measures specifically aimed at rebalancing economic development in regions like the North.

"We can't go on building an economy that's overheating on a financial services sector in the South East, leaving whole swathes of former mining and former heavy industry areas underemployed, in low wage insecure jobs and precious little investment," he said.

"We start though start with strategic investment in rail and broadband, we improve rail links across the North, we improve feeder rail links such as Hull to the East Coast mainline.

"That way you get better economic balance."

The Labour strategy includes the creation of a new National Investment Bank, a £250bn National Transformation Fund, a National Education Service for England and new rules relating to government procurement.

This would be funded by a mixture of borrowing, private investment and tax increases.

These plans - and other Labour manifesto commitments - have endured fierce criticism from the Conservatives, who claim the party is facing a £45bn black hole in its costings.

According to YouGov polling, voters also lack confidence in Labour's economic competence, with 38 percent seeing the Tories as stronger on the economy compared to just 22 favouring Labour.

However, when challenged on the issue, Ms Long-Bailey highlighted the Tories' own record in government.

"The current government has brought us into £700bn-worth of debt, which is more than any Labour government in history," she said.

"Productivity has stagnated, we have a productivity gap that the chancellor acknowledges himself but does very little to address. Wages have stagnated – people are now 10 percent worse-off than they were before the financial crash and that is absolutely ludicrous.

"And then we've got businesses up and down the country who simply aren't getting the support they deserve."

Mr Corbyn was also asked whether he would be willing to meet with Donald Trump if elected Prime Minister, and how he would respond the the US President's decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement.

The Labour leader described Mr Trump's actions as "reckless and dangerous" but said he would invite the President to Downing Street in order to "try and persuade him... that there is no hiding place from disaster and climate change,"