Rudd targets Labour over spending bill in BBC debate

The Home Secretary, representing the Conservatives in the BBC event, was repeatedly the focus of attacks from other members of the panel over the last Government’s record immigration, benefit levels, living standards and the approach to Brexit.

The Conservatives attempted to present the debate as evidence of the “coalition of chaos” which would ensue if Mrs May is not given a majority.

Mrs Rudd accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of believing in a “magic money tree” and pursuing “fantasy economics”.

She said: “It’s as though he thinks it’s some sort of game - a game of Monopoly perhaps where you ask the banker for the red money to pay electrics, the green money to buy the railways and the yellow money to buy the gasworks.”

“It’s not like that. This is people’s hard-earned money. We will protect that. We won’t roll the dice.”

Defending Labour’s plan to raise corporation tax to pay for the party’s spending pledges, Mr Corbyn said it would still be at a lower level than it was in 2010.

He added: “If you put that corporation tax up you’re then in a position to deal with the crisis in social care, the crisis in our NHS, properly fund our schools and not ask headteachers to collect from the parents to pay the teachers.”

Mr Corbyn made a late decision to take part in tonight’s BBC debate after the party was buoyed by new YouGov modelling suggested the General Election could end in a hung parliament.

The Labour leader found himself on the defensive over his call for managed immigration and his decision to order his MPs to support the triggering of Brexit talks.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: “The fact is we need to remain in the single market or else we will not be able to afford the National Health Service, social care or any of the support we are talking about.

“And if Jeremy care about having enough money to spend on those who need it the most to raise living standards he would not have trooped through the lobbies with the Conservatives and Ukip to trigger article 50 and make Britain poorer.”

Brexit and immigration were the subjects which provoked the fiercest exchanges.

Angus Robertson, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, criticised the last Government’s refusal to guarantee EU workers the right to remain in Britain and said he was “astonished that the Labour Party is now aping Ukip in making the same arguments about immigration”.

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas echoed the criticism of Labour’s position adding: “I think free movement has been the most wonderful gift, the ability to travel and work and live and love in 27 other member states and for them to come here. I have to say I am dissappointed Labour doesn’t support that because I think our country is enriched by people coming from other countries.”

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood mocked Ukip leader Paul Nuttall for suggesting Britain should not pay the so-called Brexit ‘divorce bill’ to Brussels.

She asked Mr Nuttall: “Would you refuse to pay your dues if you were going through a real divorce?”

Mr Nuttall was also criticised by the other panellists for the way he talked about the Manchester bombing and Islam but he was unapologetic as he refused to rule detention without trial on terror suspects.

He said: “I’ve said nothing should be taken off the table.

“As far as I’m concerned, when MI5 tell us there are 23,000 jihadis out there who want to do us harm, I will always put British lives over the human rights of any jihadi any day.”