John McDonnell: 'This Is a Once in a Generation Chance for Change'

There are 150 billionaires in Britain, and 50 of them have donated to Boris Johnson's Conservative Party. They know this is what they must pay to avoid paying their fair share in tax like the rest of us.

But ultimately, it is not money that will decide this election. It's you. This is the one time when your voice can be just as loud as the voice of the billionaires. Our economy is rigged in favour of the powerful, but everybody is equal at the ballot box.

That is why so many of the rich and powerful won't want you to vote. It's why Boris Johnson hasn't put out a single tweet encouraging people to register.

Travelling around the country, I see the consequences of nine years of Tory austerity every day.

Patients waiting weeks for essential care in our hospitals; overcrowded classrooms with malnourished children; old people scared to leave their house as violent crime has doubled. And it doesn't matter where I go, I see people without a home, having to sleep in shop doorways.

We're one of the richest countries that history has ever known, and it should shame our government that you can't go to a single town in Britain without seeing people sleeping rough on our streets.

For most people in work, wages are less than they were ten years ago. If you have a job, the likelihood is: your bills will still be too high for a bad service, your rent will still be too high for a home that's too small and your debts will still be too high from an education that cost you too much.

When the world's richest 26 people own the same as half of the global population, it's clear the whole system is broken.

The tiny minority at the top will tell you real change isn't possible, but Labour are standing on a programme to deliver it.

Our manifesto was written from the grassroots up by speaking to ordinary people up and down the country. So instead of allowing rogue landlords to rent poor quality flats at huge rates, we will build a million new council houses that people can be proud to call home, and we will cap all rents so landlords can't raise them year on year.

We will replace rip-off rail fares and energy bills with railways and utilities that are run for the public, and not for profit. We will build schools and hospitals, invest in youth centres and the arts, and create a National Education Service with free university tuition and adult education accessible to all.

We will get Brexit sorted in six months by allowing people to choose between remaining, and a credible Leave option. And unlike Boris Johnson, that option will not involve letting President Trump get his hands on the NHS.

We're absolutely clear: our NHS is not for sale.

And, most importantly of all, we will take the action needed now to tackle the climate emergency we are facing. We'll deliver a Green Industrial Revolution: we will create 1 million new jobs in green industries so we can revive British industry, and tackle the climate emergency in one fell swoop.

How are we going to pay for this?

We're going to ask the richest 5 percent to contribute a little more, and we’ll make sure the giant corporations start paying their tax, just like everybody else. We won't raise national insurance or VAT, and the 95 percent will see no rise in income tax rates.

Those who benefit from our broken system – the tax avoiders and the exploitative bosses – will tell you change isn't possible, but real change is in your hands.

For years we have campaigned with the slogan: another world is possible. Today, that other world is in sight.

To achieve it, we need the many and not just the few to have their say.

We need you to speak to your friends, your family, your colleagues – now, as soon as you have finished reading this, and check they’ve registered to vote, at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

The deadline to register is at midnight.

This is a once in a generation chance for real change. Let's take it, together.

@johnmcdonnellMP