Senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry has argued voters should focus less on Theresa May’s appearance and instead concentrate on her policies versus those presented by Labour.
Appearing on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, the Shadow Foreign Secretary said it was “not good enough” for people to zero in on the Prime Minister’s hair, arguing Labour will win “on the basis of our policies”.
In a rallying cry in the face of Labour trailling in the polls by as much as 20%, she said:
“What we’re putting out is that we are the alternative government, there is a choice: there will either be a Conservative government or a Labour government and people need to focus on that and not a single vote has been cast yet.
“We will win this, if we win it, we will win it on the basis of our policies and the fact that we have been able to get over our message on the doorstep showing people that it does not need to be this way, there is no alternative vision that the Tories are offering.
“And it is not good enough for people to simply say ‘I like Theresa May’s hair’, or ‘I like that shade of blue’. Politics is not about that.
“Politics is about how you change people’s lives, and being able to put forward a platform that makes sense and is a clear alternative.”
“It is not good enough for people to simply say ‘I like Theresa May’s hair’, or ‘I like that shade of blue’. Politics is not about that.”
- Labour MP Emily Thornberry
Some saw the comment as condescending to voters.
She was also pressed on Labour’s plan to raise taxes on those who earn more than £80,000 a year.
Asked how much it would raise, she replied:
“I don’t know. You’ll need to ask John McDonnell about that, I’m not going to get into all of that.”