General Election 2019: Ex-Labour MPs tell voters not to support Jeremy Corbyn

Two former Labour MPs have told voters not to cast their ballot for Jeremy Corbyn, urging them to keep him away from Downing Street.

Ian Austin told Kay Burley the current Labour leader is "unfit" to lead the party and said Labour voters should lend their vote to the Conservatives when they go to the polls in December.

By lunchtime, John Woodcock, who announced he would not be running in this election, had voiced similar concerns about his former party's leader.

It comes as:

• The two main prospective chancellors set out their plans and agendas for government
• The Green Party, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru agree an election pact in 60 seats
• John McDonnell says Labour is "saddened" by a Jewish Chronicle front page which urges people not to vote for Jeremy Corbyn
• Boris Johnson accused Labour and the SNP doing a "shady deal" over a Labour government and a second Scottish independence referendum
• Conservative candidate Nick Conrad faces calls to stand down over rape comments he made in 2014

Mr Woodcock said: "The choice to keep Jeremy Corbyn away from Downing Street, to stop him getting his hands on the levers of national security and defence has to be to vote Conservative in this election and that's what I'll be doing as well."

General Election 2019: From proxy votes to first past the post - your election dictionary

For the third time in four years, we are going to have a general election. Here's everything you need to know before we head to the polls again on 12 December

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell accused Mr Austin, who is also standing down as an MP, of making the comment because he is "employed by the Tories".

He said: "What else do you expect him to do in an election campaign where you're employed by the Tories, you speak on behalf of the Tories. That's what this was about this morning."

It's understood he could have been making reference to Mr Austin's position as a trade envoy, which he took up during Theresa May's government.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

9:30

However, Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, has been an envoy to Bangladesh since David Cameron was prime minister.

Mr Austin responded: "This is not true. It is a complete lie. I was appointed an unpaid trade envoy in July, along with 27 other MPs and peers from different parties, including Labour, to promote UK trade and exports John should withdraw this lie and apologise."

:: Listen to the All Out Politics podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Mr McDonnell was asked about the Jewish Chronicle front page, which urged people not to vote for Labour because the party's perceived problem with antisemitism.

The front page said if Mr Corbyn was elected "our dismay that he could ever be elevated to a prominent role in British politics, and our fears of where that will lead, are irrelevant."

Conservative lead drops two points to 11% - poll

Mr McDonnell said: "Of course we're saddened by it, but we're doing everything actually they asked of us to address this issue."

The two main parties also set out their financial plans for the next parliament, with the chancellors making their big speeches to party faithful.

Sajid Javid, who was appointed chancellor by Boris Johnson, announced new fiscal rules during a speech at Manchester Airport, which he said could only be put in place after a decade of Conservative "economic stewardship".

He said: "We can't run an overdraft forever on day-to-day spending, so I can confirm that our first rule will be to have a balanced current budget. What we spend cannot exceed what we bring in.

"Now, while we must retain spending if we want growth to continue and get stronger in the future, then we need to invest in it. Taking the opportunity offered by those historically low borrowing rates."

Here's what happened on day one of the campaign

He said the second rule would "ensure that we can invest more, but we will continue to live within our means".

Shortly after in Liverpool, shadow chancellor Mr McDonnell pledged more investment, particularly targeting the North.

He said: "Our aim as a Labour government is to achieve what past Labour governments have aspired to. An irreversible shift in the balance of power and wealth in favour of working people.

From proxy votes to first past the post - your election dictionary

Here's everything you need to know before we head to the polls once again on 12 December.

"That means change, real change, and it means investment on a scale never seen before in this country and certainly never seen before in the North and outside of London and the South East."

He also promised hundreds of billions of pounds of spending, in a green transformation and a social transformation fund.

The Brexit Election: For the fastest results service and in-depth analysis watch Sky News live from 9pm on Thursday 12 December, with a KayBurley@breakfast election special on Friday 13 December