UK’s Labour Party stung by early leak of election platform

Supporters wait for the start of the British opposition Labour Party’s first campaign poster launch for the upcoming general election, which their leader Jeremy Corbyn did not attend, in London, Thursday, May 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s opposition Labour Party is facing embarrassment after is platform for next month’s election was leaked days before its scheduled release.

The draft election manifesto says that if elected Labour will re-nationalize Britain’s railways and post office, abolish university tuition fees and reverse cuts to welfare benefits.

The party had planned to publish the document next week before the June 8 election. The unveiling of the parties’ manifestoes — containing solid promises on which they can be held to account — is a centerpiece of every British election.

The party declined to comment on the leak to two newspapers and the BBC. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pulled out of a campaign appearance Thursday morning.

The governing Conservatives said the policies show Labour has an outdated left-wing economic vision.