* Johnson offers Brexit 'Christmas gift'
* Conservatives say will not to raise taxes
* Labour leader to be neutral in second Brexit vote
(Adds Johnson comments)
By William James and Kylie MacLellan
TELFORD, England, Nov 24 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister
Boris Johnson promised on Sunday "to get Brexit done", pledging
in his Conservative Party's manifesto to bring his deal to leave
the European Union back to parliament before Christmas and
ruling out any more delay.
With less than three weeks before Britain heads to the polls
on Dec. 12, the governing Conservatives and opposition Labour
Party are trying to tempt voters with different visions of the
country's future, but both pledging to spend more.
Johnson's manifesto aims at drawing a distinction with
Labour, which has promised to raise taxes on the rich and
businesses to fund a big expansion of the state, by promising
not to increase taxes if the Conservatives win the election.
Opinion polls show Johnson's Conservative Party commands a
sizeable lead over the Labour Party, although large numbers of
undecided voters mean the outcome is not certain.
"Get Brexit done and we shall see a pent up tidal wave of
investment into this country," Johnson said, launching his
manifesto in at a conference centre in Telford in central
England.
"Get Brexit done and we can focus our hearts and our minds
on the priorities of the British people."
Arriving at the centre, Johnson was welcomed by supporters
chanting "Boris" but a little further away, protesters shouted:
"Liar, liar, pants on fire".
Contrasting with Labour's unabashed tax-and-spend approach,
Johnson's manifesto - titled "Get Brexit Done, Unleash Britain's
Potential" - will pledge to freeze income tax, value-added sales
tax and social security payments.
Johnson will announced 3 billion pounds ($3.85 billion) for
a National Skills Fund to retrain workers and an extra 2 billion
pounds to fill pot-holes in roads. He will also pledge to
maintain the regulatory cap on energy bills.
SPEND
Labour spokesman Andrew Gwynne said Johnson's plans were
"pathetic". "This is a no hope manifesto, from a party that has
nothing to offer the country, after spending 10 years cutting
our public services," Gwynne said.
To try to win over voters, Labour announced another spending
commitment, promising to compensate more than three million
women who lost years of state pension payments when their
retirement age was raised.
Think-tanks such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies have
raised questions about the credibility of plans to fund
investment from both the Conservatives and Labour.
Held after three years of negotiations to leave the European
Union, the December election for the first time will show how
far Brexit has torn traditional political allegiances apart and
will test an electorate increasingly tired of voting.
In a heated campaign where the Conservatives have been
criticised for disseminating misleading social media posts,
Johnson, 55, will say he will "turn the page from the dither,
delay and division" of recent years.
Labour has said it will negotiate a better Brexit deal with
the EU within six months that it will put to the people in a new
referendum - one which will also offer the choice of remaining
in the bloc.
Corbyn has said he would remain neutral in such a vote,
something his finance policy chief John McDonnell described as
the Labour leader adopting the role of "an honest broker".
Johnson criticised the stance.
"They want to rip up our deal and negotiate a new one. But
we don't yet know of a single Labour MP (member of parliament)
or any other MP who would support this deal," Johnson said to
applause and laughter.
"It would be farcical, it would be comical if the
consequences of that approach were not so disastrous for this
country and our prospects next year. Let's give that madness a
miss."
(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Kate Holton, Bill
Schomberg and Andy Bruce, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Emelia
Sithole-Matarise and David Clarke)
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