THE latest Labour fiasco, in which someone within the leadership who dislikes Jeremy Corbyn thought it was a good idea to leak the election manifesto to right-wing media organisations, highlights the fact that this is a party too busy fighting themselves to have any energy left to fight the Tories.

There may be some ideas within the leaked Labour manifesto that are of value but most of these – such as abolishing tuition fees – have simply been ripped off from what the SNP government has already done in Scotland.

In any case, would you trust Labour to deliver any of these manifesto promises? Yet again, they are promising to get rid of zero hours contracts but both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown promised this when Labour were in power so why wasn't it delivered then?

A lot of the coverage surrounding the manifesto has claimed that, if implemented, it would take the UK back to the 1970s – which is nothing, considering the austerity drive by the Tories is hell bent on taking us all back to the 1870s.

The Tory vision for a post-Brexit UK is starting to resemble a bad Doctor Who script where we are all forced to travel back in time to an era without all the social protections that have been built up – whether that’s social security benefits, protecting the environment or protection in the workplace from unscrupulous employers.

Under the guise of austerity, successive Tory Governments have attacked the social security system that was meant to help those most in need. Despite finding billions of pounds to pay for nuclear weapons or bail out bankers, the Tories want to use austerity to cut payments to unemployed people, disabled people, and those on low incomes.

The Concentrix shambles highlighted the Tories’ attitude to those needing assistance. Their concern wasn’t making sure everyone got the tax credits to which they were entitled – instead they brought in a private company whose profits were based on how much they could reduce the benefit bill. And let’s not forget the abhorrent rape clause that the Tories have pushed through Parliament.

The impact of Tory reform of housing benefit will start to be felt, as it has been denied to those under 25 while those under 35 will no longer get full housing benefit.

It seems that if it was good enough for Oliver Twist to sleep under his master’s bench, then it’s good enough for today’s young people.

And don’t even get me started on pensions. The Tories are intent on reducing the costs of the pensions bill and will remove the triple lock. We’ve also seen how this Tory government has treated women born in the 1950s by making them work longer before they can receive their state pension. The WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaign will continue until a resolution is found and I will continue to back it as much as I can.

Environmental protections will also fall by the wayside in post-Brexit UK. The whisky industry in Scotland generates around one quarter of all of the UK’s food and drinks exports – more than £4 billion per year. This industry relies heavily on the purity of Scottish water sources, but what if fracking goes ahead and such sources are damaged?

Even one accident could spell a major disaster for the whisky industry. Fracking will not generate the same long-term employment or income as the whisky industry but the Tories see some short-term benefits for shareholders so will push fracking as much as they can – even if it means stepping on the powers of the Scottish Parliament. The Tories’ main interest in the environment involves getting all dressed up and riding on a horse with a hundred or so hounds to mercilessly chase down a fox. It may not be the most efficient way of doing things but hey, apparently it’s a sport! Who cares if other animals such as people’s pets get killed in the process – their owners should be more careful.

Who says you can’t re-run votes to get the result you want? Referendums on Scottish independence or EU membership? No-one wants that. Another vote in Parliament to bring back fox hunting – the demand is there for that (from Tories).

The removal of EU legislation on workers’ rights will also be a key component of the Tories’ plans to take us back to the 1870s. Just watch as they start to take apart employment protections that have been hard fought for over many years. Under the guise of removing red tape, we will see protections such as limiting the number of hours worked being removed, putting more stress on workers.

Similarly, health and safety procedures that protect people in the workplace will be dismantled. With an increase in not only food banks but also clothing banks, employers will be less concerned with poverty pay – especially as trade union rights have been eroded.

The Tories will take the UK back to Victorian times, where people’s labour is just another resource to be used and abused to create maximum profit.