Britain’s main opposition Labour Party was launching its detailed platform for Britain’s Dec. 12 election on Thursday as it tried to close an opinion-poll gap with the governing Conservatives. The left-of-center party is pledging higher public spending and a greater role for the state in housing, transport and the provision of utilities. Labour, which has been in opposition since 2010, has shifted sharply to the left under leader Jeremy Corbyn after the centrist “New Labour” years of former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The party says Thursday’s election manifesto will include pledges to build 150,000 ... (full story)