Labour is set to release its manifesto for the 4 July general election, focusing on economic growth and stability.
Keir Starmer has stated that there will be “no surprises” on tax, as he seeks to defuse Tory claims that his party would put them up. Wealth creation is identified as the party’s “number one priority.”
Other plans include establishing a state-owned energy firm, hiring more police and teachers, and renationalising nearly all passenger rail. Plaid Cymru are also due to release their manifesto, which will call for a new funding deal for Wales.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the G7 summit in Italy, where he will join allies in calling for more aid to Ukraine. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron tells the BBC that, despite Labour being ahead in the polls, the election is not over, and insists “any outcome is possible.”
Pat McFadden, the party’s national campaign co-ordinator and shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was questioned today about its manifesto on both BBC Today radio programme and BBC Breakfast.
McFadden is pressed on his claims of future growth, with Amol Rajan pointing to Labour’s record in the late 90s and 2000s. He says that if that record had been maintained, there would be a lot more money for public services. If the growth doesn’t come, McFadden says that government is difficult, but they will not accept defeat and say their plans will make a difference to growth.
McFadden is now asked about his views about Tory plans to cut tax and “put money back in people’s pockets”. He says tax cuts have to be “sustainable and affordable”, a lesson they should have learned two years ago when Liz Truss “crashed the economy”. He says Sunak was meant to be the antidote to Truss but instead, Sunak is the latest instalment of the “same fantasy economics”.
He was asked about the two-child benefit cap, which has been criticized by Angela Rayner and Gordon Brown. He says Brown was right to be careful before with his promises when he went into government in 1997. He reiterates his point about Labour’s promises in 1997 and then in government, but adds that they always have to start from “the situation that you inherit, and we will inherit a difficult economic situation.”
Labour’s 5 missions:
- Get Britain building again
- Switch on Great British Energy
- Get the NHS back on its feet
- Take back our streets
- Break down barriers to opportunity
For more information visit Labour
