Labour focuses on first-time buyers as Tories face D-Day departure backlash
ITV News understands the Labour manifesto has been unanimously agreed, and will rule out rises to VAT, National Insurance and income tax, Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana with more
Labour will be touting its proposal to allow first-time buyers to use the state as a guarantor for their mortgages as General Election campaigning resumed on Friday.
Leader Sir Keir Starmer said the party would allow for lower deposits to help people get on the housing ladder, as well as aiming to build 1.5 million houses.
A Labour government would also build more social houses if it wins the General Election, Sir Keir said during a visit in Greater London on Friday.
“Because [young people are] paying high rents they can’t afford to save for a deposit and many of them don’t have a mum or dad or anybody else that can help them out. So this is going to be a game-changer for them,” Sir Keir told reporters.
He and Deputy Leader Angela Rayner are promoting the scheme after campaigning paused for D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations.
Labour's highly secretive Clause V meeting, at which the party will hammer out the final version of its election manifesto, is also expected to kick off on Friday.
The details of the gathering and the finer points of the policy document are being kept tightly under wraps after 2017’s manifesto was leaked.
But Sir Keir has confirmed that recognition of Palestinian statehood as part of any peace process in the Middle East will be included.
The manifesto will be based on Sir Keir’s five “missions” for government on the economy, the NHS, energy, education and planning reform, which were announced last year.
Tax policy rows and D-Day fallout
All party leaders are back on the road as a row between Labour and the Tories over tax policy following the ITV General Election debate on Tuesday continues.
Rishi Sunak denied Labour leader Keir Starmer's accusation that he had lied about Labour's tax plans during Tuesday's debate, in an exclusive interview with ITV's Tonight programme.
The row stems from a document produced by the Conservatives which made a series of assumptions to estimate the cost that might be attached to potential Labour policies.
It said that Labour’s plans had a £38.5 billion deficit over four years, the equivalent of £2,094 for every working household, which the Tories claim would be filled with tax hikes.
The UK's official statistics regulator has launched an investigation into Mr Sunak's claims that Sir Keir Starmer will increase taxes by £2,000 per household, which Labour has refuted.
Child benefit and parental leave
Mr Sunak has been promoting the Conservatives' latest pledge to raise the high income child benefit tax charge threshold to £120,000 – and charge it to households rather than individuals as he campaigns in the south west.
The minister for children admitted to not knowing how much child benefit is worth in a radio interview about the Tory plans to make high earners eligible for more of the allowance.
David Johnston said he “should have found out before I came on here” when he was asked for the figure during an appearance on LBC on Friday.
Mr Sunak is also facing criticism after he left D-Day commemorations early on Thursday so that he could do an interview with ITV News.
The prime minister visited a school on a road called Veterans Way in his second election campaign visit of the day on Friday.
Earlier in the day he had visited a nursery in Swindon, where he dug in a sandbox, potted flowers, and played with water and seashells.
“This is great,” the prime minister said as he poured dyed-blue water out of a shell.
The Liberal Democrats have been plugging their proposals for reforms to parental leave, including a “dad month” of paid leave for new fathers and a doubling of statutory maternity pay.
The party said the proposals, to be included in their manifesto, would cost £2.4 billion and would be paid for by a crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion.
Proposals include introducing an extra “use-it-or-lose-it dad month” to encourage more fathers to take parental leave; doubling statutory maternity and shared parental pay to £350 a week; and making all parental pay and leave a day-one right for new employees and extending them to self-employed parents.
Candidate nominations and the next TV debate
Friday also marks the deadline for candidates to file nominations for the General Election, with the statement of nominees to be published at 5pm, setting in stone the list of hopefuls running in the July 4 vote.
Parties have been scrambling to sort candidates into seats since Rishi Sunak called the General Election last month, with selection rows plaguing both the Tories and Labour.
Members of the local Conservative association in Basildon and Billericay voiced discontent over the process that led to party chairman Richard Holden getting picked for the relatively safe seat.
The Tories and Labour will be preparing for another face-off set to air on the BBC on Friday evening – as will five other political parties – for what promises to be a lively debate.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner will take the place of the leaders of the two main parties, who went head-to-head in an ill-tempered clash on Tuesday.
They will be joined by Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, deputy Liberal Democrat leader Daisy Cooper, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, Carla Denyer of the Green Party and Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru.
Watch Rishi Sunak's interview in full on a special episode of the ITV Tonight programme, The Leader Interviews: Rishi Sunak, which airs at 7pm on Wednesday June 12.
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