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Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has launched a tax-cutting general election manifesto in a last-ditch attempt to revive the Conservative Party’s fortunes.It remains to be seen whether the prime minister’s plans will be enough to overturn a 21-point gap between the Tories and Labour in the polls.But if they are, top economists have warned Mr Sunak he faces a tough task to find the cash to back up his pledges. Sir Keir Starmer has accused the PM of serving up a “Jeremy Corbyn-style manifesto… everything into the wheelbarrow” without explaining how to pay for it.Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.But the Union Jack-clad manifesto came with a six-page costing document and a promise from the PM that his sums add up.The Independent has looked at what Mr Sunak is offering voters… and how it will be paid for.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to Silverstone University Technical College in Towcester (PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailJoin The Independent as our expert panel picks apart the key moments from the 2024 general election.We’ll be analysing the major triumphs, biggest setbacks and key outcomes for each of the UK’s major political parties.Hosted by our chief political commentator John Rentoul, this event will also offer a deep dive into the immediate and long-term challenges facing the newly elected government, including immigration, the cost of living, the NHS, education, Brexit and more.Our panel includes The Independent’s own Andrew Grice, a political columnist and former political editor from 1998 to 2015. He has worked in Westminster since 1982 and unearthed many political scoops.Also joining our event is Anand Menon. A leading expert on Brexit, Professor Menon is director of UK in a Changing Europe, an initiative which includes academics from universities across the country who specialise in the EU. It is an authoritative source of independent research on UK-EU relations.Professor Menon is professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King’s College, London, where the project is based.Don’t miss this opportunity to understand the UK’s new political reality and its consequences.The event will be hosted on Zoom and will last one hour. It will take place on Thursday July 11 and will start at 7pm BST.Once signed up you will be able to ask questions to the panel. You can also post questions in the comments of this article.For more information and to sign up for a free ticket click here. More

From national insurance to migration: Key takeaways from Conservatives general election manifestoSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has launched the Conservative party manifesto, with the prime minister promising tax giveaways in a bid to revive their ailing general election campaign. Speaking from Silverstone, the prime minister said he has a “clear and bold plan” for the country and pledged to abolish national insurance for the self-employed. He said over four million workers would be exempted from the tax. The manifesto includes a string of giveaways amounting to almost £20bn in tax cuts and spending, including the national insurance cut, child benefit expansion and an income tax cut for pensioners.But the promises have been questioned by Labour which labelled the manifesto the “most expensive panic attack in history”. Wes Streeting said the pledges can’t be paid for because “there is no money”.Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has been targeted by a protester during a campaign trail in South Yorkshire. The Reform UK leader had objects thrown at him while he was at the top of his party’s battle bus in Barnsley. Show latest update 1718117253Rachel Reeves to hold press conference at 4pmRachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, is scheduled to hold a press conference at 4pm to respond to the Tory party manifesto.Launching his party’s manifesto earlier, Rishi Sunak announced plans for a series of tax cuts as he sought to win over voters ahead of the general election.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of producing a “Jeremy Corbyn-style” document, “where anything you want can go in it. None of it is costed.”We’ll bring you live updates from Reeve’s press conference when it kicks off – stay tuned for the latest updates.Matt Mathers11 June 2024 15:471718116984Tories’ pledge to scrap 20mph policy in Wales accused of ‘misleading’In the section of Wales, the Tory manifesto pledges to scrap Labbour’s 20mp speed limit. But under devolution powers, a future Conservative government would be unable to do so. ( More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has unveiled the Conservatives’ general election manifesto – here we round up some key of the takeaways. Sunak is appealing to ‘white van man’In a manifesto of few surprises one stood out – to abolish national insurance for the self-employed within five years. For employees, the Tories also pledged a further 2p cut to NI, following on successive 2p cuts at the autumn statement and spring budget. Making the self-employed exempt is expected to affect around four million people. The manifesto also promises no increases to income tax, NI or VAT and to scrap capital gains tax for landlords who sell properties to their tenants.And trying to appeal to would-be homeowners In an effort to help people get on the property ladder the document promises a “new and improved” Help to Buy scheme. To run for three years, it would be available to those buying new-builds, worth up to 20 per cent of a property’s value and would help buyers purchase with a 5 per cent deposit. The Conservatives have also said they will abolish stamp duty on houses up to the value of £425,000. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty at the launch of the Conservative Party General Election manifesto at Silverstone (James Manning/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has made a last-ditch appeal to voters with tax cuts as he seeks to turn the tide of his disastrous election campaign. The prime minister pledged to cut national insurance by 2p, and scrap it entirely within five years for the self-employed, as he unveiled the Conservative manifesto in what is one of his final major throws of the dice before polling day. Labour hit back at the plans, with Keir Starmer accusing Mr Sunak of producing a “Jeremy Corbyn-style” document, “where anything you want can go in it. None of it is costed.” Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty arrive at an event to launch the Conservative Party’s manifesto More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch live as Rishi Sunak launches the Conservatives’ general election manifesto on Tuesday, 11 June.The prime minister has pledged a tax break for landlords, as well as help for first-time buyers after acknowledging during a BBC interview that it has become harder for people to own their first home under the Tories.Tax cuts, such as another 2p cut to national insurance, are also expected to be in the prime minister’s pledges according to reports.Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures have previously showed the UK’s current level of tax burden is the highest on record.Tax hit 35.3 per cent of gross domestic product in 2022/23, a 0.9 per cent increase on the previous year, according to statistics published late last year; this ratio is forecast to grow to 37.7 per cent by 2029, with the government’s freeze on tax ratios the dominant driver.Today’s event comes after a difficult few days in the campaign for Mr Sunak, who has dismissed resignation rumours amid the ongoing criticism over his early departure from D-Day commemorations in France last week.Ahead of the launch, Labour’s Wes Streeting described the Tory manifesto as the “most expensive panic attack in history.”Labour will announce their manifesto on Thursday. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailNigel Farage has pulled out of a high-profile BBC interview as his Reform UK party faces a row over whether the UK should have appeased Hitler.The former UKIP leader was due to take part in a Panorama special with Nick Robinson, set to have been broadcast on Tuesday night. But it has been pulled from the schedule and postponed, despite Mr Farage continuing to campaign in Barnsley and Nottinghamshire.It comes less than 24 hours after it emerged one of his candidates claimed the country would have been “far better” off if it had “taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality” instead of fighting the Nazis.Ian Gribbin, who is standing in Bexhill and Battle, also described Winston Churchill as “abysmal” and praised Russian president Vladimir Putin, according to the BBC.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, in Cawthorne, South Yorkshire, on the campaign trail. More