General Election 2024 latest: Labour to release manifesto today as Starmer’s tax policies questioned

Asked about Tory candidates using Nigel Farage to boost their campaign, after Dame Andrea Jenkyns included a picture of Mr Farage in her leaflet, Lord Cameron said: “I didn’t know about this, actually, I have had a text message from Andrea who asked me for an endorsement for her leaflet which I gladly gave her.

“So she clearly is trying to win votes from this side as well.”

He added: “We have 650 candidates, I can’t focus on the election address of every single one, but I was happy to help in this case.”

David Cameron has insisted the Conservartives can still be re-elected on July 4.

The foreign secretary said the 2015 general election is a testament that an unexpected majority victory can still happen.

He told Times Radio: “I remember fighting the election in 2015 and people said I didn’t have a chance and we were behind in the polls and we kept going and we had a clear plan, we had a strong team, and we came through and won the election.

“So anything is possible. I always think during elections, time spent talking about opinion polls is just time completely wasted because you don’t know whether they are right, I don’t know whether they are right and we will find out in 21 days.”

He added: “I believe anything can happen.”

Join 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.

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.

Speaking on the BBC, David Cameron has refused to say that he warned Rishi Sunak against leaving D-Day events in Normandy early.

Defending the prime minister, the foreign secretary said that Mr Sunak attend the British events and leaving early was part of a “long-standing plan to go back to the UK”.

He said: “He had been to the two key British events and he said he wished he should have stayed and we should leave it to that.”

Asked wether he advised the PM that he should be at the event with world leaders, he refused to answer.

He adds: “I’m part of a team and support my team elader and I give advises on all sorts of things but I support what he does. I am not getting into that, politics is a team enterprise.”

The Labour Party is set to announce its manifesto today- three weeks into the campaign trail.

Labour has already ruled out raising rates of income tax, national insurance or VAT, and said the manifesto will contain no tax rises that have not already been announced.

In a direct appeal to voters, Sir Keir Starmer also said the party’s manifesto “represents a total change in direction, that is laser-focused on our cause”.

He would lead “a government back in the service of you and your family,” he added.

Wes Streeting is pushed to say which taxes could go up under the Labour party.

Speaking on Sky News Breakfast, he reassures voters that VAT, income tax and national insurance will no be hiked. But he refused to rise any other taxes.

He also defended Sir Keir Starmer’s comments that he was “certain” that Jeremy Corbyn would lose the 2019 election.

A “sober” and “serious” leader is what the country needs right now, Labour’s Pat McFadden said.

Responding to claims that Sir Keir Starmer is “robotic”, Mr McFadden argued the Labour leader is not trying to be in the entertainment business.

The party’s national campaign co-ordinator told GB News: “I think after the chaos that we have had over the past few years – five prime ministers, seven chancellors, all the changes in policy, the mad mini budget that we had that put up everybody’s mortgages – a sober, serious leader is exactly what the country needs right now.

“I don’t think he’s trying to be in the entertainment business, he’s trying to be a sober, serious leader, and that’s what he’ll be if he’s elected on the fourth of July.”

Lord Cameron on morning media round for Tories.

National campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden on for Labour as well as Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain.

Labour shadow minister Wes Streeting is speaking on Sky News Breakfast now.

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer are still recovering from the most forensic interview of the election campaign after yesterday’s Sky News Battle for No 10.

Here’s what’s in the agenda today:

• Today is Sir Keir Starmer’s turn to launch a manifesto in Manchester this morning at 11am.

• The prime minister is in Italy this morning to join world leaders for the G7 meeting at the Borgo Egnazia resort.

• Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey will be on a visit to Kent in the afternoon as part of his campaign trail.

• Plaid Cymru is launching its manifesto in Cardiff.

• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will campaign in East Lothian with candidate Douglas Alexander.