Election latest: Farage says open-top bus attack 'an affront to democracy' - as Corbyn hits back at Starmer (2024)

By Faye Brown, political reporter

Jeremy Corbyn has hit back at Sir Keir Starmer's attack on his manifestos, calling them "fully costed proposals".

Earlier, Sir Keir accused the Tories of building a "Jeremy Corbyn-style manifesto" that will "load everything into the wheelbarrow" without explaining how to pay for it (see 11am post).

That's despite Sir Keir being in Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet for the 2017 and 2019 elections, and endorsing both manifestos.

Mr Corbyn told Sky News they were "fully costed proposals that would have redistributed wealth and power".

He said: "If (they) were implemented, energy companies wouldn't be making record profits while millions of people suffer in poverty.

"A billionaire wouldn't be purchasing Royal Mail. There wouldn't be raw sewage in our rivers and seas. 250,000 people wouldn't be homeless. We wouldn't be wasting public money on private health contracts.

"And we would be way ahead in the green investment that is needed to tackle the climate crisis."

Mr Corbyn went on to say the "crises we face today are even more pressing and severe" than when he was Labour leader, "and they require a fundamental shake-up of our economic and political system."

Pointing to his campaign to be an independent MP for Islington North, having lost the Labour whip, he said: "If I am re-elected as their MP, I will continue to speak up for the real change that is needed to tackle the crises facing us all."

Other candidates in the constituency are:

• Vikas Aggarwal, Lib Dems;
• Karen Anne Harries, Conservatives;
• Paul Dominic Josling, independent;
• Sheridan Kates, Greens;
• Praful Nargund, Labour;
• Martyn Nelson, Reform.

Nigel Farage has been talking to Sky News after having objects thrown at him by protesters.

After having a milkshake chucked over him in Clacton last week, today he's been pelted while on an open-top bus in Barnsley.

He tells our political correspondent Gurpreet Narwanthe perpetrator's actions were "an affront to the very idea of democratic debate".

"I'm not a softy. You can say what you blooming like to me," he said.

"When people start chucking cement at me or starting chucking stones at me, it's very, very different."

The Reform UK leader also calls it a "wilful attempt" to stop him taking part in the general election, adding: "That is just plain wrong at every level."

But he insists it won't change him or the way he campaigns.

'No place for violence'

Home Secretary James Cleverley has since criticised the incident on social media.

"There must be no place for violence and intimidation in our politics and these actions should be condemned by everyone," he tweeted.

"Thanks to the police for their quick action to detain the suspect."

Business minister Kevin Hollinrake has defended the Tories' tax record, insisting what was announced in their manifesto is "significant".

Speaking to Sky News, he said the party has "been very clear" that taxes went up because "we had to pump so much money into the economy" to "get people through" the COVID and energy crises.

Tories want long-term sick 'back into work'

But he said the Conservatives are now cutting taxes, claiming the average worker would save £1,350 a year - and that self-employed people would be taken out of national insurance altogether.

Pointed out to him that the tax burden would still be the highest since the 1940s, Mr Hollinrake attempts to point the finger at Labour, claiming they would increase taxes while the Tories plan to cut them.

And he stands by the decision to make savings in welfare payments to cover the reductions, adding: "We've seen a big increase in the number of people off long-term sick, many of those being mental health problems."

He said the Tories were "keen to put measures in place to help those people back into work".

Labour's shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth, has been speaking to Sky News following the unveiling of the Conservative manifesto.

As usual, he does not pull his punches.

He described it as a "desperate wish list" full of "excessive commitments" the government "cannot fund".

'We know who will pay'

Mr Ashworth said it would lead to "five more years of chaos" that would leave working families "paying more on their mortgage".

"Rishi Sunak could not explain how we will pay for this long, desperate wish list of commitments when we know who will pay, because we saw that with Liz Truss," he added.

Economists have been ploughing through the Tory manifesto and are starting to give their verdicts.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, notes the lengthy document says nothing about £11bn of tax rises - implied by the freezing of income tax bands.

He goes on to say the document promises £17bn a year of tax cuts, alongside a big hike in defence spending.

This is funded by cutting welfare by £12bn, alongside measures like cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion, and cutting the civil service.

"Those are definite giveaways paid for by uncertain, unspecific and apparently victimless savings," Mr Johnson says.

"Forgive a degree of scepticism."

While the Tories did manage the £12bn of welfare savings promised in 2015, it took "serious cuts" and happened two years behind schedule.

And this time it is harder, he says.

Tax cut to cost £10bn

Mr Johnson says: "The trouble is the policies that have been spelt out are not up to the challenge of saving £12bn a year.

"Some have already been announced and included in the official fiscal forecasts; others are unlikely to deliver sizeable savings on the timescale that the Conservatives claim."

He adds that the hope seems to be that reforming disability benefits will hold spending down.

The cuts announced to national insurance are set to cost £10bn.

Mr Johnson says the manifesto also does not lay out where £10bn to £20bn of cuts to spending will come from.

These are necessary under the previous budget.

The economist added: "This manifesto remains silent on the wider problems facing core public services."

Sky economics and data editor Ed Conway has been going through the pledges made in the Conservative manifesto.

Watch below to see if the proposed tax cuts and spending promises stack up - and whether the tax burden will start to go down.

Manifesto week has continued in earnest, making for a busy morning for our reporters in the Politics Hub.

After the Lib Dems launched their book of pledges yesterday, today it's been the turn of the Conservatives.

Elsewhere, there has been an arrest after an incident at Nigel Farage's latest Reform UK campaign event.

So here is what you need to know:

• Rishi Sunak launched what he described as a "bold" Conservative manifesto at Silverstone racetrack;
• It promisesnational insurance tax cutsand reiterates several pledges from the campaign trail - including on immigration, housing, and the attention-grabbingnational serviceand pensions triple lock plus;
• But many will struggle to see it as the manifesto to get the Tory campaign out of the pits, saidour political correspondent Darren McCaffrey, while political editor Beth Rigby asked the PM if he'd already "blown it" given how far ahead Labour are in the polls;
• Labour and the Liberal Democrats have both criticised the spending and cutting plans in the manifesto.

• Nigel Farage has been targeted again while outon the campaign trail in Barnsley, South Yorkshire;
• As he attended an event on an open-top bus, objects were thrown at the Reform UK leader;
• South Yorkshire Police say a man has been arrested and Mr Farage thanked officers for their actions, saying he would "not be bullied or cowed".

• Elsewhere Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Rossis having his expenses re-examined by the watchdog following reports over the weekend;
• Labour confirmed its plans to ban energy drinks for under-16s if they come into power - and said they want to create 100,000 more dental appointments;
• And hopes for a pre-election interest rate cut from the Bank of England suffered a further blow.

That's all your afternoon bulletin, but stick with us for the latest news and analysis from the campaign trail.

And don't forget to tune in at 7pm for Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge.

By Darren McCaffrey, political correspondent

Arriving at Silverstone for the Conservative manifesto launch, journalists latched on to lots of motoring metaphors about the prime minister turbocharging his campaign, getting it back on track, winning this election race.

Frankly, he needs it, with support for the Tories still 20 points behind in the polls.

Today it's clear that Rishi Sunak is banking on substantial tax cuts as that election winner, the dividing line with Labour.

Some £17bn of tax cuts have been pledged, with the prime minister repeatedly controversial claims that Labour will put up taxes.

It's an age-old strategy - remember "Labour's tax bombshell" from 1992?

But this isn't 1992, and as Sky political editor Beth Rigby pointed out, Labour are now more trusted on tax than the Conservatives.

This manifesto does have bold tax plans, but some will claim they are unaffordable.

What it lacks though is any surprises, nothing much beyond whatever had been pledged around national service, pensions and extra police. These might be bold but don't seem to have shifted voters' views.

This will concern many Conservatives - they wanted some more radical pledges on European Convention on Human Rights, immigration, or income or inheritance tax, and this simply hasn't happened.

And so many will struggle will see this as the game-changer the prime minister needs. That it won't shift the election dial. That the Conservatives campaign will remain in the pits.

We've now had a response from Labour following the launch of the Conservative manifesto.

Pat McFadden, the party's national campaign coordinator, described it as "a recipe for five more years of Tory chaos".

He said it was "stuffed full of unfunded spending commitments" and compared it to "the chaos of Liz Truss".

"The public is still paying the price of the Conservatives crashing the economy," he said. "Now they promise a repeat if they win again leading to higher mortgages and a weaker economy."

Lib Dems say PM 'got one thing right'

As you'd expect, the Lib Dems - who launched their manifesto yesterday - are also not fans of the PM's proposals.

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper jumped on Rishi Sunak's admission that the public are frustrated with him and his party (see 12.27 post).

"Rishi Sunak got one thing right in this speech," she said.

"This manifesto isn't worth the paper it's printed on. No one will believe anything they're promising today."