Sir Keir Starmer said he “rejects the argument” tax rises are required to rebuild public services – as he insisted there will be “no return to austerity” under a Labour government.

The Number 10 hopeful told Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby that he will “properly fund” the UK’s creaking infrastructure – despite very few giveaways in his manifesto.

Election latest: Sunak hits record low in new poll

The Labour leader has ruled out raising income tax, national insurance and VAT in the policy document – prompting the Institute for Fiscal Studies to warn his flagship promise to deliver “genuine change” is in jeopardy.

It was put to Sir Keir that, given he does not want to raise taxes, he does not have enough money to rebuild public services after years of cuts.

But he said: “I reject that argument. I reject this suggestion that is out there – that all we can hope for with our economy is that we flatline, forever.

“I understand after 14 years why people don’t necessarily believe that we can grow our economy. I do think we can grow our economy. We’ve got serious plans in here.”

Sir Keir pointed to his pledges to overhaul planning laws to build housing and infrastructure more quickly, establish a publicly owned clean energy company and set up a National Wealth Fund to invest in industry.

He said: “These are serious planks of growth for the country.

“I understand why so far in this campaign, what’s being put to us is ‘are you either going to tax more or spend less?’

“But I’m rejecting that that is the only argument, so this manifesto is a total rejection of that argument. We’re going for growth.”

Pressed if “going for growth” meant austerity, he said: “No, there will not be austerity under a Starmer government.

“This is an election about change. We will properly fund our public services. I believe in our public services. I am totally rejecting the proposition that we cannot do better than we’ve done over the last 14 years.”

Pointing to his former job as Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Keir added: “I ran a public service under austerity. I know the damage that it did. We will not go to austerity under a Labour government.”

Sir Keir was speaking hours after he launched his manifesto with a pledge to “end the political pantomime” and “rebuild Britain”.

The Labour leader is seeking to bring his party back from the political wilderness after 14 years of Conservative governments under five prime ministers – and polls suggest he is on track to do just that.

Asked if he thinks he’s going to win, Sir Keir repeated his cautious mantra that he’s “got to earn every vote” and “polls can’t predict the future”.

But he said he has been preparing for office for some time, so he is ready to “hit the ground running” on day one.

Sir Keir said: “As you would expect, I know the public would expect anybody who wants to be prime minister to be ready to hit the ground running, rolling up his or her sleeves, to be ready to start the work on day one.

“That’s why I’ve ensured that without being complacent, we’ve done the homework to make sure that we can do that the day after the election, and we will start on dentistry, on health, on policing, on education, all of the change that we need.

“That is not about being complacent. It’s about making sure that I can look the public in the eye and say, if you elect a Labour government in to serve you, we will roll up our sleeves and we will start that work on day one.”

A childminder has been jailed for 12 years and seven months for killing a nine-month-old boy by shaking him to death in frustration.

Karen Foster, who was due to go on trial for the murder of nine-month-old Harlow Collinge, pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter last Friday after discussions with the child’s family.

The basis of the 62-year-old’s plea was that “forceful shaking” of Harlow caused his death after he had toppled over out of his high chair, started crying and she shook him in frustration, Preston Crown Court heard.

Mr Justice Barry Cotter said in court that Harlow was a “happy, healthy, much-loved” boy, but said Foster chose to continue childminding despite ill health and pain in her hip.

He noted she worked more than she should have under Ofsted rules and said this contributed to her “loss of temper”, before adding: “You should have been a safe pair of hands to which Gemma Collinge could ensure her precious child.

“I have no doubt you snapped on the 1 March 2022, in part due to the fact that you were not coping with the demands of caring for four children. You lost your temper and he was on the receiving end.

“You shook an [almost] ten-month-old child so violently to cause devastating injuries. His death was caused in the course of an assault.”

Harlow’s relatives shouted “scumbag bitch” and “I hate you” to Foster as she was led away from the dock.

‘He was a happy smiling baby’

In a statement she read in court, Gemma Collinge said: “How do I explain losing my son in such horrific circumstances? Harlow was enjoying his little life. He was a happy smiling baby.”

She shared her “guilt” about having made arrangements to move him to a nursery six weeks after first using Foster as a childminder over her concerns about the number of children being looked after by the 62-year-old.

Ms Collinge then spoke about “all the red flags I missed,” before telling the court that Foster tried to comfort her at the hospital and claimed Harlow had choked on pasta.

“She even put her arms around me. I can’t think of anything more evil. It is despicable,” she said.

“I blame myself every day for my son’s death. This monster, Karen Foster, deserves nothing. I hope her actions haunt her.”

Harlow died in hospital after emergency services were called to reports of a child in cardiac arrest at a property in Hapton, Burnley, in Lancashire on 1 March 2022.

Baby’s skin ‘purple’

Harlow had been dropped off at Foster’s address – a registered childminder with nine years’ experience – in March 2022.

Later that day she called 999 and told the operator Harlow was not breathing, and went on to tell a paramedic he had suddenly collapsed, the court heard.

“I think he’s choking, he’s had like a fit and he’s not breathing,” she had said.

By 1.23pm, Harlow’s skin was purple and mottled, he had no pulse, was not breathing and his pupils were fixed, the court heard.

The baby was then rushed to the Royal Blackburn Hospital, but died four days later.

A CT scan of the infant’s head showed significant injuries to the brain, with bleeding on both sides and swelling.

A post-mortem listed the cause of death as inflicted traumatic brain injury.

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Foster made benefit claims for injury

Anne Whyte KC, prosecuting, said when she first registered in 2014, Foster did not say she was married and lived with her husband, or that she sometimes sought help with childminding from other unregistered individuals, or that her health was poor.

She told the court Foster had made two benefit claims for Personal Independence Payments in 2018 and 2022, where she claimed she felt constantly drowsy and tired, and that sometimes she could barely move or safely carry out daily living activities.

The childminder submitted the same claims in her 2022 application, which she made just days before Harlow’s death.

She also suggested she needed help cooking and going to the toilet.

Foster minded 10 children

Ms Whyte also said that a mother whose children were being looked after by Foster complained to Ofsted in December 2021, saying she was looking after too many children, on some occasions up to 10 youngsters.

But Foster told the regulator she did not exceed the permitted number of children and lied to other parents that she had been a nurse and her husband was also a registered childminder.

Her registration permitted her to care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight years.

Only three of the six could be “young” children – defined as young until September 1 following their fifth birthday – and only one child could be under the age of one.

On certain days, Foster was exceeding the ratio permitted by Ofsted, the court heard.

Foster also faced a further allegation of assaulting a two-year-old girl in her care in 2019.

The prosecution told the judge it will ask for that count to lie on file.

Families and friends of those killed in the Nottingham attack have laid roses where the two students were murdered a year ago today.

Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, were stabbed by Valdo Calocane as they walked home after a night out celebrating the end of exams.

The 32-year-old also knifed to death school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, as he made his way to work.

Remembering the victims on Thursday morning, a trail of flowers was put down on Ilkeston Road where the students died.

A memorial service also took place at Nottingham University, with the fathers of Grace and Barnaby recalling how happy they both were in the city.

Grace’s father held back tears as he recalled how his “hero” daughter “fought valiantly” during the attack – and “chose friendship over fear” as she tried to protect Barnaby.

“She was brave and she was beautiful,” he told the audience.

Sanjoy Kumar recalled how Grace’s life was focused on three things: trying to become a doctor, playing hockey and socialising with friends.

He said time had “stood still” in the last 12 months, but that overwhelming support had helped them carry on.

Barnaby’s father thanked his son’s friends who turned out to remember him at the spot where he died.

“That was the most moving thing I’ve seen in a long time,” he said.

He urged them to “stay strong” and said despite the world often being a “dark place”, “you guys are showing us there is lots of light”.

There was a two-minute silence at the service and friends lined up to add flowers to a bouquet near the stage.

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Childminder jailed for killing baby with ‘forceful shaking’

In a statement beforehand, the three families said the killings were a “series of catastrophic missed opportunities” which led to “entirely preventable deaths”.

They said “no stone will be left unturned” in their battle for justice.

Grace’s father reiterated that message during the service.

“The coward was Valdo Calocane and all of the people who failed our children,” said Mr Kumar.

“What we have found out since the attacks makes unconscionable reading – a series of letdowns by the authorities, who simply didn’t do their jobs.”

Calocane pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility and was detained in a secure hospital.

Prosecutors accepted his plea and chose not to pursue a murder trial.

The families tried to appeal but the sentence was ruled “not unduly lenient” due to his paranoid schizophrenia.

They have also criticised police and health services after it was revealed Calocane had been detained in hospital four times and an arrest warrant had been issued months before the killings.