Tax cuts and pensioner offer to form basis of Tory manifesto – but Labour decries ‘most expensive panic attack in history’
The Conservatives will put their offer to pensioners at the heart of their election manifesto when it is published today.
The manifesto will reiterate already-announced pledges to introduce the so-called “triple lock plus” for pensioners – which will create a new “age-related” tax-free allowance – as well as promises not to increase major taxes.
Its publication follows a torrid four days for the prime minister, who has been forced to quash rumours he considered resigning over the backlash he received over his early departure from the D-Day commemorations last week.
In an attempt to get back on the front foot, Mr Sunak will stress that as the “party of Margaret Thatcher and Nigel Lawson” the Tories believe in “sound money” and will ensure “we have lower welfare so we can lower taxes”.
Watch the Conservative manifesto launch live on Sky News at 11.30
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Sunak also revealed some new manifesto pledges to try to help people get on the housing ladder.
He wrote: “Owning a home makes people more financially secure, gives them a stake in society and, as Mrs Thatcher said, is one of the main bulwarks of individual freedom.”
As well as confirming the abolition of stamp duty on properties up to a value of £425,000 for first time buyers, the manifesto will promise capital gains tax relief for landlords who sell to their existing tenants and a new Help to Buy scheme.
Described by Mr Sunak as “transformational”, it will provide an equity loan of up to 20% towards the cost of a new build home. There would also be a five percent deposit for first time buyers “on terms they can afford”.
Other policies Mr Sunak will repeat at the launch today include:
• Moving the threshold to pay high income child benefit charge for single-earner families to £120,000, up from £60,000 currently
• A guarantee not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT
• A workplace pension guarantee to not introduce any new taxes on pensions or increase existing ones for the whole of the next parliament
• A commitment not to change number of council tax bands, undertake a council tax revaluation or cut council tax discounts
• An ambition to abolish national insurance when financially responsible to do so
Labour has denounced the pledges as a “desperate series of unfunded commitments” and said the manifesto amounts to “the most expensive panic attack in history”.
But the prime minister will attempt to draw a key dividing line with the Labour Party by claiming that Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to match his commitment on the triple lock plus amounts to a new “retirement tax”.
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PM won’t quit over D-Day mistake
He is expected to say: “We Conservatives have a plan to give you financial security. We will enable working people to keep more of the money you earn because you have earned it and have the right to choose what to spend it on.
“Keir Starmer takes a very different view. He says he’s a socialist, and we know what socialists always do: take more of your money.
“We are the party of Margaret Thatcher and Nigel Lawson, a party, unlike Labour, that believes in sound money.
“In this party, we believe that it is morally right that those who can work do work, and that hard work is rewarded with people being able to keep more of their own money. We will ensure that we have lower welfare so we can lower taxes.”
While mandatory national service for 18-year-olds was among the first pledges unveiled by Mr Sunak that is intended to reach younger voters, it is policies aimed at the so-called “grey vote” that has garnered the most attention so far.
Other key policy pledges from Mr Sunak include an expansion of levelling up funding with a pledge to give 30 towns £20m each and plans to boost community care by expanding Pharmacy First and building 100 new GP surgeries and modernising 150 more.
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The headline triple lock plus policy will see the income tax personal allowance rise for pensioners, giving them a tax cut worth around £95 in 2025-26, rising to £275 in 2029-30.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, rejected the Conservatives’ attack on his party for not implementing their policies, arguing it was not “the Labour Party’s job to copy them”.
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“It is our responsibility to call that out and that is what we are doing today,” he added. “Whatever the Tories announce tomorrow, the money is not there.”
Wendy Chamberlain, Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesperson, said the Tory manifesto “isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on”.
“The only guarantee they’re good for is unmitigated failure,” she said.
“The wheels have already fallen off their campaign, and the promises they make are just a desperate attempt to rescue Rishi Sunak.”
England star Jess Carter says she has been the victim of racist abuse online during the UEFA Women’s Euros in Switzerland.
The Lionesses defender, who has 49 England caps, said she will be “taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with”.
In an Instagram post, the 27-year-old player said: “From the start of the tournament, I have experienced a lot of racial abuse. Whilst I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result, I don’t agree or think it’s ok to target someone’s appearance or race.”
Jess Carter. Pic: PA
Carter said she was stepping back from social media to “protect myself in a bid to keep my focus on helping the team anyway I can”.
She added: “Hopefully speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice so that others won’t have to deal with it.”
Carter also said that England have made some “historic changes with the Lionesses squad” that she was “so proud” of, and she hopes that by speaking out about racial abuse “it will make another positive change for all”.
‘Abhorrent abuse’
The Football Association leadership has condemned the “abhorrent abuse” against Carter and has contacted UK police about it.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in a statement: “Our priority is Jess and giving her all the support she needs. We strongly condemn those responsible for this disgusting racism.
“As soon as we were made aware of the racist abuse Jess received, we immediately contacted UK police. They are in touch with the relevant social media platform, and we are working with police to ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice.”
Carter during a training session in Switzerland. Pic: PA
The Lionesses said in a statement: “We stand with Jess and all Lionesses players past and present who have suffered racism.
“No one should have to endure such vile abuse, be that in football or any walk of life.”
They added: “Those behind this online poison must be held accountable.”
Anger and sadness
England teammate Lucy Bronze said there was “anger” and “sadness” among the squad following the abuse.
Bronze said: “I think we all know that any player of colour that’s played for England has probably gone through racist abuse. That’s a sad fact.”
She told Sky News’ sports correspondent Rob Harris that social media platforms need to be held more accountable.
Bronze added: “People need to be held accountable for their actions, whether it’s in-person or online. The abuse is not okay. Racism is not okay.”
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The prime minister said on X that there was “no place for racism in football or anywhere in society”.
Sir Keir Starmer added: “I stand with Jess, the Lionesses, and any players who have suffered racism, on and off the pitch.”
Carter has started all four of England’s games at the tournament.
The defending champions face Italy on Tuesday night in Geneva in the Euros semi-finals. If they win and reach the final, they will play either Germany or Spain, who face each other on Wednesday.
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The Lionesses also said that until now, they have chosen to take the knee before matches.
“It is clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism,” they said.
England won’t be taking the knee before semi-final
The Lionesses said they have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick-off in the match against Italy.
“We hope the game can come together to see what more can be done.”
Kneeling, a symbolic anti-racism gesture, came to prominence in 2016 when NFL player Colin Kaepernick knelt in protest during the United States national anthem and became more widespread during the Black Lives Matter movement.
As head of football’s anti-racism body, there was dread for Sanjay Bhandari watching England’s Women’s Euros quarter-final with Sweden.
But that’s, grimly, how it always is. Concerned that black players will be singled out for blame. Not with a legitimate critique of their performances, but with toxicity and racism.
And now Kick It Out is working with the Football Association to support Jess Carter after the England defender spoke out over the abuse she has been targeted with throughout the Women’s European Championship.
The players want social media firms to do more, but Mr Bhandari, the Kick It Out chairman, is concerned by their limited approach to the scourge of online hate.
Jess Carter says she has been the target of racist abuse. Pic: PA
“The social media companies need to do far more,” he told Sky News. “They’ve actually gone backwards over the last four or five years, not forwards. It’s got worse on social media, not better.
“And they need to provide us with the tools to help keep us safe and to remove some of this toxicity from the platforms. They’re just not doing enough.
“I would say that X is the worst. It has become no-holds-barred.
“And with Instagram, it is much more in the direct messaging, and I think there needs to be much more done there to protect people from those messages.”
Meta, which owns Instagram, did not reply to a request for comment.
There was no response from an email sent to X’s press email address.
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‘People need to be held accountable’ after Euros racism
LinkedIn indicated that X’s UK managing director Jonathan Lewis’s account had seen a request for comment, but there was no response.
On Friday, Mr Lewis and Premier League club Burnley were celebrating a new partnership in an announcement that made no mention of the abuse that many players across the world face on X.
The hope is that the Online Safety Act will lead to social media firms implementing the safety tools required of them.
Mr Bhandari said: “They have to be enforced by law enforcement against individual perpetrators, and also the regulatory parts need to be forced against the social media companies to force them to do the things that they need to do.”
Grimly familiar situation
The FA reported the abuse suffered by Carter to police, and the hope is for speedy action because this is a grimly familiar situation.
After the men’s Euros final in 2021, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were racially abused after missing penalties in the shootout defeat to Italy.
Bukayo Saka was among the England players targeted after missing penalties in the Euros final. Pic: Reuters
While players have been taking a knee against racism in men’s and women’s games, the Lionesses feel that is no longer enough at these Euros.
They will stand instead before the semi-final with Italy because they say a new approach is needed to tackle racism.
Read more from Sky News:
Lionesses ‘very optimistic’ Williamson will be fit for semi-final
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Carter didn’t just face racism around the quarter-final that England won on penalties after fighting back from 2-0 down against Sweden here in Zurich.
She has been subjected to abuse throughout the Euros.
“I’m really feeling for Jess and what’s sad is that this is shocking, but not surprising,” Mr Bhandari said.
“I watch every England game, at every tournament, with the fear that after the match, there’s going to be abuse of a black player using the spurious basis of performance as an excuse to justify unjustifiable racism. All racism is unjustifiable.
“The fact that someone’s had a good or bad game in your opinion does not justify that kind of racist abuse.”
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