Election latest: Sir Keir Starmer challenged to make 'lying PM' claim 'stick' - as minister doubles down on row (2024)

It's been a day of fiery fallout from last night's debate between the prime minister and Labour leader.

Rishi Sunak has faced backlash over his claims that Labour's plans will cost households £2,000 more in tax, with Sky's economics and data editor Ed Conway among those questioning the figures.

Here's everything you need to know about what happened in the general election today:

• We'll start with Labour's no-nonsense response to Rishi Sunak's claims about their tax plans last night, which peaked with Sir Keir Starmer accusing the prime minister of repeatedly lying;
• Mr Sunak's claim is also being looked into by the UK's statistics watchdog, while doubt has been cast on his allegation by a top Treasury official, who said the civil service had nothing to do with it;
• The Tories have stood by the claim that households will pay an extra £2,000, but Labour insist working families won't be out of pocket;
• Ed Conway has written about why you should probably be sceptical of those claims and says even if true, the amount is nowhere near the extra burden placed upon taxpayers in recent years;
• But tonight, the Tories are doubling down, and making more pledges around taxes on housing, which you can read here.

• Nigel Farage's return to frontline politics this week has also dragged down the Tories' ratings in our latest election polling;
• Our exclusive survey from YouGov shows Mr Farage's party have pulled within two points of the Conservatives, with Labour on 40%, the Tories on 19% and Reform on 17%;
• Speaking of Mr Farage,a woman has been charged after he had a milkshake thrown over him in Clacton yesterday.

• Elsewhere, the Welsh first minister has lost a vote of no confidence, having been left in tears as the Senedd debated his future;
• Vaughan Gething faced the vote after concerns were raised about a campaign donation he received, allegations he misled the COVID Inquiry, and Plaid Cymru withdrawing from its co-operation deal with Labour - but he has said he won't quit;
• In Scotland, Scottish Labour has been extolling the virtues of the party's plan for Great British Energy, which would be headquartered in the country;
• Campaigning has been quieter in England, as party leaders assembled with royalty and veterans for D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth.

Sky News has also had its own announcement to make this evening, with Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer agreeing to take part in a special leaders' programme.

The Battle For Number 10 will air from 7pm next Wednesday.

Here are some other stories you might want to read:

The Labour Party has hit out at "desperate claims" from Rishi Sunak as the Tories unveil another guarantee not to raise taxes.

The chancellor is today announcing what the Tories are calling the "Family Home Tax Guarantee", which is a pledge to:

• Not increase the number of council tax bands, re-evaluate it, or cut existing discounts;
• Maintain thePrivate Residence Relief - meaning people with one home that has always been their sole residence, and the grounds are less than 5,000 square metres will continue to not pay capital gains tax if it is sold;
• Not increase the rate or level of stamp duty.

The Tories are continuing to claim that Sir Keir Starmer is going to raise taxes on families by £2,094 - something that is highly disputed by experts, including Sky's economics and data editor Ed Conway.

The party also says that shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves proposed changing council tax to a property tax, and are challenging Labour to match this new pledge.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said in a statement: "Rachel Reeves has previously called for a range of damaging new taxes on the family home just like Labour are looking at doing in Labour-run Wales; and that means she and Keir Starmer are coming for your family home.

"Only Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives will protect your family home to give you peace of mind with our guarantee that there will be no rises in such taxes for the whole of the next parliament."

But Labour has blasted the claims from the Conservative Party, saying in a statement: "We will not be raising taxes on working people. The Conservatives cannot be trusted on tax and taxes are at a 70-year high on their watch.

"These are more desperate claims from Rishi Sunak who lied to the British people before and is lying to them again."

By Alexandra Rogers, political reporter

Faiza Shaheen, who was blocked from representing the Labour Party in the general election, has announced she will stand as an independent.

Ms Shaheen, who initially won the Labour nomination for Chingford and Woodford Green, said she had decided to run as an independent after voters told her they felt "disenfranchised" by the party's decision to remove her as a candidate.

Labour removed Ms Shaheen as its candidate for the London constituency after she allegedly liked a series of social media posts that downplayed antisemitism accusations.

Yesterday sheannounced her resignation from the party, accusing it of embodying a "hierarchy of racism".

She said she was weighing up whether to stand as an independent in Chingford, and on Wednesday afternoon, confirmed that decision.

More here:

The Liberal Democrats have announced a rail fare freeze as one of their manifesto commitments.

It would be funded via clamping down on tax avoidance and evasion, which the party says totals £38.5bn a year, and save commuters £115m.

Under the Tories, the Lib Dems say train tickets have soared while services have got worse.

The party's Treasury spokeswoman Sarah Olney said: "From Winchester to Wokingham, it is disgraceful that every day passengers are having to pay more for trains which are increasingly delayed or cancelled."

According to the party's analysis, commuters in Winchester, Hampshire, have seen season ticket prices climb by more than £1,000 since 2019, now standing at £6,432 a year.

In Harpenden, Hertfordshire, train commuters are paying £820 more, with tickets now costing £4,792 a year.

Rail fare reform would be implemented within five years, the party said.

By Sam Doak, OSINT Producer

As the country heads towards a general election, political parties have been competing through social media to get their messages to the public.

Sky News tracked the performance of the six highest polling parties across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to see how the race for online audiences is shaping up in the early days of the election campaign.

You can read about how they're doing below:

By Dan Whitehead, West of England and Wales correspondent

Seventy-eight days into the job and Vaughan Gething has lost the confidence of the Welsh parliament.

It may well be only by a narrow margin and because two Labour members were off sick - but whatever the factors behind this loss, it’s not a great look.

The first minister says he'll carry on, saying the vote was a gimmick. The Tories, Plaid, and Lib Dems here in Wales are all calling for him to resign.

D-Day commemorations tomorrow may put a momentary pause on the controversy - but Mr Gething now has a problem.

Do nothing, and he'll be constantly reminded the Senedd does not have confidence in his leadership.

Resign, and trigger yet more political upheaval.

It may not be his choice: the Conservatives could put forward another vote of no confidence in the government, not just Mr Gething. They now are considering their next step.

All this amid an election campaign - with four weeks to go, what happens next in the Senedd could have a wider impact in UK politics.

In a UK election, there are 650 seats in the House of Commons up for grabs.

To win, a party needs at least 326 of them.

But what if no party manages to get there?

It's happened before and - despite the polls projecting a Labour win this time round - it's not impossible it happens again.

Our political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh explains...

Our final guest on tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridgeis Sky News commentator Adam Boulton - a veteran of general election debates.

In fact, he moderated a 2010 election debate between David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg, and he tellsSophy Ridge: "It was a big moment, and last night's debate wasn't a big moment."

The three debates that year were "much more influential than what's going to come out of this debate, which is only going to be one thing - arguing over a number".

He says the 2010 format - a 90-minute runtime with eight questions - worked better than last night's.

"It was actually a serious debate," he argues, which result in the viewers being left "better informed".

"I don't think anyone was particularly better informed by what went on last night," he adds.

'Liar label will resonate'

On the debate itself, notably Sir Keir Starmer's failure to challenge Rishi Sunak on the dubious claim about Labour's tax plans, Adam says the fact the party was able to produce a letter from the Treasury written before the debate "has given Keir Starmer the licence to use the 'liar' word".

And that's something that "resonates with voters".

That concludes tonight's edition of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge - scroll down to read all the key moments and highlights.

Sophy Ridge - a self-described "terrible cook" - takes the opportunity to ask Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge for an easy recipe to show off to her friends and family with.

He has a "really simple" recipe for Sophy with skipping a beat: a baked omelette.

"Cheese, potatoes. Gently, gently poached potatoes and slice them very thinly.

"Mix it with the eggs first, so you get this kind of creamy egg mix.

"Put it into a non-stick and bake it in the oven and grated cheese on the top.

"And if it can be quite cheesy, you're on to a winner."

More than 120 business leaders have written an open letter giving their backing to Labour in the general election - including Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, who is our next guest on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge.

Asked why he signed the letter, he says he has been a Labour supporter all of his life.

But more recently, he notes people's needs aren't being met and the country "just doesn't seem to be working at all anywhere".

He says there has been "years of underinvestment" in everything from education to public transport and housing.

'I had high hopes for Sunak'

Asked what would make the biggest difference to businesses, he says there are "so many", especially in hospitality, that have been "at the brunt" of "catastrophic" events like COVID.

Mr Kerridge says he had "high hopes" for Rishi Sunak as PM after the furlough scheme, so his comments are "not all anti this government".

But he says hospitality industry figures were speaking to the government after the pandemic about what was needed in the long term, but "it kind of fell on deaf ears".

In terms of a single policy change that would make the biggest difference, he says "a reduction in VAT would be huge", saying it would allow the industry to grow amid rising energy prices.