What to expect on the General Election campaign trail on Sunday
The two main parties jousted over tax issues on Saturday.
Here is your guide to the main developments in the General Election campaign on Sunday:
– Tax attacks continue
The Tories have maintained their attempts to claim Labour has a secret plan to hike taxes if Sir Keir Starmer wins the keys to No 10.
After the Labour leader on Saturday ruled out imposing capital gains tax on the sale of family homes, the Tories challenged him to rule out changes to council tax bands and rates.
Labour shot back, with a spokesman saying: “We are not going to spend the next two weeks responding to whatever fantasy plans the Tories are making up.”
Expect the tax battles to continue as Transport Secretary Mark Harper and shadow health secretary Wes Streeting follow each other around the broadcast studios on Sunday.
– Cancer care on parties’ agenda
Labour and the Liberal Democrats are trailing their plans to cut cancer waiting times.
Mr Streeting, who recently received treatment for kidney cancer, has said party would deliver an extra 40,000 appointments, tests and scans each week at evenings and weekends and double the number of CT and MRI scanners to help “catch cancer on time”.
“Having gone through treatment for kidney cancer, I know that the earlier cancer is caught, the better chance of survival,” he said.
The party has planned a cash injection of £1 billion for radiotherapy machines, increasing their number by 200 throughout the NHS system.
– A moment of reflection
Jo Cox was murdered in Birstall, West Yorkshire, eight years ago to the day, where she was about to hold a routine constituency surgery. She would have turned 50 later this month.
The former Labour MP represented Batley and Spen for little more than a year before the attack far-right extremist Thomas Mair.
In her maiden speech the year before her death, Ms Cox said: “While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.”
Her widower Brendan Cox said: “Jo would be gutted to be missing this election, and her chance to play a role in making our country better,
“She believed passionately in the potential of politics. She’d also be gutted to see some people willing to use it to denigrate minorities and spread division.”
During the election campaign, The Jo Cox Foundation set up in her name has called for candidates to sign a civility pledge – to “use a civil and constructive tone in political debate”, “act with integrity, honesty and compassion”, and “behave respectfully towards others, including those I disagree with”.
– Three Lions on a shirt
England play their first UEFA Euro 2024 match against Serbia in Germany on Sunday night.
Political and domestic football rivalries will be temporarily put to one side as Southampton fan Mr Sunak and Arsenal supporter Sir Keir both give their backing to Gareth Southgate’s team.
