General Election – live: Shapps says Tories fighting to stop Labour supermajority

“This last pledge is to be achieved by “better targeting” disability benefits and tightening up “how the benefits system assesses capability for work”. It is pie in the sky – precisely the type of nonsense that Sunak so rightly criticised Truss for peddling in the Tory leadership campaign two years ago.”

The Greens are due to launch their party manifesto in about an hour in Hove.

Co-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer will appear alongside deputy leader Zack Polanski and other parliamentary candidates including Sian Berry.

The party has already announced various promises about climate change, housing, NHS crisis and taxes. Here’s what we can expect:

• The Greens plan to crackdown on the wealthiest in our society and tax them hard by rising national insurance on earners above £50,270 by 8 per cent.

• The new wealth tax system would see a one per cent charge on all assets worth more than £10m and two per cent on those above £1bn.

• The party plans to introduce a carbon tax on businesses starting at £120 per tonne.

• On housing, the Greens promised to build new and environemntally friendly houses and a £49bn investment plan to insulate homes and public buildings.

Rishi Sunak drew comparisons with his predecessor Liz Truss and her disastrous mini-Budget as he unveiled a manifesto containing £17bn of tax cuts.

The grand unveiling at the Silverstone Formula One racetrack was seen as a last chance for Mr Sunak to turn around his party’s flagging fortunes in an election campaign that has been filled with missteps as the Tories remain stuck at around 20 points behind Labour.

It came on the same day as a YouGov poll showed that Reform UK is closing in on the Tories at just one point behind, with 17 per cent to the Conservatives’ 18 per cent.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has warned he faces a battle to retain his Godalming and Ash parliamentary seat, Joe Middleton reports.

The seat is a key target for the Liberal Democrats who are aiming to demolish the Conservative “Blue Wall” in southern England.

A Survation poll has predicted that he could become the first chancellor to lose his seat at a general election.

Mr Hunt’s majority in the 2019 general election was 8,817, but he thinks this could now be a much closer race this time around.

He told Bloomberg: “There’s all to play for. This seat is probably going to be won or lost by the Conservatives by 1,500 votes or fewer.”

In order to boost his chances of retaining the seat, Mr Hunt has contributed £100k of his own money to the constituency party, official records show.

The Conservatives pledged to double to £120,000 the pay threshold at which parents can receive child benefit payments.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh has roundly said Labour will not match the promise, claiming the Tories “made multiple unfunded spending committments”.

Asked by Kay Burley on Sky News about why should voters choose Labour, Mr Haigh replied: “Because we are putting out a series of cost of living measures that will actually make an impact in people’s lives.”

Lord Kinnock, who was led Labour for almost a decade between 1983 and 1992, has warned Sir Keir Starmer to be wise not to limit himseld by ruling out too many tax rises.

The party has so far ruled out rising income tax, VAT, national insurance and corporation tax. But failed to committ to not hike capital gains and fuel duty.

Mr Kinnock told Bloomberg: “Every government needs room to maneuver. Five years is a very long time in fiscal regime.”

Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay has pledged to keep thegovernment’s target to ban new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035.

Blaming the wealthiest in society for the highest emissions, he said: “The reason for that is the vast majority of flights are taken by just 15% of the population – again the very richest causing the most emissions.”

Mr Ramsay told BBC Breakfast that the party will put in place an improved public transport and EV infrastructer instead.

The party leader also revealed his trasnport preferences claiming he drives a hybrid car becuase he can’t access a charging point where he lives.

He added it has been “many years” since he got on a plane.

Labour is today unvveiling a pledge to fix one million potholes every year if they win on July 4.

The party cliams the huge plan would be funded by delaying the A27 bypass and using a projected £320m of the cost on repairs across the country.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said the plan will allow councils to “resurface roads properly so that it gives better value for money and extends the life expectancy and the quality of the road”.