Summary

  • Labour launches its manifesto for the 4 July general election, focusing on economic growth and "stability"

  • Party leader Keir Starmer says that wealth creation is the "number one priority", adding that Labour promises "stability over chaos" and "an end to the desperate era of gestures and gimmicks"

  • He says Labour will not raise personal tax rates - the manifesto includes plans to raise £8bn, including through VAT on private school fees, closing loopholes, and a windfall tax on oil and gas

  • Rishi Sunak says Labour’s manifesto "would mean the highest taxes in history" and says the party is asking the country for a "blank cheque"

  • Before Labour, Plaid Cymru launched its manifesto, with a focus on "fairer" funding for Wales

  • Later senior figures from the Tories, Labour, SNP, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, Green Party and Reform take part in a seven-way ITV election debate

  • The parties clash over the NHS, education and immigration, with the economy and Brexit also on the agenda

  1. Do the Greens have a problem with antisemitism?published at 11:57 British Summer Time 12 June

    Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay are seen standing in front of podiums while unveiling the Green Party manifesto.Image source, UK POOL

    Another question now from the BBC's Katie Wray, on why there's been a problem with some Green candidates - and if there is a deeper issue of antisemitism within certain parts of the party.

    Ramsay says the Green Party has 574 candidates standing in England and Wales, and that four who were originally put forward are now not standing as a result of questions that were raised.

    He adds that like any other party, if issues are raised they are investigated, independently of the party leadership, and those four candidates have been replaced.

    "We are going into this election bold and confident," he adds.

    And with that, the news conference comes to an end.

    Stay with us as we'll now bring you analysis from our correspondents, who have been pouring over those manifesto pledges.

  2. Greens pressed on scrapping nuclear weaponspublished at 11:49 British Summer Time 12 June

    A reporter from LBC asks the party co-leaders how they expect to be taken seriously when it comes to the war in Ukraine if they're campaigning to stop nuclear weapons.

    Ramsay says investment in nuclear weapons is not a good use of public funds and that it's an "outdated system".

    He adds that we must ensure that money being put into defence is being used on personnel and humanitarian work.

  3. Ramsay: National Insurance rise will 'help create a fairer society'published at 11:41 British Summer Time 12 June

    Adrian Ramsay stands at a podium and answers reporters questions while unveiling the Green Party manifesto.Image source, UK POOL

    The next question, from Sky News, is about Greens' pledge to raise the National Insurance (NI) rate to 8% on annual wages above £50,270.

    Ramsay says the party's plans are about helping those struggling with the cost of living crisis.

    "The cost of increase in NI for someone on £55,000 a year would be an extra £5 a week. People earning under £50,000 would not be affected," he adds.

    He says it is a modest amount "that will help create a fairer society".

  4. Denyer insists manifesto pledges are 'fully-costed'published at 11:35 British Summer Time 12 June

    The Green Party's co-leaders are now being asked questions by journalists at the manifesto launch.

    First up is BBC News' political correspondent Helen Catt. She asks if the Greens are being honest about whether they can raise the cash for their manifesto pledges.

    Denyer says her party's manifesto is "fully-costed" and admits there are ambitious proposals, but says the Greens are the only party honest about the level of spending needed to improve public services in the UK.

    She says that the Greens are not shy talking about their tax plans putting more responsibility on those with the "broadest shoulders".

  5. We don't expect to form the government, Ramsay acceptspublished at 11:32 British Summer Time 12 June

    Ramsay says the Greens aren't expecting to form the next government - but says their MPs will be in Parliament to "speak up for you on the issues you care about".

    He says these issues are the "revitalisation" of the NHS, bold action on climate and a fair economy.

    Ramsay says he believes Labour will be in power and he will push them to "stop backtracking on their promises" and will drive them to "be more ambitious".

    "This is our offer to voters - a manifesto that lays out exactly what real hope and real change looks like," he says.

  6. Denyer: 'Now is the moment to be ambitious, not unrealistic'published at 11:31 British Summer Time 12 June

    Carla Denyer stands at a podium while unveiling the Green Party manifesto.Image source, UK POOL

    Denyer is now outlining some of the Green Party's other pledges.

    She says it includes plans to bring the water companies into public ownership, scrap tuition fees, increase the budget for schools, and introduce a new Clean Air Act, which will help "safeguard our children's health".

    "Now is the moment to be ambitious, not unrealistic, but ambitious. To be clear about the kind of country we want to live in," she says.

  7. Greens want net zero 'years ahead' of targetpublished at 11:30 British Summer Time 12 June

    Ramsay picks up to talk about the environment - saying other parties are "running away" from solutions to the "climate crisis".

    "Protecting our climate and nature lies at the heart of our policies," Ramsay says - adding the Greens will "strive every single day" to take the action needed.

    Ramsay says the Greens will stop fossil fuel projects in the UK and be "more ambitious" in renewable energy.

    "A secure energy supply and action in climate crisis go hand in hand," Ramsay says - adding the Greens want to achieve net zero "years ahead" of the current timetable.

    • As a reminder, we'll have analysis from our climate editor Justin Rowlatt on the Greens' pledges very soon
  8. Greens vow to provide affordable housingpublished at 11:29 British Summer Time 12 June

    Carla Denyer now talks about housing, calling it an "unaddressed crisis".

    She goes through their pledges of more social homes, saying that they will "provide affordable housing through our right homes, right place, right price charter."

    Denyer then discusses the party's pledges on decreasing energy bills by improving insulating homes in five years.

    She says a "warm, secure, affordable home is something that millions of people in this country don't have", but that it is "so important a basic building block for a happy and successful life."

  9. Ramsay unveils £50bn health and social care pledgepublished at 11:27 British Summer Time 12 June

    Adrian Ramsay from the Green Party holds a pamphlet that contains the Green Party manifesto.Image source, UK POOL

    Ramsay is now speaking on the NHS, and says health service staff have praised their plans.

    He says the Greens would invest an extra £50bn a year in health and social care - "more than any other party" - to "restore" the NHS.

    Ramsay says his party would ensure people can access GPs quickly, guarantee an NHS dentist, make social care free at the point of use, improve mental health services and say "no to privitisation".

  10. Tax system needs to be changed, Denyer sayspublished at 11:27 British Summer Time 12 June

    Denyer says Greens want to transform the economy to make it "fairer and greener".

    Their plans include a new wealth tax charged at 1% on all assets worth more than £10m, declared in a self-assessment tax return, increasing to 2% on all assets above £1bn.

    She says this affects the top 1% of people who'll be paying more into the pot.

    Denyer says on the doorstep, people say they want more to be done on public services, and Greens are the only ones to have the "courage" to say the tax system needs to be changed to make this possible.

    "Billions" would go into the nation's collective pocket to pay for the future of our public services.

    • You can read more about the Green Party's tax plans here
  11. Greens say plans 'offer real change'published at 11:21 British Summer Time 12 June

    Carla Denyer speaks at a podium while unveiling the Green Party election manifesto.Image source, UK POOL

    Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay take the stage, to huge applause.

    Denyer is first to speak. She says the party's manifesto is about "investing to mend broken Britain", and offering "real hope, and real change".

    Then, we hear from Ramsay, who says the Greens want to build a "brighter future".

    He says this manifesto "isn't more of the same", but "a look at what things could be like, and soon, if we're willing to invest at the rate necessary and to be bold and ambitious".

    He says the Greens reject the "pessimism of the other parties".

  12. Green Party manifesto launch gets under waypublished at 11:15 British Summer Time 12 June

    Sian Berry addresses an audience while unveiling the Green Party manifestoImage source, UK POOL

    Sian Berry takes to the stage first, as the Green Party officially launches its manifesto at the Sussex Cricket ground in Hove.

    She starts off by discussing the struggles tenants face with renting and what the party plans to do to change that.

    She then introduces the party's co-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer. Stay with us as we bring you the latest from their speeches.

  13. How we're covering the Green Party's manifesto launchpublished at 10:56 British Summer Time 12 June

    Emily Atkinson
    Live reporter

    It's not long now until the Green Party publishes its manifesto.

    If you missed our coverage of both the Tory and Lib Dem launches, here's a quick look at how we run things:

    The manifesto is expected to land at 11:00 BST, at which point our writers will begin combing through it and sharing the main pledges.

    Then, correspondents from across the BBC - from health, culture, education and more - will start filing analysis on those pledges. They'll be looking at what they are, how they are funded and how much of a difference they will make.

    In the meantime, we'll have writers across speeches from party co-leaders Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer, bringing you some of the key lines and reaction.

    We also have our BBC Verify colleagues on hand to fact check.

    It's a real team effort.

    And, as always, you will be able to follow the launch events live by clicking the Play button at the top of this page.

  14. Analysis

    Starmer responds to Shapps' comments about possible Labour 'supermajority'published at 10:49 British Summer Time 12 June

    Ione Wells
    Political correspondent

    Sir Keir Starmer denies it’s a foregone conclusion that Labour will win a majority.

    He was asked by reporters what his response was to Grant Shapps warning people not to give Labour a “supermajority”.

    Sir Keir said no vote had been cast yet, he couldn’t be complacent, and said he needed a “mandate” to change the country.

    He added that he’s told people that “if you want change, you have to vote for it.”

  15. Analysis

    What is Shapps trying to achieve?published at 10:45 British Summer Time 12 June

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    Well, firstly it pays to remember that he is one of the Conservatives’ most experienced politicians – he knew what he was saying and he will have meant to say it.

    It appears he is trying to use the possibility of a large Labour victory to ensure that a large Labour victory does not happen.

    For some, this will be reminiscent of the 2017 general election where – albeit generally at a local level rather than national – some Labour candidates told voters they could back them safe in the knowledge Theresa May would win big and Jeremy Corbyn had no chance of becoming prime minister.

    May did win, but she lost her majority – some Labour candidates believed that argument made the difference for them.

    This is a reminder, too, that in our saturated political-media environment, polls are no longer mere measures of public opinion – they can shape voter behaviour too.

    Plenty of people are displeased by that development. But it’s a reality.

  16. Analysis

    Labour attempts to step on Tory turf with pledge to fix potholespublished at 10:41 British Summer Time 12 June

    Ione Wells
    Political correspondent

    Labour’s pledge today is all about potholes - saying they’ll fix up to a million in England per year.

    They have also said they are the party “on the side of motorists.”

    This language, and their decision to trail it in the usually Conservative-leaning Sun newspaper yesterday, suggests this is a deliberate attempt to step on Tory turf especially in more rural areas.

    The Tories have bit back at this, saying they won’t take lectures on motorists from Labour.

    One challenge for Labour too is whether - in their hope to woo some Conservative voters - they risk isolating some of their core base who want them to be bolder on climate action and may be tempted to look at parties like the Greens.

  17. What election issues matter to you? Let us knowpublished at 10:26 British Summer Time 12 June

    The BBC Your Voice Your Vote graphic, showing loudspeakers against a graphic colourful background

    Much of what we've been covering is concerned with what politicians are getting up to in the run-up to the general election – but what matters most is you, the voter.

    That's why BBC News is running Your Voice, Your Vote – an invitation for you to help us shape our coverage and inform our journalism over the coming weeks.

    If you would like to get involved, find out more here.

  18. Analysis

    Complacency could pose challenge to Labour campaignpublished at 10:11 British Summer Time 12 June

    Henry Zeffman
    Chief political correspondent

    This feels like a real inflection point in the campaign. Privately, many Conservative candidates are fairly open about their belief that victory is implausible and their party should instead hope to limit the scale of a Labour victory.

    But, it’s of a different order of magnitude to see one of the Conservatives’ most experienced politicians make an argument in that direction openly - note, too, that Grant Shapps’ constituency is very much under threat on current polling.

    This poses clear strategic challenges to Labour though.

    Labour campaign chiefs have been drumming a "no complacency" message into their troops.

    They will fear that this sort of language from the Conservatives might make some of their marginal voters feel that a Labour victory is assured and therefore they do not need to turn out to vote - or even that they can risk a protest vote for one of the smaller parties.

    Expect Sir Keir Starmer to try to tackle this argument over the coming days.

  19. What will the Green Party do with taxes?published at 09:49 British Summer Time 12 June

    As we've been reporting, the Green Party says it has plans to raise £70bn from tax reforms, which would be used to fund its policies.

    Here's some more detail:

    • The Greens would raise the National Insurance rate to 8% on annual wages above £50,270
    • A new wealth tax would see a 1% charge on all assets worth more than £10m declared in a self-assessment tax return, increasing to 2% on assets above £1bn
    • A reform of capital gains tax - paid on profits from selling an asset - would bring it in line with income tax bands
    • For higher earners, capital gains tax is currently 28% on gains from residential property or 20% on gains from other assets - while income between £50,271 and £150,000 is taxed at 40%, with the top rate of tax for the highest earners is 45%
    • The Greens would introduce a carbon tax on businesses, starting at £120 per tonne emitted and rising to £500 per tonne over 10 years
    • The 75% windfall tax on fossil fuel profits to banks would be expanded, aiming to raise an extra £9bn a year

    We can expect to hear more when the manifesto is launched later this morning, so stay with us.

  20. Over to the campaign trailpublished at 09:41 British Summer Time 12 June

    Emily Atkinson
    Live reporter

    With our coverage of the morning interviews now done – including a plea from Defence Secretary Grant Shapps to Tory voters – let's now turn our focus to the campaign trail.

    All the major parties are out in force around the country today, with several of our own correspondents tagging along to send us their dispatches, observations and analysis.

    And, of course, we've still got today's big set-piece to come: the launch of the Green Party manifesto. We're expecting this to land at about 11:00 BST.

    With that in mind, our next post will take you through the Greens' proposals on tax – and how they will use them to fund their pledges.

    Stay with us.