Does the government owe Wales £4bn because of HS2?published at 10:56 British Summer Time 13 June

10:56 BST 13 June

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "Wales is owed £4bn."

That refers to the demand to give Wales money under the Barnett Formula to reflect the billions spent on the high speed rail project.

Under the formula, public spending in England triggers money for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

But despite not having any track in Wales, HS2 is classed as an England and Wales project.

The UK government in Westminster says Welsh railways are heavily integrated with railways in England meaning they should be considered as one network. Most rail infrastructure in Wales is the responsibility of the UK government.

When the government scrapped the northern leg of HS2, between Birmingham and Manchester, it promised to spend the money on other transport projects.

But instead of awarding money to the devolved administration in Wales, the UK government promised to spend £1bn electrifying the line between Crewe and Holyhead.

The Plaid leader now takes aim at Labour - as our correspondent Daniel Davies forecast earlier.

"Not only is Plaid Cymru committed to scrapping the cruel and unfair two-child benefit cap to which Labour and the Tories are shamefully wedded, we would also increase Child Benefit by £20 per week," he says.

"This would help 330,000 Welsh families to deal with the cost of living crisis, taking 60,000 children out of poverty."

Image source, Pool

As expected, Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth is highlighting the HS2 railway line in England.

"Classed as an England and Wales project, Scotland and Northern Ireland are compensated, but of course there’s not a single mile of HS2 track in Wales, and we get nothing," he says.

"We actually get less rail investment as a result. In line with the compensation for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales is owed some £4bn – just imagine what that could do to transform our public transport network nationwide – buses, roads and railways – connecting our communities and giving our economy that desperately-needed boost."

• Our Verify team will look at Rhun ap Iorwerth's claims soon.

Gareth Lewis
BBC Wales political editor

Plaid’s march to independence is slower and quieter than it has been in previous manifestos.

There will be a consultation on what that path might look like, rather than a timetable to the end destination.

Their former leader Adam Price wanted an independence referendum within five years if Plaid had won the 2021 Senedd election.

Their 2019 General Election manifesto aimed for independence by 2030.

This manifesto ties in with their vision under Rhun ap Iorwerth of slowly drawing people to them, and persuading them of an alternative vision for Wales.

Plaid makes pitch to left-leaning voterspublished at 10:37 British Summer Time 13 June

10:37 BST 13 June

Daniel Davies
Reporting from the Plaid Cymru launch in Cardiff

Why have diet pop when you can have full fat?

That’s the gist of Plaid’s pitch to left-leaning voters in this election.

Time and again in speeches and interviews, Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth tries to convince those people to back his party over Labour.

Whether it’s more powers and funding for the Welsh Parliament, re-entering Europe’s single market or calling for peace in the Middle East, Plaid wants to outflank Labour.

It’s a message Plaid hopes to land in two seats in particular where they and Labour are trying to push out incumbent Conservatives: Ynys Mon and Caerfyrddin.

This is all happening in an election where, ap Iorwerth says, a Labour victory is all but inevitable.

The danger for him is that if the electorate’s desire for change really is as strong as he says, Plaid could get squeezed away.

Plaid Cymru's manifesto launch is beginning now.

We are expecting to hear from party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Liz Saville Roberts who was Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader before Parliament was dissolved, and Ann Davies who is standing in Carmarthenshire.

You can follow along by pressing Play at the top of this page, and as always, we will bring you key lines right here.

We are going to see two manifestos today, from Plaid Cymru and Labour, so let's remind ourselves of the ins and outs of a manifesto.

The point of a manifesto is to set out the policies that a political party would deliver if they won a general election.

Within the many pages of the manifesto, there will be some promises that will stick out, and these can feature heavily in the lead-up to the election and shape the narrative of the election campaign.

But, it's important to remember that the political parties are not completely bound by the policies they publish in the manifesto.

If elected to government, they may drop some policies that had been set out in the manifesto, but this can be a bad look.

Will Plaid Cymru want to talk about Welsh independence today?published at 10:25 British Summer Time 13 June

10:25 BST 13 June

Gareth Lewis
BBC Wales political editor

Plaid Cymru are hoping they can make gains at this election – but they have at least half an eye on the Senedd election in 2026, where they think they can push Labour much harder.

So today is all about setting out their stall as an alternative future administration for Wales.

They think they’re on to a winner with their claim Wales is missing out on £4bn due to the way the Treasury has handled HS2.

And they think some on the left may find their stance on foreign policy issues like Gaza more palatable than Labour’s.

But what about independence? It’s the main thing people associate with the party – but will they want to talk about it today?

Emily Atkinson
Live reporter

In about five minutes' time, we'll be moving our focus to Cardiff for the launch of the Plaid Cymru manifesto.

Covering the speech for us today are our colleagues in Wales. They'll be writing up the key lines and providing analysis on the most eye-catching pledges.

A live stream of the launch event will run at the top of this page - click the Play button to watch along.

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

In many respects the slight rise in the hospital backlog in England is not surprising.

Latest figures to the end of April show there were 7.57 million on the waiting list.

That is up from 7.54 million the month before.

But the size of the waiting list has in the past fluctuated month-by-month.

And modelling always predicted once the rapid rises seen since the pandemic hit stopped, there would be a period – perhaps a year - when the waiting list would remain pretty flat.

That is likely what we have seen happening over the past six months or so – although only time will tell.

But, of course, there will be huge focus on what is a pretty small jump because it clashes with the government’s narrative that the waiting list is coming down.

What is more, it has happened during a month when there was no industrial action – something the prime minister has blamed, at times, for slow progress on tackling the backlog.

Hugh Pym
Health editor

The waiting list for planned NHS treatment in England rose in April to 7.57 million.

In March, it was at 7.54 million on the list for operations and procedures.

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Image source, Reuters

A Labour figure told me yesterday it would avoid a "sugar rush" of policies.

The party’s argument is that the Conservatives over-promised in their manifesto.

Labour says it won't do the same – so don’t expect big surprises today.

But Labour does have pledges to pay for such as more NHS appointments, more teachers, primary school breakfast clubs, more police and police community support officers.

Where will it find the money? Labour points towards making private schools pay VAT, a stricter windfall tax on oil and gas company profits, and collecting more of the tax money that's already owed – what is often called “closing the tax gap”.

We’ll be able to scrutinise the numbers later.

But what’s also interesting is what Labour is ruling out - rises in income tax rates, national insurance, VAT and corporation tax.

At the same time, it is pledging to bring debt down as a share of the economy.

All of which has led to warnings that there could be a significant spending squeeze in some government departments after the election – whoever wins.

For Labour, it's no rabbits - and definitely no hatspublished at 09:53 British Summer Time 13 June

09:53 BST 13 June

Chris Mason
Political editor

On manifesto day, it is always worth thinking about what the party in question hopes will be the controlling thought of the tome they are handing out.

For the Conservatives at Silverstone in Northamptonshire the other day, the controlling thought was tax cuts.

Here in Manchester with Labour, the controlling thought is reassurance.

Or so they hope.

There won’t be any surprises.

No rabbits.

And definitely no hats.

Everything about it will be emphasising stability.

Even the choreography and geography is an attempt to contribute to that.

Labour launched their so called ‘missions’ for government in Manchester in February of last year.

And here they are again trying to complete the arc of that story — about how they claim they have changed and have built the structures for what they call a "decade of national renewal".

But will people find this boring or uninspiring?

The Conservatives claim Labour’s plans are empty.

You’ll soon be able to see the manifesto for yourself - alongside the others already out in the wild and those coming in the next few days, to come to your own view.

Image source, PA Media

Let's turn now to an interview with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on LBC Radio earlier this morning.

He points to a poll published by Sky News which puts his party one point behind the Conservatives, and says they are "very close to a tipping point".

Farage, who has repeatedly said he believes Labour will win the election, says “something new is going to emerge on the centre-right” and that he is capable of leading the opposition to Labour.

Asked if he would lead a merged version of the Conservative and Reform UK parties he says he would, reiterating he would be prepared to lead the centre-right.

Farage also speaks about having objects thrown at him on the campaign trail.

"I am not going to surrender to the mob. Never," he says.

Chris Mason
Political editor

Hello from the Peak District.

Purple heather and sweeping views out of the car window. Manchester ahead, last night’s TV special in Grimsby in the rear view mirror.

A few little titbits I’ve picked up this morning on the page size and pagination front.

The Labour manifesto will be A5 and 135 pages long.

The Conservative one is A4 and 76 pages.

The Liberal Democrat manifesto is A5 and 116 pages.

The Labour one will have a picture of Keir Starmer on its front cover, in shirt sleeves.

And there are 33 further pictures of the Labour leader within it.

At 23,000 words it is shorter than the doomed bundle of promises Labour had in 2019.

And shorter too, I think, than the winning Conservative manifestos in 2015 and 2017.

Jenni Davidson
Senior politics reporter, BBC Scotland

While it’s all out campaigning for some, it’s still business as usual at Holyrood. That curtails some of the week’s election activities for members of the Scottish Parliament – particularly on a Thursday.

SNP leader John Swinney will do a brief photocall in Edinburgh this morning to launch a new billboard campaign, but then it’s back to Holyrood for his weekly grilling by MSPs at First Minister’s Questions (FMQs).

The other Scottish parties will be scheduling their campaign events around FMQs too. As a reminder - the UK Parliament was dissolved last month, after Rishi Sunak called the general election.

Emily Atkinson
Live reporter

With our coverage of the morning interviews now done, let's head over 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.

The launches of the Plaid Cymru and Labour Party manifestos are also still to come (at about 10:30 and 11:00 BST respectively).

Stick with us.

McFadden is now asked if Labour would raise capital gains tax if it formed the next government.

"There is nothing in our manifesto that requires further increases in tax," he says.

Pressed again, he repeats the same sentence.

Naga Munchetty then points out that he can't say it in a sentence that capital gains tax will not rise.

McFadden reiterates, with a slight smile, his line that there is nothing in the manifesto that will require a further increase in tax.

Watch the exchange below:

Pat McFadden has also been speaking to BBC Breakfast - after discussing growth, the conversation turns to party leader Keir Starmer.

During a TV debate between Starmer and Sunak on Sky last night, Starmer was accused of being a "political robot" (see below).

Asked how Starmer can combat this, McFadden quotes someone saying Starmer's response to that claim was the most human thing they had seen from him for quite a long time.

McFadden adds the Labour leader "did quite well" last night.

McFadden is now played a clip from Sky last night, where Starmer was asked about his support for Jeremy Corbyn in 2019 (see below).

Starmer said that he was certain Labour would lose the 2019 election.

So McFadden is asked: Does Starmer lack judgment or backbone?

He replies that Starmer's comments simply reflect the changes that can be made when you become leader.

Starmer has changed the party, McFadden says, and that it shows that the party is now focused on the public and not the internal issues.

The issue of trust is again put to McFadden, given recent figures that show the public's distrust in politicians.

Given Starmer's changed views on Corbyn, isn't it hard to trust him?

McFadden again makes the point that the Labour party has changed - adding that Liz Truss is still a Tory candidate, but Corbyn is not.