Election campaign day 33: Sunak and Starmer rapped for spending pledges

The Conservatives and Labour have been accused by the Institute for Fiscal Studies of a “conspiracy of silence” over the financial challenges facing the country after the election.

– Black marks for the manifestos

There comes a point in every election campaign when – like schoolchildren submitting their homework for marking – the parties have to endure the wonks at the IFS running the rule over their manifesto tax and spending pledges to see if their sums add up.

And to say that headmaster Paul Johnson was unimpressed would be an understatement – “could do better” did not begin to cover it as both the Tories and Labour received a caning for failing to come clean about the scale of the challenges facing whoever gets to form the next government.

– Quote of the day