Fighting over the Tory manifesto begins a day early

On Tuesday morning, Rishi Sunak will unveil the Conservative party’s 2024 manifesto. So far, there is talk of tax cuts, welfare reform and the need to reform the ECHR. But some on the conservative side are already voicing alarm that the 76-page draft document is playing it too safe on tax and borders – and lacks big ideas. As one figure privy to the document puts it: ‘It could flop’.

While Tory candidates pray there is a rabbit in the hat to be unveiled tomorrow, Labour are busy getting their own attack lines in. This afternoon Jonathan Ashworth – the shadow cabinet office minister with the unofficial title of ‘minister for the Today programme’ – held a press conference to get the press in the mood to scrutinise Tory spending plans.

Speaking at a location near Embankment, Ashworth handed out a dossier titled ‘Tory promises: the money’s not there’ before pre-emptively describing the unpublished document as the ‘most expensive panic attack in history’.