Election latest: Greens launching manifesto with vow to target 'super rich' - as PM and Starmer prepare for Sky event (2024)

Sky News' Gurpreet Narwan asked: "The changes to National Insurance mean that people earning £50,000 a year will be paying more tax. That's one in five taxpayers, how do you justify that in a cost of living crisis?"

Mr Ramsay responded: "We have a range of proposals on tax and spending that are about helping those on the lowest incomes through this cost of living crisis.

"But also taking action on the root causes of the cost of living crisis that will support all of us, including the people on middle incomes that you have referred to.

"To raise funding to address the fact that food and energy prices have got so high via a national programme to help insulate our homes and supporting farmers to produce our food locally.

"There will be financial benefits for the people on those incomes."

Addressing the subject of National Insurance, he said: "Our proposals mean that for someone earning £55,000-per-year would be paying an extra £5 a week.

"We are asking a little more, but we think it is affordable."

The Green Party co-leaders are now taking questions from journalists, and first up is the BBC.

They ask if they are really being honest that they can definitely raise the money needed for all the spending they are promising.

Carla Denyer replies: "Yes, we absolutely are. Our manifesto is fully costed - a lot of work has gone into it over many months.

"I think the Green Party was actually more ready for this general election than some of the other parties, from the look of it."

That line gets a round of applause, and Ms Denyer also gets a giggle when she says they are standing more candidates at this election than the Tories.

On substance, Ms Denyer acknowledges that their spending plans are "ambitious", but argues they are "the only party being honest that that's the level of investment needed to get the kind of public services we need".

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay says their manifesto "rejects the pessimism of other parties".

Introducing the manifesto alongside Carla Denyer, he said: "This manifesto isn't more of the same.

"It is a look at what things could be like, and soon, if we are willing to invest in what is necessary and be bold and ambitious.

"We reject the pessimism of the other parties who don't believe we can safeguard our publicly funded health system.

"That we can't provide warm and secure homes for everyone.

"That tackling the climate crisis is too challenging for us.

"We reject this pessimism."

'People are working harder yet getting poorer'

Ms Denyer then added that the party planned to "transform the economy for good", saying Britain couldn't go on with a situation where most people are "working harder yet getting poorer."

To whoops and cheers from the audience, she then announced that they would nationalise the railways, water companies and big five energy companies.

Mr Ramsay acknowledged the party wouldn't be in power after the election, but said the party would push a Labour government to "stop backtracking on their promises" and drive them to be "braver, more ambitious and not to take timid baby steps towards change".

The Greens are launching their manifesto in East Sussex as the party continues its push to win a second seat in this general election.

We're expecting them to start in the next five minutes or so.

The party is targeting at least four seats in this election - including Bristol Central, which is being defended by Labour shadow cabinet minister Thangam Debbonaire.

Co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay will be unveiling their key pledges, and reiterate their aim is to push a potential Labour government into being more radical than Sir Keir Starmer appears to want to be.

Watch live on Sky News, in the stream above or the feed below - and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.

The Green Party will be launching its manifesto in Brighton shortly.

It's where Caroline Lucas served as the party's only Westminster MP.

Our political correspondent Gurpreet Narwan is there for us ahead of the launch at around 11am, and says the imminent policy document has "been billed as a big plan to invest in 'broken Britain'".

It will plough money into public services by "redesigning the tax system", going after the richest in society.

Gurpreet says: "The thrust of it is a new tax on multimillionaires and billionaires, starting at 1% on those with assets over £10m.

"It also wants to equalise tax on wealth with tax on income by raising capital gains tax on the sale of stocks and shares and investment properties so they are in line with the tax people pay on wages."

But the Greens are also planning "a big raid on wage earners", inculding raising national insurance on those earning over £50,000.

Gurpreet notes this would include one in four teachers.

The party argues it's the only one "being honest with the electorate" about what's required to fund public services.

Labour and the Tories aren't being straight with voters, it says.

After impressive results in the local elections last month, Gurpreet says the party's eyeing up four seats at Westminster.

It's become "something of a refuge" for rural Tory voters but also those from the left of Labour who have become disillusioned with Keir Starmer, making for an "interesting mix" of support.

Sky News has held an FA Cup-style draw to determine who will face questions first in its special leaders' event tonight - Rishi Sunak or Sir Keir Starmer.

The Conservative and Labour leaders will answer questions from Beth Rigby, as well as members of the public, during the Battle For Number 10 broadcast.

The running order has now been decided live on Sky News as chief political correspondent Jon Craig carried out the draw.

Explaining the draw, Craig said: "This is a bag with two balls in it - one is red and one is blue.

"This is not a time for sound bites, but I do feel the hand of history is in this bag right now."

As he drew the first ball, Craig said: "This is the moment - it's red. That means Sir Keir Starmer goes first."

Our award-winning political editor Beth Rigby will scrutinise the leaders on their commitments to the country during 20-minute in-depth interviews - after which arepresentative audience - drawn from the local area and nationally - will put their questions to Mr Sunak and Sir Keir.

The Battle For Number 10 - a Sky News leaders' special event - will air live on Sky News tonight from 7pm, with live coverage here in the Politics Hub.

By Joely Santa Cruz, data journalist, and Victoria Seabrook, climate and politics reporter

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will be interrogated by Sky's political editor Beth Rigby and members of the public tonight.

During The Battle For Number 10, they will talk and be questioned at length about their ambitions, so viewers can understand in detail what their plans are.

Mr Sunak is somewhat on the back foot as he has to defend his party's 14 years in government, while Labour is yet to publish its manifesto, making it harder to get to the bottom of some of its plans.

But here Sky News picks apart some of the claims - and counter-claims - each is likely to make…

The Tories have pledged to double the tax threshold for child benefits to £120,000 per household, and we asked if Labour will match that pledge.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said they will not, claiming the Tories have "mademultiple unfunded spending commitments".

All of Labour's policies, to be detailed in tomorrow's manifesto, will be "costed and funded".

Asked why voters should choose Labour if they won't match that pledge, Ms Haigh replied: "Because we are putting out a series of cost of living measures that will actually make an impact in people's lives."

She said people "cannot trust" the Tories, again pointing to the fallout from the tax-cutting mini-budget of Liz Truss.

Sir Keir Starmer made headlines yesterday when he compared the Tory manifesto to something his predecessor as Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, would have endorsed.

But Sir Keir served in Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinets and campaigned on his manifestos, so we asked Louise Haigh why he would make such a criticism.

The shadow transport secretary said the point was that "the Conservatives clearly haven't learned their lessons from less than two years ago when Liz Truss went forward with her disastrous mini-budget which crushed the economy".

By contrast, she argued, Labour has "learned the lessons from our 2019 general election manifesto, which was roundly rejected by the public and led us to our worst election defeat in our history".

Sir Keir's plans, she said, will be "funded and costed", but "will still deliver credible and radical change".