Keir Starmer will savage the Tories’ “tax hike hypocrisy” and vow to end charitable status for private schools in a major speech in Gateshead on Monday.
The Labour leader will underline how all would-be Conservative leaders vying to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister “backed every one of his 15 tax rises”.
He will say: “They nodded along and trooped through voting lobbies to support them. Now, it turns out they were opposed to them all along. The hypocrisy is nauseating.”
Mr Starmer will underline a pledge to end charitable status for private schools like Eton College.
He said: “When I say we are going to pay for kids to catch up at school, I also say it’ll be funded by removing private schools’ charitable status.
“Or when I say we need to sort out mental health treatment, I also tell you that we’ll do it by closing tax loopholes used by hedge funds.”
He will also accuse the Conservative candidates, who include former and current Chancellors Rishi Sunak and Nadhim Zahawi, of “fantasy economics”, saying a total of £200billion of unfunded spending pledges were made over the weekend.
Mr Starmer, who will also pledge to fight the next election on the economy, said: “Over the weekend, the contenders have made more than £200 billion of unfunded spending commitments. Let that sink in.
“That’s more than the annual budget of the NHS, splurged on to the pages of the Sunday papers, without a word on how it’ll be paid for.
“I can tell you now – you’ll never get that from me. When I say decency and honesty matter, that means being honest about how we fund every single thing we promise you."
He will make the case that Labour will “explain every pound” of its pledges when it fights the next general election.
“When I say we are going to pay for kids to catch up at school, I also say that’ll be funded by removing private schools’ charitable status,” he will say.
“Or when I say we need to sort out mental health treatment in this country, I also tell you that we’ll do it by closing tax loopholes used by hedge funds.
“We’ll explain every pound because Labour will fight the next election on growth. And the first line of the first page of our offer will be about wealth creation.”
Sir Keir will claim Britain is “stuck” with a “tanking economy”, with taxes going up and food and energy bills “out of control”, and pledge a “fresh start” with a Labour administration.
“Only Labour can reboot our economy and end the cost-of-living crisis. Only Labour can revitalise our public services and re-energise our communities. Only Labour can unite the country and clean-up politics,” he will say.
“These three tasks will define my government because until we address them we leave ourselves vulnerable to the kind of shocks and crises we have all endured this past decade.”
The Labour leader will pledge a “fresh start” for Britain under Labour, saying: “I don’t come from a privileged background. My start in life was completely ordinary. My dad was a tool-maker. My mum was a nurse.
“I owe everything – all my values – to my upbringing. My work ethic and dedication to public service. But the real gift my parents gave to me was the opportunity to get on.
“I have been lucky enough to take a journey. From a working class family to head of the Crown Prosecution Service. So when I say my mission is to make sure nobody in this country is held back by their circumstances you know it’s not just words.
“If you’re born without privilege, you don’t have time to mess around. I can see what is wrong with Britain and I want to fix what’s broken.”
