The Tories stepped up their £2,000 tax hike attack on Labour after the TV debate showdown between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.
The Prime Minister was widely seen to have landed a blow on the Labour leader in the tax row after the latter took a while to strongly refute it.
But Sir Keir stressed the Government’s record in office with NHS waiting lists still at over seven million and the failure to “stop the small boats” crossing the Channel.
Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho went on the offensive on Wednesday morning over the tax row after Mr Sunak repeatedly claimed a Labour government would mean £2,000 tax rises on housesholds.
She told BBC Breakfast: “One of the things that was most worrying is that the £2,000 in extra tax rises that his (Starmer) proposals would mean for working families, he simply could not rule it out.
“It was very telling, because when Keir Starmer was asked about it 12 times, he could not rule it out, he could not say simply ‘no that is not the case’ it took him a very long time and actually that is because he knows it is true.”
Only “very late in the day,” did Sir Keir dismiss the claim as “garbage,” she added, claiming: “He must have had a frantic text at some point from one of his advisers.”
She insisted that the figures had been compiled by civil servants in the Treasury, but did not dispute that Tory special advisers had given them the list of policies to cost, a scenario which may raise questions over possible politicisation of the Civil Service.
Amid the tax row, the top civil servant at the Treasury, James Bowler, has warned ministers that figures from other organisations outside Whitehall should “not be presented as having been produced by the Civil Service”.
In a sign that Labour believes that the Prime Minister landed a blow on Sir Keir with the tax attack, shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth was sent out on the airwaves to counter it.
Appearing on Sky News, he immediately condemned the £2,000 claim as a “desperate lie”.
Mr Ashworth’s withering criticism of the Tory tax attack line suggested Labour chiefs believe Sir Keir did not fully shut it down despite eventually describing it as “absolute garbage”.
There was no holding back from Mr Ashworth on Wednesday morning.
Seeking to turn the spotlight on Mr Sunak, after the TV debate between the two leaders on ITV on Tuesday night, Mr Ashworth said: “He lied about Labour’s tax plans.
“What he said last night about Labour’s tax plans is categorically untrue.
“Labour will not put up income tax, not put up National Insurance, will not put up VAT.
“What desperate people do is they lie,” he added, with the Tories trailing Labour by more than 20 points in many polls and now facing the threat from Nigel Farage as Reform UK leader.
The TV debate is believed to be possibly the first event when some voters will be tuning in fully to the election.
In his opening pitch to voters, Mr Sunak sought to draw dividing lines with his rival as he claimed Sir Keir would “raid” pension pots and raise taxes on families.
Meanwhile, the Labour leader questioned the timing of the election, accusing Mr Sunak of calling a summer polling day because he “knows” inflation and energy prices will take a turn for the worse later in the year.
Sir Keir drew audience laughter as he ridiculed the Prime Minister over his claim that NHS waiting lists were improving, saying: “They were 7.2 million, they’re now 7.5 million. He says they are coming down and this is the guy who says he’s good at maths.”
Mr Sunak offered his strongest suggestion yet that he could be willing to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if the Government’s stalled Rwanda deportation plan remains blocked by the courts.
Sir Keir said the UK risked becoming a “pariah” state if it left international conventions, but said he supported processing asylum claims in third countries “if that was possible to do it in compliance with international law”.
The PM said Sir Keir would “reverse all of the changes I’ve made” which would “cost everyone and you thousands of pounds”.
The Labour leader initially declined to engage with the claim, but eventually said: “This £2,000 he keeps saying it’s going to cost is absolute garbage.”
Sir Keir said: “This election is all about a choice. More of the chaos and division we’ve seen for the last 14 years or turning the page and rebuilding with Labour.”
The premier told the audience and viewers: "I have a clear plan for a more secure future for you and your family."
Both Mr Sunak and Sir Keir said the UK’s special relationship with the US would continue if Donald Trump re-enters the White House.
Snap verdicts following the debate marginally brightened the PM’s hopes, with YouGov polling showing 51 per cent of people thought he performed best overall during the show, as compared with 49 per cent voting for Sir Keir.
