The first leader’s debate of the General Election has been marred by accusations of untruthfulness after the Conservatives claimed a Labour government would lead to a tax rise of £2,000 for every working household.
Rishi Sunak repeatedly claimed Labour’s spending plans would result in tax rises on working households during ITV’s head-to-head debate with Sir Keir Starmer.
However, it has emerged a senior official at the Treasury warned the Conservatives not to say civil servants were behind their central claim, raising questions over its credibility.
The figure has been calculated on the basis that there is a £38.5 billion “black hole” in Labour’s spending plans, which is the equivalent of £2,094 for each of the 18.4 million working households in the UK.
But it is based on a number of assumptions and spurious calculations, with the number being compared to the £350 million a week pledge made by Vote Leave during the Brexit referendum.
Following the live TV debate, ‘STOP LYING’ has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) as a number of people blast the use of misleading figures.
Here’s a feel of the reaction so far:
Related: The new 350 million a week? Tories £2k tax claim gets shredded