Sunak ‘promises tax cuts’ and ‘giveaway condemned’

Many papers are leading on the Conservative election manifesto launch, which has promised £17 billion in tax cuts if the party wins the General Election.

The Times picks up on Rishi Sunak’s warning to wavering Tory voters that opting for Reform UK or the Liberal Democrats would hand power to Labour.

But the paper’s opinion column is not enthusiastic about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s manifesto launch speech at Silverstone. It concludes the attempt to convey a sense of dynamism, by holding the event at a Formula One circuit, was a “hard sell for a party 14 years in power”.

The i says there wasn’t much in the speech to appeal to right-wing Conservatives. The paper concludes that “the lack of any surprises in the document did little to allay concerns within the party that they are failing to make in-roads into Labour’s twenty-point lead”.

The Sun is more positive, welcoming the launch and declaring that “the battle lines are drawn” between a “Tory party promising tax cuts versus a Labour Party which refuses to do the same”. The paper also commends Rishi Sunak for being honest about what it calls the Conservatives’ “patchy record” in government.

According to The Guardian, several think-tanks are questioning the detail of his plan for a “£17 billion pound tax giveaway”. The paper quotes the Institute For Fiscal Studies think tank stating that the package would be “paid for by uncertain, unspecific and apparently victimless savings”.

The Daily Express highlights the prime minister’s pledge that deportation flights to Rwanda would take off within days if the Conservatives were returned to office. The paper’s opinion column suggests that Mr Sunak “stands alone in his determination to stop the boats”.

The Daily Mirror concentrates on the ITV interview which Mr Sunak gave after returning from the D-Day commemorations in France, which will air on Wednesday night. The paper highlights the fact that, when asked if he’d ever gone without anything, he responded that his family didn’t have Sky TV when he was growing up.

The Mirror’s leader column argues that this is “more excruciating proof of how he just does not understand the hardships that so many people are having to endure”.

On the front page of the Financial Times there are details of how, ahead of the US presidential election in November, Republican and Democrat fundraisers are seeking to woo wealthy Americans in the UK. It reveals that two rival events are being held in London tonight – with tickets to the Republican one selling for as much as £100,000.

The Daily Mail suggests broadcaster Michael Mosley, who died while on holiday in Greece last week, had been invited to appear on the forthcoming series of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. The paper thinks that would have been the “perfect role” for Michael Mosley who, it says, spoke “knowledgeably and enthusiastically” about the health benefits of dancing.

Finally, the Daily Telegraph reports on new research from the US suggesting astronauts need to eat chocolate and drink red wine. The paper explains that both contain flavanols, which are substances that can protect against the physical damage caused by space travel.

The paper’s leader speculates that “there may be some old space-dog who thinks he drives better after a few glasses of a decent claret”.