Parties pressed over funding of election pledges

It comes as the parties prepare to launch their manifestos next week, setting out what they plan to do if they form the next government.

The Tory manifesto is expected to include a promise to permanently get rid of stamp duty tax for first-time buyers of properties costing up to £425,000.

It is also expected to reiterate a previous commitment to scrap National Insurance when it is affordable to do so but it is not thought to include any pledge on inheritance tax.

Sir Keir has said Labour will have “no tax surprises” in its manifesto, suggesting it will stick to previous pledges not to increase income tax, National Insurance or VAT, as well as the tax changes it has already announced.

He has also confirmed the manifesto will include a commitment to recognise a Palestinian state as “part of the process” to a two-state solution, alongside “a safe and secure Israel”.

It will also include plans to recruit more teachers and police officers, and to cut net migration – the difference between the number of people coming to live in the UK and those leaving.

The Liberal Democrats have said their manifesto “will prioritise fixing the health and social care crisis”.

On Sunday, the party announced it would include a pledge to increase the Carer’s Allowance, available to people who look after someone with an illness or disability for at least 35 hours a week, by £20 a week.

The Lib Dems said they would also raise the eligibility threshold for the allowance to those earning less than £183 a week, with the changes costing a total of £1.4bn a year.

The Green Party says its manifesto will include practical solutions to the cost-of-living crisis, building new affordable homes, protecting the NHS from “creeping privatisation and cleaning up rivers and seas.

It has called for the next government to invest an extra £50bn a year in the NHS in England, funded through a new wealth tax on the top 1% of earners.

The SNP manifesto, which will be launched the following week, is likely to include a pledge to demand immediate negotiations with the UK government for another independence referendum if the party wins a majority of seats in Scotland.