What to expect on the General Election campaign trail on Monday

The Liberal Democrats will launch their manifesto, while Rishi Sunak will return to the campaign trail.

Sir Ed Davey with the Liberal Democrat battle bus

Here is your guide to the main developments in the General Election campaign on Monday.

– The manifesto show

The Liberal Democrats are first out of the traps, with the Tories, Labour and Greens all expected to produce their policy promises this week.

Sir Ed Davey’s party will put a £9 billion-a-year pledge to transform England’s health and care system at the heart of its pitch to voters.

General Election announcement — Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will launch his party’s manifesto on Monday (Andrew Matthews/PA)

The Lib Dems have focused their campaigning efforts in the so-called blue wall of Tory-held seats and the policy document is aimed at reassuring them that income tax, national insurance and VAT will not rise.

But the health plan will involve raking in an extra £5 billion by tightening capital gains tax rules for the wealthiest 0.1% and hitting the banks with a £4 billion tax bill.

Sir Ed said the Tory handling of the NHS had been a “national scandal”.

– Back in the spotlight

Rishi Sunak largely avoided the media over the weekend as he licked his wounds following the mauling he received for leaving the D-Day 80th anniversary events in Normandy before the main international ceremony.

But the Prime Minister will return to the General Election fray on Monday with a visit in south-east England and a high-profile BBC interview with Nick Robinson at 8pm.

As well as further questions about D-Day he may also be asked about party chairman Richard Holden’s extraordinary interview on Sunday which was cut short when Sky journalist Jon Craig hit out as his “ridiculous” refusal to answer questions about how he landed the position as candidate in the relatively safe Basildon and Billericay seat.

But Mr Sunak will be hoping to talk instead about Tory plans to recruit an extra 8,000 neighbourhood police officers.

– Won’t somebody think of the children?

Labour has set out plans to convert unused primary school classrooms into nurseries to create 100,000 extra childcare places in England.

Sir Keir Starmer said a shortage of provision had held children back and stifled parents’ ability to pursue careers.

General Election campaign 2024 — Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer at a campaign event on Sunday (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

But he is likely to face questions about whether spare capacity in state schools could end up being filled by pupils forced to leave private schools by Labour’s plan to extend VAT to the sector.

Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry suggested on Sunday “it would be fine if we have to, in the short term, have larger classes”.

– Reforming the economy

Nigel Farage will lead a Reform UK press conference setting out the party’s economic plans.

They have already set out an ambition to slash £91 billion off public spending by stopping the Bank of England paying interest on quantitative easing reserves and finding £50 billion of wasteful spending in Whitehall.