Keir Starmer attempts to ward off Tory attacks by insisting there will be 'no tax surprises' in Labour's manifesto - as 'Sir Flip Flop' performs £800m U-turn on pensions and promises 100,000 extra childcare places

Sir Keir Starmer today insisted there will be 'no tax surprises' in Labour's general election manifesto as he attempted to ward off Tory attacks.

The Labour leader promised all of his party's plans can be delivered without a rise in income tax, national insurance or VAT.

But the Tories claimed there was a growing 'black hole' in Labour's spending plans after the party abandoned a tax raid on pensions.

In the latest U-turn by Sir Keir - dubbed 'Sir Flip Flop' by the Conservatives - Labour will no longer reinstate the pensions lifetime allowance.

It had been estimated the move would have raised £800million, but Labour denied it would affect their spending plans as the cash had not been allocated. 

Speaking this morning as he set out Labour's plans to create an extra 100,000 childcare places, Sir Keir said his party's manifesto would be 'fully funded'.

During a visit to Nursery Hill Primary School in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, the Labour leader said: 'We're going to launch our manifesto later this week.

'There will be no tax surprises in there, we're not going to increase tax on working people.

'And that means no increases in income tax and national insurance and VAT, and all of our plans are, as I say, fully costed, fully funded, and they don't require tax rises over and above those that we've already set out.

'So there won't be any surprises when the manifesto is unveiled on Thursday.'

Bridget Phillipson, Labour's shadow education secretary, earlier confirmed the party would not reinstate the pensions lifetime allowance if it wins power on 4 July.

This previously meant workers were only able to put a maximum of £1.07million into their pension pots before potentially incurring tax charges.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt scrapped the lifetime allowance in his Budget last year in a move aimed at discouraging NHS doctors from retiring due to tax implications.

Ms Phillipson told Sky News: 'It wouldn't have been our priority to make that change.

'But the Government have created an awful lot of uncertainty for people who are looking towards retirement.

'So, no, we wouldn't be bringing that back and that's about making sure we've got security and stability for people going into this election.'

Sir Keir had previously criticised Mr Hunt for abolishing the lifetime allowance and branded it a 'permanent tax cut for the wealthy'. 

Commenting on Labour's reversal of its position, Treasury minister Laura Trott said: 'Despite this U-turn, which adds another £3.2billion to their £38.5billion black hole, Labour have failed to rule out a swathe of pensions taxes and their retirement tax will mean the state pension being subject to income tax for the first time ever.

'It's very clear that Labour will raid pensions, just like they did last time, making people's retirement less secure.'

Under Labour's plan to boost childcare places, empty or under-used classrooms in England's primary schools could be converted to nurseries.

The spare capacity in schools has been caused by declining birth rates and under the plan some 3,334 classrooms would be converted at an average cost of £40,000.

The nurseries could be run by the schools themselves or local private or voluntary-sector providers.

Funding for the scheme would come from the party's plan to impose VAT on private schools.

Labour said it would target its new school nursery places at areas of highest need, where parents are struggling to find childcare.

Asked today if he could match the Government's own offer on expanding childcare Sir Keir said: 'We will deliver.

'I mean, our plan is actually better than the Government, the Government is right to say that they'll have a plan, the problem they've got is they haven't planned for it, and therefore, they haven't got the spaces for it.

'What we will do with our plan is provide 100,000 spaces, 3,000-plus new nurseries.'

The Labour leader added: 'This is a better plan. But of course, we want to complete on the Government's plan, but actually do it in a way that's planned and deliverable. Theirs is a good idea but not deliverable.'