When your “no new tax rises/maybe some tax rises” pledge is so complex it can be difficult for Shadow Cabinet Ministers to keep track. Darren Jones said this morning:

“Income tax, national insurance, VAT — tax thresholds on those measures of tax will not be changing under a future Labour government.”

He said that twice. As Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, he would know the party’s tax position, wouldn’t he? Apparently not…

Labour officials quickly shut down the suggestion that thresholds on all of those taxes will remain static – which constitutes a stealth raid – under Labour. They say he was actually talking about rates. Parties like to keep quiet about thresholds as freezes are the easiest way to massively increase revenue. The current threshold freeze will raise more than £33.5bn by 2029 and will drag 3.8 million more taxpayers into the additional rate band. A freudian slip from Jones?

UPDATE: Starmer says Labour will keep the Tory threshold freeze: “We’re not planning to change the position on thresholds that the government has put in place because we’re not prepared to make promises we can’t keep.”