Guido understands that both the Tory and Labour manifestos are currently slated to be launched between Monday and Wednesday of next week. Bean counter and Labour manifesto director Rav Athwal along with unofficial policy chieftain Jon Ashworth have been working on Labour policies for a number of months now since shadow departments submitted suggestions on the 8th of February deadline. Not that shadow ministers had much input in a tightly centrally controlled policy operation…
Former Sunak Treasury SpAd and ex-Policy Exchange wonk James Nation is cooking up the Tory manifesto. Nation, currently deputy head of No 10’s policy unit and ex-civil servant, has a background in housing policy and wonkery for the Reform and Policy Exchange think tanks. Right-wing Tories and One-Nationers alike are watching proposals for immigration policy closely. Guido hears frontbenchers of both parties are currently being asked to sign off on the documents. The Tories are running out of opportunities to shift the dial…
UPDATE: Guido can exclusively reveal Labour have scheduled their manifesto launch for the 13th – Thursday. The Clause V meeting to sign it all off is to take place at a secret location at midday on Friday.
Speaking to Sky News off the back of Rachel Reeves’ Air Passenger Duty hike, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said:
“Labour is dependent on those Red Wall seats, and yet every move she makes poisons economic growth and damages the UK’s recovery… it’s the Chancellor who stumbles from policy misstep to policy misstep… I think her policy decisions are incredibly stupid.”