Sunak refuses to say if aide who bet on election date knew about timing – as it happened

Craig Williams (left) pictured with Rishi Sunak in 2023. Photograph: X / @craig4monty

6.03pm BST

Early evening summary

• Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide, Craig Williams, has apologised for placing a £100 bet on a July election three days before the prime minister announced the date for the poll. In an interview Sunak refused to say whether Williams knew about the timing of the election when he placed his bet. (See 4.51pm.)

• Keir Starmer has vowed to “turn the page for ever” on held-back potential as he put wealth creation and economic growth at the heart of Labour’s manifesto.

• Labour is offering “more austerity but painted red”, Plaid Cymru leaders have said as they launched the party’s manifesto.

That is all from me. But Amy Sedghi has just launched a new live blog that will be covering the ITV’s seven-party debate taking place tonight. You can read it here.

5.57pm BST

Yet another thinktank has said that Labour, like the Conservative party, is failing to acknowledge the need for more public spending after the election. This is from Stephen Millard, deputy director at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

⚡️Our @EconSteveM assessed the pledges in the main parties' manifestos around #PublicFinances and #Taxes...and here is his reaction ⚡️
💷⬇️#GE2024 #GeneralElection24 @RoyalEconSoc pic.twitter.com/RKJwtJYxEW

— National Institute of Economic and Social Research (@NIESRorg) June 13, 2024