Labour leader Keir Starmer has promised a new age of security and prosperity as he set out his bold agenda.
At the core of Labour’s manifesto is a decade-long plan to rebuild Britain from the destruction caused by 14 years of Tory rule. The NHS will be put on the road to recovery with tens of thousands more appointments. Ambitious house-building will resurrect the dream of home ownership for young people.
Hard work will be rewarded and employees given stronger rights. Struggling families will get help with energy bills. There is also a promise not to raise income tax, VAT and national insurance. There will be more teachers, more police on the beat and fewer children going hungry.
Unlike the backward-looking and uncosted Tory manifesto, this is a serious agenda that will genuinely improve people’s lives. Mr Starmer’s salesmanship may be understated but his package could be as transformative as the Labour manifesto of 1945. Labour is in no doubt about the challenge facing it but there is also no doubting its determination to rebuild Britain and restore hope to a country crying out for a better future.
Save babies
Each year dozens of babies are left paralysed by the muscle-wasting disease spinal muscular atrophy.
It can be detected by a simple test that costs just £5 to carry out. It is only available in a pilot scheme at the moment and parents want to know why the test is not universally available, especially as spinal muscular atrophy can be treated very effectively if diagnosed early.
The National Screening Committee, the body that decides which tests should be administered, needs to review its guidance. There is no reason why the screening should not be rolled out nationwide.
Great shakes
Fans at a Taylor Swift concert danced so much they set off earthquake monitors. The pop star really is a force of nature.