Reality check: the truth behind the Tories’ £2,000 tax

All you need to know about Rishi Sunak’s tax claim, from who costed the figures, and how, to why it’s so controversial

Tax dominated the first head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer with the prime minister making an eye-catching claim about what Labour’s plans would involve.

Sunak claimed “independent Treasury officials” had costed Labour’s policies “and they amount to a £2,000 tax rise for everyone”. Starmer dismissed the claim as “absolute garbage”. Today, Labour’s frontbench have gone further, accusing Sunak of telling a “big desperate lie”.