Let's bring in Bridget Philipson now, should we shadow Education Secretary. It's always great to talk to you, Bridget Philipson. Thanks for taking the time. Let's just pick up on that before we move on to other stuff. Do you think he's getting an unnecessary kicking the Prime Minister over what happened in Normandy?

I think what happened was incredibly disrespectful, and we heard directly from veterans who felt it was the wrong thing for the Prime Minister to have done, and I would agree with them. It's an important moment for our country to remember those who gave their lives and those who served, and the responsibility does fall to the Prime Minister to make sure that our country is properly represented at such commemorations.

I'm just reading in the papers this morning, Bridget Philison, that it's been reported that labor has abandoned plans to bring back a lifetime cap on tax-free pension savings. Is that true?

It wouldn't have been our priority to make that change, but the government have created an awful lot of uncertainty for people who are looking towards retirement requirements. So no, we wouldn't be bringing that back. And that's about making sure we've got stability and security for people going into this election.

You're also pledging not to raise income tax, national insurance, VAT, corporation tax. Is that Why is for you to do that before you've seen the books?

We want to be clear with people that an incoming labor government will not raise income tax, will not raise national insurance contributions, and will not raise VAT, because we know how hard it's been recently for people that working people are facing taxes at the highest level for 70 years. That's putting families and pensioners across our country under enormous pressure. But it's also why the growing our economy is central to the work that a labor government will be doing if we win the trust of the British people, because it's only through growth that we'll have more money to invest in our public services. But as an initial step, we have set out a number of ways we would make changes to put in that down payment into our public services. So take, for example, around schools, we would end the VET exemptions that private schools enjoy, and we put that money directly into six and a half thousand more teachers, into more mental health support, and into what I'm setting out today around labour's plan for early years and childcare.

When you talk about VAT on schools, Emily Thornbury, yesterday, says that labour's plans for VAT on private school fees could see larger classes in state schools.

Well, I'm afraid that's not right because what we're seeing at the moment is We've got a falling number of young people arriving at our state schools. We've got falling pupil roles. Actually, the challenges that schools are facing are quite different at the moment. Many are having to consider merging or closing. That's starting to happen in some parts of our country and it's likely to happen elsewhere. If we take Primary Schools, for example, we've got 600,000 spare primary school places at the moment. That's due to rise to 800,000 by 2027. And that's why what I'm setting out today is about labour's plan to deliver for early years to make sure we've got more nurseries, and we would We've opened 3,000 new nurseries in primary schools using that space that we can upgrade that's opening up because of that shift in pupil numbers to deliver better life chances for our children and to make sure that parents can access the childcare support that they've been promised.

Emily Thornbury misspoke.

She did, I'm afraid. That's not our position. That's not how things are at the moment. Our focus is on how we would use that money raised by ending tax breaks that private schools enjoy to improve state provision, which is where the vast the vast majority of your viewers will send their children to school.

As far as primary schools are concerned, because I know you want to speak about them specifically, there's plenty of spare capacity. Is there for children's places in classrooms, kitchens, playgrounds?

As I said, there's currently 600,000 spare primary places that's due to rise significantly as the years go on. The challenge actually is about how we manage that process. What I'm setting out today is how a labor government, if we secure the Trust of the British people will deliver for early years, will make sure that our children get a brilliant start in life. It will be my number one priority if I were Education Secretary, and we will use that space that's opening up to upgrade it, to give schools what they need to deliver more nursery provision, and to provide better life chances for children because I think people do recognize that if children arrive at reception, having had a really great start and a strong early years education, it sets up our children to succeed all their lives long. I'm determined that if we want to deliver high and rising standards across our schools, it has to start early. It has to start when our children are young.

One of the political team here pointed out to me this morning that you said a couple of years ago that you'd get rid of the system of free hours at nurseries, saying it wasn't working. Do you still think that?

I think the current system that we've got at the moment, the government announced further changes following on from that, and that's not quite how I put my position. The government announced further changes in last year's budget, a further expansion of a childcare entitlement to parents. However, what they didn't do was set out a plan to deliver it. What I'm setting out today is the first stage that a labor government would develop around opening up more provision, creating more places. So over 3,000 new nursery classes that would generate 100,000 extra childcare places that would make a tremendous difference for parents. And alongside that, if we win the next election in the first year of the labor government, we will publish an early year strategy to make sure that we've got the workforce we need, we've got the standards we need, and the progression that we need. Early years has to be the focus of the work of an incoming labor government because it is where we make the biggest difference to children's life chances. I'm absolutely more determined than ever, that that's what we will do if we form the next government.

The new poll out this morning suggesting that the public are doubtful that Britain will improve if you win, that's not a very positive start, is it?

What I hear from voters right across the country, and I've been out campaigning during this election right across England, is that people just feel that everything at the moment is really broken, that they can't get a GP appointment. If they ring the police, nobody comes. Or in the case of education, they can't get the childcare place that they've been promised. I'm not surprised that people are losing faith in politics to deliver. But I believe that government can be a force for good in people's lives. The first steps that we've set out would address all of those concerns that voters have, would address their priorities, and We very much speak to what people want to see happen. But I do recognize that after 14 years of failure, our Labor Government would have a big job ahead of us if people vote for us. We're out campaigning every single day, earning the trust of the British people, fighting hard for every single vote.

Will the party increase fuel duty if you win the election?

We have no plans to increase taxes on working people. We already think they are too high. Our focus as a government, Rachel Reeve's focus as our Chancellor, if we form that next government, will be on driving growth so that we don't have to increase taxes.

Stamptuty?

No plans on that either.

Cancer tax?

Same again?

Capital gains?

No. I mean, we can go through all of these, but the answer, I'm afraid, will be the same. We've got no plans to increase taxes.

I'm afraid. I'm sure people will be thrilled to hear that. So there'll be no... Just when you say working people, people always think, Oh, they're waiting for the other boot to fall. What does that actually mean? Does that mean everybody that works no matter how much they earn?

It means people that go out to work for a living and have faced huge tax increases under the Conservatives, where they've risen to the highest point in 70 years. I don't think that's fair or sustainable, but it does bring home why we have to have a real sharp focus on growing our economy so that we can make further investment in the areas that really matter to voters, like schools and hospitals, for example. Okay.

Good to see you as always. Thank you.

Thank you.