Brown launches manifesto

Gordon Brown yesterday launched a distinctly Blairite Labour manifesto for the General Election, promising to reform public services to "put people in charge" and pledging not to raise income tax rates.

Acknowledging that Labour faced "the fight of our lives" to secure a fourth term, Mr Brown promised to rebuild the economy and avoid "reckless" cuts in public spending which he said would put recovery at risk.

While the Conservatives offered "empty slogans about change", Labour's 76-page manifesto presented "a realistic and radical plan for Britain that starts with securing the recovery and renews Britain as a fairer, greener, more accountable and more prosperous country for the future", he said.

Mr Brown described the manifesto as "ambitious but affordable, bold but realistic". But opponents said Labour had no vision for the future.

Tory leader David Cameron, visiting Loughborough, said: "There's nothing new there. There's nothing different there. There's no real change there."

And Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said Labour were repeating promises of fairness and new politics they made in each of the last three elections, adding: "If they haven't managed to do it in 13 years, why on earth would anyone believe they will be able to do it this time?"

The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said yesterday's manifesto gave no certainty on the size and combination of tax rises and spending cuts envisaged to meet Labour's commitment to halve the UK's £167 billion deficit within four years.