Tories mistaken in Labour tax rise claims

David Cameron’s general election campaign ran into its first setback within hours of his visit to Buckingham Palace to inform the Queen of the dissolution of parliament as a respected economic think tank challenged his claim that a Labour victory would result in tax rises of more than £3,000 (€4,100) for every working family.

Cameron made the claim outside 10 Downing St as he issued a warning that the May 7 poll offered voters a “stark choice” between him and Ed Miliband as prime minister, and claimed that a Labour win would deliver “economic chaos”.

The £3,000 claim was dismissed by Labour as a “made-up figure”, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) later released an analysis which found that the party had not said “anything to suggest that this is what they are planning”.