Silverstone is the traditional home of British motor racing. Over 70 years, it has seen thrilling rivalries and close victories. Last week it hosted one of the most unlikely comebacks in its history, as the Conservative Party tried to overtake Labour in the election race.

The Tories chose the Silverstone racetrack to launch their 2024 manifesto. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the gathered journalists, telling them that there was "nowhere better to mark the fact that our economy has truly turned a corner".

The manifesto contained numerous policies.¹ Here are six of the most important:

In the headlines. A total of £17 billion in tax cuts, including a 2p cut to National Insurance, and specific measures for pensioners and the self-employed.

Economy. Cuts to the civil service, reforms to welfare, and a clampdown on tax avoidance. Also, a promise to build 1.6 million new homes, with a scheme to help first-time buyers and a reduction in stamp duty.

Education. So-called "low-quality" degrees replaced with apprenticeships to prepare young people for work. Also, a ban on mobile phone use at schools during the day.

Immigration. Asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda, with regular "flights every month". Also, legal limits on migration, to be reduced year by year.

Health and social care. The manifesto contained few health policies, but it promised that care costs would be capped, so that nobody elderly or unwell had to worry about running out of money.

Society. A new National Service scheme. Anyone turning 18 would have to spend one weekend a month on community service, or else in selective military placements.

Some commentators expected that the Conservative Party would try to win voters with impossible promises. But, according to the right-wing magazine The Spectator, this was a cautious manifesto: a "careful, credible pitch to the minority of voters who have not made up their minds".²

However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, a respected think tank that focuses on tax, argued that the manifesto was "paid for by uncertain, unspecific and apparently victimless savings".³ And, given that the party has been in power for 14 years, it is much harder for the public to trust them, as the list of broken promises gets longer.

The Conservatives argued that, while they will cut taxes, Labour will increase them. In fact, it seems that neither party has been completely honest with the public about how they will pay for their promises. As a result, most voters expect taxes to rise, whoever wins the election.⁴

But the majority of journalists were much more interested in the Labour manifesto, because unless the Conservatives win the election, none of these policies matter very much. The Tories are currently trailing Labour by 20% in most polls.

There are three weeks until the country votes. Rishi Sunak is struggling to catch up with Labour leader Keir Starmer, and the new manifesto has not improved his chances. In the race for No.10, the gap is getting bigger.  

Do you agree?

Yes: The Conservatives are not making impossible promises to win back voters. Their manifesto contains sensible offers that will keep the economy on track.

No: Nobody trusts the Tories any more. Even though they have promised to cut taxes and build more homes, it is hard to believe them after 14 years in power.

Or... Both Labour and the Conservatives have unfunded promises in their manifestos. But the Tory claims matter less, because nobody thinks they can win the election.