General election latest: Parties pitch policies ahead of manifesto launches

Another party with a pledge this morning is the Liberal Democrats which is promising new hospital beds and investment in A&E departments which it says will reduce ambulance waiting times and help end the “scandal” of patients waiting in hospital corridors to be treated.

The party’s manifesto – set to be launched on Monday – will pledge capital investment of £280 million to expand urgent treatment centres and A&E wards, and an additional £400 million a year to add an extra 1,000 staffed beds in hospitals.

Ed Davey says his party is putting health and care “right at the centre of our election campaign”, adding “on ambulance delays and waiting times, it’s been a crisis”.

“We’ve seen in some parts of the country people’s loved ones dying before the ambulances arrive,” he says.

According to the party, the pledge is “fully funded” and the manifesto will feature a dedicated care chapter.

Among its wider ambitions is a plan for 8,000 extra GPs and a 10-year rolling programme of hospital repairs, and a plan to up the Carer’s Allowance by £20 a week, from £81.90 to £101.90.