Tuesday, June 18, 2024 Rachel Reeves's blunt truths  I have just caught up with an interview with Rachel Reeves in the Financial Times yesterday, which has two striking lines.    Reeves admitted that she would be unable, if elected, to say that she had "opened the books" to discover that things were worse than she thought, as an excuse to put up taxes. "We've got the Office for Budget Responsibility now. We know things are in a pretty bad state. You don't need to win an election to find that out." She also said, when challenged about her past advocacy, as a backbench MP, of increasing capital gains tax, reforming inheritance tax and cutting pension tax relief. "I've changed my mind," she said.  Asked why, she said: "Since then our growth rate has been even lower than it was before. And the focus has got to be on growing the economy. That is what I want to achieve. I don't believe that fiddling around with tax rates is the best way to grow the economy."  Quiz question What do Nigel Farage, Ramsay MacDonald, Alex Salmond, Jeremy Corbyn and Arlene Foster have in common?  Answer at the bottom of today's email I have worked for The Independent long enough to remember when you had to pay to read our journalism, because the main way of getting hold of it was to buy a paper copy. Now a lot of what we do is free to read online, including one of my columns every Saturday. But it is as true today as it was then that good journalism costs money.    I am extremely proud of what we do at The Independent, from scoops such as the prime minister's wife's non-dom status to our lively comment articles for the independent-minded. I wish we could pay for it all from advertising, and we have been brilliantly successful in building up a huge online audience.   But advertising cannot pay for it all, which is why I urge you to become a subscriber. 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SUBSCRIBE: £1 FOR 6 MONTHS Daily briefing Boris Johnson pulled into Tory campaign with personal letters to voters – but may still snub Rishi Sunak  'Supportive' letters from ex-PM due to land on doorsteps within days More than half of voters want Jeremy Corbyn back in Labour – Independent poll And 46 per cent of all voters say Nigel Farage should be allowed to join the Tories if he wins in Clacton Rishi Sunak under fresh pressure over flagship national service pledge Grant Shapps, defence secretary, has been accused by Labour of 'making it up as he goes along' What else you need to know today The vetting firm being sued by Nigel Farage denies "stitching up" Reform UK –Prof Tim Bale commented: "Bloke who reckons he can cut government waste by billions wastes £144,000 on work that never got done" Latest MRP poll from Ipsos projects Labour on 453 seats, a majority of 256; Tories on 115 seats – sample of 20,000 people 7-12 June  To support my article yesterday saying Nigel Farage would not be prime minister in 2029, YouGov has asked: "Do you think Nigel Farage would make a good or a bad prime minister?" Good or great: 27 per cent; bad or terrible: 55 per cent; don't know: 18 per cent I wrote today about Keir Starmer's admirable desire to protect his family's privacy The Independent View Reform UK's blueprint for Britain is nasty, reckless and extreme Politics explained Does tactical voting mean the Tories are even less likely to win? Opinion polls suggest that more people than ever are prepared to vote for a party that isn't their first preference to block a party to which they are opposed...   Read more MOST COMMENTED Nigel Farage pledges to run for PM in 2029 as Reform manifesto is slated by economists Tomorrow on the campaign trail Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for The inflation figure for May will be announced by the Office for National Statistics at 7am. Ministers hope it will fall from April's 2.3 per cent to the Bank of England's 2 per cent target. But their hopes the Bank's monetary policy committee will cut interest rates on Thursday are likely to be dashed.   While ministers trumpet the fall in inflation, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves will focus on the hike in supermarket prices since the 2019 election and claim that they would cut energy bills.   Rishi Sunak will be quizzed by LBC listeners and presenter Nick Ferrari on the station from 8-9am.   John Swinney, the Scottish National Party leader, will unveil his party's manifesto in the last of this election's launches.   The deadline to apply for a postal vote in England, Scotland and Wales is at 5pm. Contact your local electoral registration office.  QUOTE OF THE DAY "People who earn their living, rely on our services and don't really have the ability to write a cheque when they get into trouble"   Keir Starmer defines "working people" on LBC Enjoy 6 months of Independent Premium for just £1  With the election date set, our mission to provide unbiased journalism has never been more important. As the only quality news source that refuses to take political sides, you can rely on our commentary and analysis to help you make sense of the key elections in the UK and US. SUBSCRIBE TODAY You may cancel at any time. Quiz answer: They are all leaders who left their parties (Farage left Ukip in 2018) The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 Join the conversation or follow us Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email   You are currently registered to receive The Independent's View From Westminster newsletter.   To unsubscribe from The Independent's View From Westminster newsletter, or to manage your email preferences please click here.   This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345 Read our privacy notice and cookie policy