Tony Blair and Gordon Brown yesterday attacked the "fraudulent economic prospectus" being presented by the Conservatives.

Labour insists that the Tory plans do not add up and would result in cuts in public services or higher taxes.

However, the Telegraph says a claim by Ed Balls, the chancellor's former top economic aide, that the manifesto contains extra spending pledges runs contrary to Labour's claim of Tory cuts.

Announcing the Labour manifesto's economic and education chapters, the chancellor said the economic record since 1997 had "finally laid to rest the view that Labour could not be trusted with the economy".

In the past eight years the party had "pioneered a British way to economic stability", he said.

Labour's manifesto tomorrow will rule out any rise in the top or basic rate of tax, but will not, as in 2001, give any commitment on national insurance or the overall burden of taxation.

The chancellor also confirmed that the education leaving age will be increased from 16 to 18 if Labour wins the next election.

However the party's education campaign was hit by minister Harriet Harman's comment that a good local school is still "not a practical reality".