Kwasi Kwarteng during his interview with Sophy Ridge

Business minister Kwasi Kwarteng refused to say how much Boris Johnson’s election pledges would cost – despite attacking Labour’s “reckless” spending plans.

The Conservative MP dodged the question during a TV interview after repeating his party’s claim that Jeremy Corbyn’s plans amounted to £1.2 trillion over five years.

In what was quickly described as a “car crash interview”, Mr Kwarteng told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “I’m not going to bandy around figures.” Ms Ridge replied: “But that’s what you’ve been doing for Labour.”

Meanwhile both the prime minister and the Labour leader faced criticism over their handling of the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, as the election campaign geared up for a second week.