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Many disorders can affect our ability to speak and communicate. They range from saying sounds incorrectly to being completely unable to speak or understand speech. Causes include:

• Hearing disorders and deafness
• Voice problems , such as dysphonia or those caused by cleft lip or palate
• Speech problems like stuttering
• Developmental disabilities
• Learning disabilities
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Brain injury

Some speech and communication problems may be genetic. Often, no one knows the causes. By first grade, about 5% of children have noticeable speech disorders. Speech and language therapy can help.

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

• Speech and Language Impairments (Center for Parent Information and Resources) Also in Spanish

• Speech to Speech Relay Service (Federal Communications Commission)
• Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) (Federal Communications Commission)
• Aphasia vs. Apraxia (American Stroke Association)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Development and validation of a predictive model for poor prognosis of...
• Article: Communication strategies for adults in palliative care: the speech-language therapists' perspective.
• Article: Pain assessment tools in adults with communication disorders: systematic review and...
• Speech and Communication Disorders -- see more articles
• Speech Problems (Nemours Foundation)
• Apraxia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Dysarthria (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Phonological disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Selective mutism (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Speech impairment in adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

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Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Also called a reading disability, dyslexia is a result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process language.

Dyslexia is not due to problems with intelligence, hearing or vision. Most children with dyslexia can succeed in school with tutoring or a specialized education program. Emotional support also plays an important role.

Though there's no cure for dyslexia, early assessment and intervention result in the best outcome. Sometimes dyslexia goes undiagnosed for years and isn't recognized until adulthood, but it's never too late to seek help.

Signs of dyslexia can be difficult to recognize before your child enters school, but some early clues may indicate a problem. Once your child reaches school age, your child's teacher may be the first to notice a problem. Severity varies, but the condition often becomes apparent as a child starts learning to read.

Before school

Signs that a young child may be at risk of dyslexia include:

• Late talking
• Learning new words slowly
• Problems forming words correctly, such as reversing sounds in words or confusing words that sound alike
• Problems remembering or naming letters, numbers and colors
• Difficulty learning nursery rhymes or playing rhyming games

Once your child is in school, dyslexia symptoms may become more apparent, including:

• Reading well below the expected level for age
• Problems processing and understanding what is heard
• Difficulty finding the right word or forming answers to questions
• Problems remembering the sequence of things
• Difficulty seeing (and occasionally hearing) similarities and differences in letters and words
• Inability to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word
• Difficulty spelling
• Spending an unusually long time completing tasks that involve reading or writing
• Avoiding activities that involve reading

Teens and adults

Dyslexia signs in teens and adults are a lot like those in children. Some common dyslexia symptoms in teens and adults include:

• Difficulty reading, including reading aloud
• Slow and labor-intensive reading and writing
• Problems spelling
• Mispronouncing names or words, or problems retrieving words
• Difficulty summarizing a story
• Trouble learning a foreign language
• Difficulty doing math word problems

When to see a doctor

Though most children are ready to learn reading by kindergarten or first grade, children with dyslexia often have trouble learning to read by that time. Talk with your health care provider if your child's reading level is below what's expected for your child's age or if you notice other signs of dyslexia.

When dyslexia goes undiagnosed and untreated, childhood reading difficulties continue into adulthood.

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Dyslexia results from individual differences in the parts of the brain that enable reading. It tends to run in families. Dyslexia appears to be linked to certain genes that affect how the brain processes reading and language.

Risk factors

A family history of dyslexia or other reading or learning disabilities increases the risk of having dyslexia.

Complications

Dyslexia can lead to several problems, including:

• Trouble learning. Because reading is a skill basic to most other school subjects, a child with dyslexia is at a disadvantage in most classes and may have trouble keeping up with peers.
• Social problems. Left untreated, dyslexia may lead to low self-esteem, behavior problems, anxiety, aggression, and withdrawal from friends, parents and teachers.
• Problems as adults. The inability to read and comprehend can prevent children from reaching their potential as they grow up. This can have negative long-term educational, social and economic impacts.

Children who have dyslexia are at increased risk of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and vice versa. ADHD can cause difficulty keeping attention. It can also cause hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, which can make dyslexia harder to treat.

• Dyslexia. Merck Manual Professional Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/pediatrics/learning-and-developmental-disorders/dyslexia. Accessed April 6, 2022.
• Sutton Hamilton S. Reading difficulty in children: Clinical features and evaluation. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed April 6, 2022.
• Sutton Hamilton S. Reading difficulty in children: Interventions. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed April 6, 2022.
• Sanfilippo J, et al. Reintroducing dyslexia: Early identification and implications for pediatric practice. Pediatrics. 2020; doi:10.1542/peds.2019-3046.
• Hall C, et al. Current research informing the conceptualization, identification, and treatment of dyslexia across orthographies: An introduction to the special series. Learning Disability Quarterly. 2021; doi:10.1177/073194872092901.
• Specific learning disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5-TR. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association; 2022. http://dsm.psychiatryonline.org. Accessed April 6, 2022.
• Dyslexia information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Dyslexia-Information-Page#disorders-r1. Accessed April 6, 2022.
• Information and resources for adolescents and adults with dyslexia ⸺ It's never too late. International Dyslexia Association. https://dyslexiaida.org/adolescents-and-adults-with-dyslexia/. Accessed April 6, 2022.
• Support: New to learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Association of America. https://ldaamerica.org/support/new-to-ld/. Accessed April 6, 2022.
• Heubner AR (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. June 6, 2022.
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Dysarthria (difficulty speaking)

Dysarthria is where you have difficulty speaking because the muscles you use for speech are weak. It can be caused by conditions that damage your brain or nerves and some medicines. Speech and language therapy can help.

Immediate action required: Call 999 if:

• somebody's face droops on 1 side (the mouth or eye may have drooped)
• a person cannot lift up both arms and keep them there
• a person has difficulty speaking (speech may be slurred or garbled)

These can be signs of a stroke, which is a medical emergency. The symptoms of a stroke usually come on suddenly.

Check if it's dysarthria

The main symptom of dysarthria is unclear speech. This can make it difficult for you to make yourself understood.

Your speech may only be slightly unclear, or you may not be able to speak clearly at all.

Other symptoms include:

• difficulty moving your mouth, tongue or lips
• slurred or slow speech
• difficulty controlling the volume of your voice, making you talk too loudly or quietly
• a change in your voice, making it nasal, strained or monotone
• hesitating a lot when talking, or speaking in short bursts instead of full sentences

Being stressed or tired may make your symptoms worse.

Dysarthria is not the same as dysphasia, although you can have both conditions at the same time. Dysphasia, also known as aphasia , is where you have difficulty understanding words or putting them together in a sentence.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

• you've noticed gradual changes to your or your child's speech and you're worried

They'll examine you and may refer you to a specialist for further tests.

Causes of dysarthria

Dysarthria is usually caused by damage to the brain or conditions that affect the nervous system. It can happen at any age.

Common causes include:

• stroke , severe head injury and brain tumours
• Parkinson's disease , multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease
• cerebral palsy and Down's syndrome

It can also be a side effect of certain medicines, such as some medicines to treat epilepsy.

Treatment for dysarthria

If you have dysarthria, you'll usually be referred to a speech and language therapist. They'll offer therapy to help your speech and communication.

The therapy you're offered will be different depending on the cause of your dysarthria and how severe it is.

Some people may find therapy does not help their symptoms, or their speech may get worse as their condition progresses. Their therapy may focus on helping communication in other ways.

Speech and language therapy may include:

• exercises to strengthen the muscles used for speech
• strategies to make your speech easier to understand, such as slowing down when you're talking
• using communication aids, such as an alphabet board or a voice amplifier

Find out more

• Headway: communication problems after brain injury
• Stroke Association: communication tools

Page last reviewed: 17 February 2023 Next review due: 17 February 2026

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Expressive Aphasia: What to Know About Communication Disorders

• What Is It?

Expressive aphasia is a language disorder that makes it difficult for individuals to speak clearly and effectively. It is often the result of a stroke but can also be caused by other causes. This condition can range from mild, where a person may leave out small words in their speech, to severe, where many words are skipped.

People with expressive aphasia are usually aware of their difficulty in speaking, which can be emotionally taxing. Fortunately, speech therapy is a valuable resource that can greatly improve communication skills and alleviate the impact of expressive aphasia on daily life.

This article will cover expressive aphasia, other aphasia types, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatments.

Thierry Dosogne / Getty Images

What Is Expressive Aphasia?

Expressive aphasia is a language problem in which it's hard for someone to say or write their thoughts. It's a type of "non-fluent aphasia," meaning that speaking is more challenging than understanding. People with this struggle might struggle to find the right words, form sentences correctly, or speak and write smoothly.

Broca's aphasia is a specific subtype of expressive aphasia. It is often caused by damage to the brain's left frontal lobe, impacting speech production but leaving comprehension intact.

A Word From Verywell

Expressive aphasia is one of the most frustrating language deficits a patient can have because they know what they want to say but struggle to convey it to those around them. Adapting to a deficit after speaking freely all your life can be a daunting task, but speech therapy and the patience and support of those around you can make a major difference.

Other Types of Aphasia

Aphasia can be divided into two main categories: fluent aphasia and non-fluent aphasia. The big difference between the two is how well they can speak compared to how well they understand.

• Fluent aphasia means people can talk smoothly but might use the wrong words and have trouble understanding.
• Non-fluent aphasia , such as Broca's, makes talking hard, but understanding is usually okay.
• Wernicke's aphasia , also known as "receptive" aphasia, is caused by damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, specifically in the area known as Wernicke's area. This condition leads to difficulties in understanding language, both spoken and written. People with Wernicke's aphasia often produce sentences that contain nonsensical or inappropriate words. They may also have trouble realizing their language errors and may not fully comprehend what others are saying to them.
• Global aphasia , the most severe form of aphasia, affects both expressive and receptive language skills. It affects all aspects of communication, making it challenging to express thoughts and comprehend language. This type of aphasia typically occurs following extensive damage to language areas of the brain.
• Anomic aphasia makes word retrieval and naming objects or concepts more difficult. People with anomic aphasia may struggle to find the right words, leading to pauses in speech as they search for vocabulary. However, their overall language fluency and comprehension remain relatively intact compared to other types of aphasia.
• Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurological condition where language abilities decline gradually, affecting speech, comprehension, and word finding. Unlike typical aphasia caused by stroke, PPA progresses slowly and is often associated with neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease .

Expressive vs. Wernicke’s Aphasia

Expressive aphasia is when someone struggles to speak fluently, like in Broca's aphasia. They might speak in short, broken sentences with limited words.

Wernicke's aphasia makes it hard to understand and use words correctly. People with this type of aphasia might say things that don't make sense or have trouble understanding others.

Expressive vs. Global Aphasia

While expressive aphasia affects the ability to produce speech, global aphasia is a more severe form of language impairment that affects both speech production and understanding. Global aphasia leads to significant difficulties in communicating thoughts and understanding others.

Symptoms of Expressive Aphasia

People with expressive aphasia experience the following challenges:

• Struggling to create complete sentences
• Omitting common words like "is" or "the"
• Forming sentences that don't make sense
• Difficulty understanding spoken sentences
• Making errors in following instructions involving spatial concepts like "left" or "right"
• Using a similar word instead of the intended word, like saying "car" instead of "van"

People with expressive aphasia often find speaking and reading more challenging, but they generally have a good understanding of spoken language and can read effectively.

What Causes Expressive Aphasia?

Several factors can contribute to the development of expressive aphasia:

• Stroke : A stroke affecting the left hemisphere of the brain, particularly in the frontal lobe or "Broca's area"
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) : Severe head injuries, such as those from accidents or falls, can lead to damage in the brain areas responsible for language production
• Brain tumors : Tumors located in or near the language centers of the brain can interfere with language processing and production
• Infections : Certain infections affecting the brain, such as encephalitis or meningitis, can result in expressive aphasia
• Neurodegenerative diseases : Conditions like dementia can gradually impair language abilities, including expressive language

Causes of expressive aphasia in children may include:

• Brain injury
• Developmental disorder
• Other medical conditions, such as brain tumors, traumatic brain injuries, or epilepsy (if the seizures affect the areas of the brain that process language)

How Is Expressive Aphasia Diagnosed?

Expressive aphasia is diagnosed through a comprehensive assessment process. Your healthcare providers typically follow these steps:

• They may ask questions, engage in conversation, and assess the person's ability to understand and respond appropriately.
• Conduct imaging scans such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans to identify brain injuries and determine the affected brain areas.

If imaging reveals signs of aphasia, a speech-language pathologist or speech therapist performs additional assessments. These assessments evaluate the extent of brain damage's impact on speech, reading, writing, and language comprehension. Based on the results, your healthcare provider can recommend a treatment plan.

How Expressive Aphasia Is Treated

When it comes to treating expressive aphasia, there are several approaches and strategies that can help improve communication skills and overall quality of life:

• Speech-language therapy to improve speaking and writing skills
• Communication aides like picture cards or electronic devices to help with communication
• Practicing memory, attention, and problem-solving to improve overall thinking skills
• Group sessions to practice talking and socializing with others who have aphasia
• Educate family members on how to help and provide ongoing support and encourage including the person with aphasia in conversations

Can a Person With Expressive Aphasia Fully Recover?

While recovery from expressive aphasia varies for each individual, some people can regain a significant amount of their language abilities through therapy and rehabilitation.

Consistent and dedicated speech-language therapy can improve speaking, understanding, and communication. It may take several months or years. However, complete recovery to pre-aphasia levels may not always be possible, and ongoing support and practice may be needed for long-term management.

Expressive aphasia is a language disorder ranging from mild to severe, affecting speech and writing production. This condition is caused by factors like stroke, traumatic brain injury, or neurodegenerative diseases, and diagnosis involves comprehensive assessments by a healthcare provider.

Treatment options such as speech therapy, communication aids, and family support can significantly improve communication skills and quality of life, although full recovery may vary.

MedlinePlus. Aphasia .

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Aphasia .

National Aphasia Association. Aphasia therapy guide .

National Aphasia Association. Wernicke's (receptive) aphasia .

National Aphasia Association. Global aphasia .

The Aphasia Community. Anomic aphasia .

Stroke Association. Types of aphasia .

American Stroke Association. Types of aphasia .

Scottish Rite Foundation. What is aphasia disorder in children?

By Sarah Jividen, RN Jividen is a freelance healthcare journalist. She has over a decade of direct patient care experience working as a registered nurse specializing in neurotrauma, stroke, and the emergency room.

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The controversy over Harrison Butker’s misogynistic commencement speech, explained

Butker’s address was a textbook case of conservative sexism and homophobia.

NFL kicker Harrison Butker is facing widespread backlash after giving a college commencement speech that casually dabbled in misogyny and homophobia. 

Butker, who has won three Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years, delivered the address at Benedictine College, a private Catholic institution in Kansas, on May 11. In it, he criticizes everything from women prioritizing professional careers to Pride Month to abortion access. 

An outspoken conservative who is close with leading right-wing figures including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Butker’s speech closely echoed Republican rhetoric and fixated on issues that have been popular fodder for conservatives as they try to mobilize their voters ahead of the 2024 election . 

“I think it is you, the women who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” Butker said in his speech. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

The Chiefs have not commented on Butker’s remarks and the NFL league office distanced itself from them. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, told People. 

Butker’s speech advances the same agenda that the GOP has been pushing not only in its rhetoric but through policy. At least 21 Republican-led state legislatures have approved laws that ban or restrict abortion access and at least 20 have approved bills that curb access to gender-affirming care for minors. Butker’s remarks — which emphasized people “staying in [their] lane” — are the latest attempt to weaponize religion to achieve the same goals. 

The backlash to Butker’s speech, explained

Butker joined the NFL in 2017, and is considered by some analysts to be one of the best kickers in the league . In recent years, he’s also been vocal about his support for conservative causes. 

On his Instagram page, Butker is pictured alongside Sen. Hawley , a darling of the religious right. He was previously photographed with Mark and Patricia McCloskey , a white couple that pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020. And during the Chiefs’ visit to the White House in 2023, he wore a tie expressing his opposition to abortion rights . 

The Chiefs have been in the cultural spotlight not only for their on-field success but also thanks to tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship with pop star Taylor Swift. Butker referenced a Swift song lyric in his 20-minute speech and described Swift, a music mogul who is one of the most famous people on the planet as “my teammate’s girlfriend.” (For the curious, Butker cited the Swift lyric, “familiarity breeds contempt” in order to criticize priests who rely too much on parishioners for adulation and support.)

In the rest of his remarks, Butker covered many of conservatives’ favorite culture war issues: from the idea that people get “silenced” for expressing unpopular opinions to the belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are oppressive. 

Below are some of the lowlights: 

• On women’s careers: One of the sections getting the most attention is Butker’s comments about the importance of women’s roles in the home. Singling out the women in the audience, he argued that they’re likely more eager to become wives and mothers than to have successful careers. 

“I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he said. 

In addition to speaking on women’s behalf, Butker also reduced the primary goal of their lives to one biological function. Being a homemaker is an important role that should be celebrated, but it’s far from the only one a woman can choose — a key reason his remarks spurred such backlash. Butker also described women’s roles very differently than he described men’s: While he touted the virtues of being a present father, he did not say that being a dad was likely the primary goal of a man’s life. 

• On LGBTQ rights: Butker also criticized “dangerous gender ideologies” that politicians are pushing onto the “youth of America,” an oblique critique of trans rights. He lambasted LGBTQ rights more broadly, too, describing them as “the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it.”

Such comments are dangerous at a time when LGBTQ people are more likely to be victims of violence , which some experts attribute to the right’s dehumanizing rhetoric . 

• On abortion rights: Butker also decried abortion access, birth control, and IVF as violations of Catholic teachings and practices that members of the Church should abstain from. 

“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder,” he said. He criticized President Biden directly for claiming to be both a Catholic and a supporter of abortion rights.

“Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally,” Butker said. “He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice.”

Butker’s statement explicitly argues that there’s a correct way to be Catholic, even though in reality, most Catholics are supportive of abortion and LGBTQ rights.  

“Harrison Butker got a lot wrong in his commencement speech, but one thing he did get right is that Joe Biden and pro-choice Catholics are not alone —  63% of Catholics support legal abortion,” Catholics for Choice, a Catholic group that backs abortion rights, said in a statement on X . Fifty-seven percent of Catholics in the US also favor same-sex marriage, according to a Pew poll . 

Since the speech, more than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Chiefs to release Butker. “These dehumanizing remarks against LGBTQ+ individuals, attacks on abortion rights and racial discrimination perpetuate division and undermine human rights,” the petition reads. 

Taylor Swift fans dubbed him “the smallest man who ever lived,” and a recent video by the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers featured a Sims avatar of Butker working in the kitchen.

Although a video of the speech at Benedictine College showed many audience members giving Butker a standing ovation, an AP report found that reviews among students were mixed. “To point this out specifically that that’s what we’re looking forward to in life seems like our four years of hard work wasn’t really important,” student Kassidy Neuner said regarding Butker’s statements about women anticipating being a wife and a mother. 

Butker’s speech is part of broader conservative pushback to LGBTQ and women’s rights

Butker’s remarks drew from the playbook used by the religious right to rail against recent advances in LGBTQ rights while promoting traditional roles for men and women. 

Conservative US evangelicals and Catholics have been at the center of global efforts to spread anti-LGBTQ ideas, the Guardian reported . In some of its most extreme forms, white supremacists and Christian nationalists like Nick Fuentes have even argued against women’s ability to work and vote .

Such statements are driven by concerns about the growing political power of these groups, a worry that also previously fueled bizarre GOP conspiracy theories about Swift and her presence at Chiefs’ football games earlier this year. 

Butker’s speech and forceful embrace of these ideas have also underscored which professional football players are allowed to be political without repercussions and which are not. Colin Kaepernick, for example, settled with the NFL in 2019, after accusing teams of blackballing him for kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police violence against Black Americans. 

The Chiefs kicker’s outspoken conservative views, meanwhile, have drawn public criticism — but no consequences from his employers. 

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General election latest: Tories lose 'central allegation to beat Labour with' as police drop investigation into deputy leader Rayner

Greater Manchester Police will take no further action after an investigation into Labour's Angela Rayner. Meanwhile, the party's shadow chancellor has delivered her first big speech of the campaign - and Rishi Sunak continues to sing the virtues of his national service policy proposal.

Tuesday 28 May 2024 17:49, UK

• General Election 2024

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Election news

• No further action in Rayner police investigation
• Deputy Labour leader hits out at Tories for reporting her
• Explained: What Starmer's deputy was being investigated for
• Starmer says 'no case' for rejoining EU
• Labour's Reeves refuses to rule out unexpected tax rises
• PM says national service 'will keep young people out of trouble'
• Live reporting by Faith Ridler  and (earlier)  Ben Bloch

Expert analysis

• Ian King: Has shadow chancellor boxed herself in over taxation?
• Serena Barker-Singh: Tories lose key attack line with Rayner ruling
• Gurpreet Narwan: Farage already posing a big problem for Tories
• Rob Powell : Why latest Tory tax cut pledge is tricky for Labour

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Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner has said she welcomes the conclusion of the police investigation into her former living arrangements - and has hit out at the Tories for taking the issue to detectives.

"We have seen the Conservative Party use this playbook before - reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their dire record," she said.

"The public have had enough of these desperate tactics from a Tory government with nothing else to say after 14 years of failure.

"I am grateful to all those who have stood by and supported me and my family. My focus now is squarely on securing the change Britain needs, with the election of a Labour government."

Sir Keir Starmer has been at an Airbus factory in Hertfordshire this afternoon and has fielded questions from the public and reporters.

Speaking to the latter, he was asked whether a Labour government would review freedom of movement with the EU.

"We haven't got it any more, and we're not going back," he said.

"There is no case for saying we go back into the EU."

He refers to the outcome of the 2016 referendum, despite having later campaigned for a second one.

But Sir Keir says he thinks "we can get a better deal" with the bloc.

He called for a "closer relationship", especially on trade and defence.

Earlier, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves made her pitch to be the UK's first female chancellor, in which she claimed Rishi Sunak is "singing from the same songbook" as his predecessor Liz Truss.

If you need a reminder, Ms Truss's short tenure in No 10 included a disastrous mini-budget which caused havoc to the economy.

Reacting to Ms Reeves' speech - and news overnight that 120 business leaders have backed Labour - our business presenter Ian King said a "couple of things" have started to turn heads in the City.

No tax rises - and no summer fiscal event

He explains: "One was the commitment from Rachel Reeves that there would be no additional taxes other than the ones that she's already set out - for example, more aggressive taxation of private equity, the imposition of VAT on private school fees.

"The other was the fact that during the question and answer session she ruled out an emergency fiscal event this summer.

"She said that there would need to be at least 10 weeks between the end of the general election and a fiscal event taking place, so that any spending decisions and taxation decisions could be properly assessed by the Office for Budget Responsibility."

This is interesting for a couple of reasons, Ian says.

"First of all, it rather suggests that this hike in private school fees - or VAT on school fees - is not going to be implemented straight away," he says.

"Not until probably mid-September at the earliest.

"The second point is that she's really kind of boxed herself in with this promise not to additionally put on extra taxes, other than the ones that she's already outlined.

"Because practically every economist... have said whoever wins the general election, they're either going to have to raise taxes or cut public spending.

"There isn't room to keep spending as it is without raising taxes."

Rachel Reeves has refused to rule out tax rises beyond income tax, national insurance and corporation tax if Labour finds a black hole in the public finances once it enters government.

In an interview with Sky News, the shadow chancellor swerved questions on whether the government books might be worse than anticipated if Labour wins the election, and how the party would raise the money to deal with pressing issues.

The shadow chancellor said her plans were fully funded, but existing tax rises were there only to fund commitments already made, and insisted: "We have no plans for increased taxes."

But pressed on whether she would raise other taxes if there was a black hole on entering government, she said: "I'm not going to write a budget here."

Read more below:

It's 5pm - here's your teatime run-down.

We're still in the early days of the election campaign, but there's been plenty of divisive policy announcements, clashes and political stunts making a splash here in the Politics Hub.

Let us get you up to speed on everything you may have missed....

• Rishi Sunak is in the East Midlands, where he has defended a Conservative plan to introduce the "triple lock plus". This will essentially result in a tax cut for pensioners by raising their tax-free allowance by either average earnings, inflation or by 2.5% - whichever is higher;
• However, it should be noted it was the decision of a previous Tory government to freeze income tax thresholds, bringing more people into paying the tax, including on income from pensions;
• And - bad news for Brits - taking part in a Q&A session earlier, the prime minister laughed off the idea of a new bank holiday being introduced for St George's Day ;
• Labour have been busy outlining their economic plans, but challenged by our deputy political editor Sam Coates , would-be chancellor Rachel Reeves refused to rule out further tax rises if Labour finds a black hole in the public finances;
• However, as our political correspondent Tamara Cohen explains, a letter signed by over 120 business leaders in support of Labour is "a sign of how far they've come";
• Meanwhile, over in the Liberal Democrat camp, the party's leader Sir Ed Davey fell off a paddleboard numerous times in Windermere today - but has admitted one of the plunges was intentional;
• He did, however, stress a "serious message" behind the stunt: "Our environment and our wonderful country is so critical to so many people";
• We've also heard from Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron , who has "fully" backed Mr Sunak's "bold" decision to reintroduce national service, if the Tories are re-elected in July;
• And the Tories have lost a key attack line after news that Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner will face no further action in an investigation over her living arrangements.

If you've got a bit more time on your hands, you can read more of some of the stories above in greater detail:

Stick with us for all the latest throughout the evening.

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of "rummaging around in the toy box of ideas" with his "desperate" pledges for another Tory government.

In a Q&A event at an Airbus factory in Hertfordshire, the Labour leader was asked about suggestions the prime minister would bar GPs from freely handing out sick notes.

Sir Keir said: "Rishi Sunak is putting out a lot of ideas now that are pretty desperate stuff.

"Every day he rummages around in the toy box of possible ideas and flings one on the table.

"Yesterday, we had national service for teenagers.

"Today we've had something on pensions - but no funding for it."

On the question of sick notes, Sir Keir says: "I think he's going down the wrong track. 

"There are many people, I would acknowledge, who are not in work at the moment who want to be back in work… but they don't feel supported back into work.

"And I think they should be supported back into work."

Hot on the heels of Greater Manchester Police ending its investigation into the deputy Labour leader's old housing arrangements, the relevant local council, Stockport, has come to the same conclusion.

A statement said: "Stockport Council has reviewed and responded to all correspondence relating to this matter, including information received from Greater Manchester Police who have concluded that no further police action will be taken. 

"We have also concluded that no further action will be taken on behalf of the council."

If you need a reminder on what the investigation was all about, see our previous post.

As we just reported, police have ended their investigation into Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner.

If you need a reminder, the issue had centred on what house Ms Rayner used as her primary address 10 years ago.

Ms Rayner said it was an ex-council house she used to own on Vicarage Road in Stockport, which she bought in 2007.

But she faced claims she lived primarily at her then husband's address in Lowndes Lane, just over a mile away.

The pair married in 2010 and have two children together.

Why did the claims matter?

The claims she lived mainly at her ex-husband's house mattered because she was registered to vote at the Vicarage Road address.

Under electoral rules, voters must register at their permanent home address, and there are penalties for providing false information when registering to vote.

Then there is the issue of whether she paid the right amount of tax when she sold her house.

She sold the Vicarage Road house in 2015 for £127,500, having bought it at a 25% discount through the "right-to-buy" scheme for £79,000 in 2007.

If it was her primary address, as she has claimed, she would not have had to pay capital gains tax on the £48,500 profit.

But if she had moved to Lowndes Lane, she would have had to pay up.

Tax experts have said if Ms Rayner did owe tax, the amount could be in the region of £1,500.

She had vowed to stand down if she was found to have done anything wrong.

Labour have responded to news that police have ended their investigation into the party's deputy leader, Angela Rayner.

A spokesperson said she "cooperated fully" throughout and "has always been clear that she was not liable for capital gains tax on the sale of the home she owned before she was an MP".

"She was properly registered to vote, and paid the appropriate council tax. She took expert tax and legal advice which confirms this," they added.

"This draws a line under the matter."

Our political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh is reacting to news that Greater Manchester Police will take no further action relating to Angela Rayner's former living arrangements.

She said: "There were many allegations towards Angela Rayner over a home that she owned in Stockport in 2015, but police were only investigating one part of it - and that was over electoral law."

In short, this is whether she had registered the address where she was living.

But Serena explains: "And there's a separate allegation that a Tory MP was trying to make over whether she had paid capital gains tax.

"Now, this was because while she owned a property in Stockport, there were questions over whether she lived and used that as her primary address."

Greater Manchester Police have said today that "no further police action will be taken".

Serena says: "The Tories have been making hay of this, and have been doing so for a long time.

"I think Labour will be pleased that so early in the election they will no longer have that central allegation to beat Labour with."

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