THERE is a £34bn black hole in the Tories' spending plans, Alistair Darling claimed today as Labour stepped up its campaign ahead of this year's general election.

The Chancellor said the Conservatives had accounted for only about a quarter of the funding needed to deliver their pre-election pledges.

He made the accusation as Labour released a 150-page dossier analysing recent Conservative pledges.

Mr Darling said its findings were based on the Tories' own figures and Treasury-produced costings. The shortfall could only mean tax rises or deeper spending cuts, he said.

"The Tories have made over £45bn of promises, but can barely explain how they can pay for a quarter of this," Mr Darling said.

"This leaves them with a credibility gap of £34bn.

"These are not long-forgotten promises from another time. All have been confirmed in the last two years.

"Most have been repeated in the last few months.

"You can't fight an election on a nod and a wink, sometimes claiming you are committed to these promises, and when challenged claiming you are not.

"It's now for them to say when and how they'll be paid for. Or come clean and withdraw them."