What happened this week in the UK election campaign, from manifesto launches to robots and Haribos

abcnews.go.com:

The U.K. general election campaign has now passed the halfway mark

LONDON — The U.K.'s general election campaign has now passed the halfway mark, and finally the main political parties have published their plans for government should they win on July 4.

Beyond the carefully choreographed set piece events, there's always a potential banana skin around the corner. Just ask Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who had to apologize — repeatedly — for leaving the 80th D-Day commemorations in northern France on June 6 before the main international event.

“Events dear boy, events,” Sunak's predecessor in the early 1960s, Harold Macmillan said when asked what the greatest challenge was for politicians.

With less than three weeks to go, all those contesting the election will have to be mindful of any unexpected “events” that can derail a campaign plan for days.

Here are some things we’ve learned in the past week:

Most of the major political parties published their manifestos before the election over the past week.

Few voters will ever read the documents, but the messaging from the two big parties is already clear.

Sunak's Conservatives are putting tax front-and-center of their election campaign, arguing that an incoming Labour government would cost households more than 2,000 pounds ($2,500).

Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, refutes that charge — in fact he's called it a lie — and says his government will restore stability after years of economic and political turmoil.

On questions of tax and spend, the verdict of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank is often sought. Its conclusion is that both main parties are joined in a «conspiracy of silence” over the difficulties they would face after the election given the