Still pondering who to vote for or need a handle on the main political parties’ key policies? Take a look at our comprehensive manifestos summary, including the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats.
–European union–
Conservative
• Exit the European single market and customs union but seek a “deep and special partnership” including comprehensive free trade and customs agreement, which includes agreeing a deal and withdrawing from the EU within the two years allowed by article 50.
• Control and cap immigration on British terms, and secure the rights of EU nationals in the UK and vice versa.
• Convert EU law into British law.
• Seek to replicate and uphold free trade agreements.
Labour
• Scrap Tory white paper and establish a new agreement with the EU.
• Build a new and special relationship with the EU, guaranteeing worker’s rights within and outside the EU.
• Seek to maintain EU benefits such as Euratom, the European Medicines Agency and agriculture policies.
Liberal Democrats
• Hold a second referendum.
• Push for membership of the single market and the customs union, as well as the rights of EU citizens in Britain and vice versa.
— HEALTH —
Conservative
• Increase NHS spending to 38bn extra by 2022/3,
• New GP contract and positive changes to the contract for hospital consultants.
• Retain the 95% four hour A&E target.
• Require foreign workers and and overseas students to pay more to cover the cost of NHS care.
Labour
• Increase NHS funding by £30bn.
• Reconsider mental health budgets and ensure all secondary school children have access to counselling.
• Scrap NHS pay cap.
• Reduce waiting lists by guaranteeing treatment to patients within 18 weeks.
• Free NHS parking.
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Liberal Democrats
• 1p in the pound on income tax to raise £6bn for NHS and social care services.
• Match mental health care to that of physical care standards.
• Reinstate student nurse bursaries.
• Improve integration of health and social care, implement a cap on the latter and limiting the elderly that pay for it.
SNP
• Limit the privatisation of the NHS implemented by Westminister.
• Protect the NHS budget and ensure it raises by £500million more than inflation by the end of this parliament- meaning it will increase by almost £2bn in total.
— EDUCATION —
Conservative
• Fund an extra £4bn into schools by 2022.
• Scrap free school lunches but replace them with free breakfasts across primary years.
• End ban on grammar schools, and ask universities and private schools to aid in the running of state schools.
• Build 100 new school per year.
• Introduce T-Levels (“Technical-Levels”) as an alternative to A-Levels.
Labour
• Reintroduce maintenance grants and scrap tuition fees.
• Establish a National Education Service that incorporates all forms of Education.
• Reduce class sizes in schools.
• Free school meals for all primary school children, paid by removing the VAT exemption on Private school tuition.
Liberal Democrats
• Invest £7bn in education.
• Reinstate maintenance grants for the lowest income university students.
SNP
• Double free childcare to 30 hours and create 600 more childcare centres.
• Increase number of available internships.
• Ensure that by 2030, students from the 20% of poorest areas make up 20% of university applicants.
• Invest over £750million in the Scottish Attainment Fund.
— IMMIGRATION —
Conservative
• Reduce immigration to under 100,000.
• Increase earnings of families willing to sponsor immigrants overseas.
• Students expected to leave the country at the end of their course unless they meet new “higher” requirements allowing them to stay.
• Overseas students will remain in the immigration statistics.
Labour
• Take in “fair share” of refugees.
• Overseas students will not be included in immigration statistics.
Liberal Democrats
• Withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.
• Reopen the scheme to take 3000 unaccompanied refugee children from Europe.
• Offer sanctuary to 50000 Syrian refugees over the next 5 years.
SNP
• Proposal of a robust immigration system that contributes to Scotland’s economy.
• Reintroduction of post study work visa to help educate those that want to contribute to the economy.
— TAX AND SPENDING —
Conservative
• Cut corporate tax to 17% by 2020.
• Introduce double lock on pensions by 2020 and scrap David Cameron’s triple lock.
Labour
• No rises in income tax for those earning less than £80,000 a year.
• Guarantee state pensions triple lock.
• Ask corporations to “pay a little more” in tax whilst maintaining low tax rates.
Liberal Democrats
• 1p to the pound rise in income tax to spend on the NHS and social services.
• Maintain pension triple lock.
• Reverse tax cuts on corporations, capitals gains and marriage allowance
— HOUSING —
Conservative
• Deliver 1.5million homes by the end of 2020.
• Build new fixed term social housing that will be allowed to be privately bought off within 10-15 years of ownership.
Labour
• Build over 1 million more homes.
• Guarantee help to buy funding until 2027 for first timer buyers.
• Legislate to ban letting fees for agents, and offer extra security to London tenants.
• Make 4000 additional homes available to rough sleepers in order to tackle the homelessness crisis.
Liberal Democrats
• Increase house building to 300,000 a year by 2020.
• Similar policies to Labour here with regards to first time buyers.
SNP
• Deliver 50,000 affordable homes by 2021.
— ENVIRONMENT —
Conservative
• Meet 2050 carbon reduction target and tackle air pollution.
• Develop shale and fracking industries.
• Smart meters offered to every households and businesses by the end of 2020.
Labour
• Ensure UK meets its climate change and pollution targets.
• Ban fracking.
• Cap energy bills.
Liberal Democrats
• Prevent 40,000 deaths a year with a new plan to eradicate pollution.
• Diesel scrappage scheme with total eradication by 2025.
• Pass 5 green laws covering transport, carbon emissions, nature, green building and waste.
SNP
• 42% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
• Cut carbon emissions through energy efficiency measures and encouraging active travel.
