Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that a snap General Election will take place this summer.
It comes after speculation about a snap election ramped up after the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson refused to rule out that a summer poll could be announced today.
Ahead of the general election, i takes a look at what might be included in the Conservative and Labour’s election manifestos based on the previous pledges of the parties.
What could the manifestos include?
Education
What Labour has pledged
Labour has outlined its plan to reform education, including one of the party’s key pledges to recruit 6,500 new teachers to the profession. The party has said recruitment would be targeted towards subjects such as science and maths, which face the most shortages.
The recruitment drive would be paid for by a policy to introduce 20 per cent VAT on private schools, estimated to raise up to £1.7bn for state education. The private schools policy would also pay for every school to have access to mental health counselling and for a national ‘oracy’ programme to improve early years speech and language, the party has said.
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has highlighted worryingly high absence rates and vowed to bring them down by introducing breakfast clubs in primary schools and improving mental health support in schools.
The party has also promised to reform curriculum and assessment with a focus on valuing creative subjects as well as digital and speaking skills.
Labour has also promised to reform Ofsted by getting rid of single-word judgements in favour of a report card with more information about a school. The party has outlined a support-based approach to school inspections and suggested bringing in a yearly safeguarding check.
What the Conservatives have pledged
Rishi Sunak’s main education policy, outlined at the Tory party conference last year, was a promise to scrap A-levels, replacing them with new exams. He revealed plans for an Advanced British Standard, bringing together academic A-levels and technical T-levels. This builds on his commitment to ensure all students study English and maths until the age of 18.
He described education as a “silver bullet” and acknowledged that the A-level plans would require a recruitment drive. The Department for Education said teacher shortages were being addressed with a range of measures, including teacher training bursaries and scholarships, as well as a minimum £30,000 starting salary.
The Prime Minister has also outlined plans to expand free childcare, doubling the numbers of hours to 30 hours per week that parents can claim for children aged nine months and older .
The Conservatives recently released new sex education guidance, with a consultation on plans to stop sex education to children under nine, and a total ban on teaching gender ideology.
The Tories have also highlighted the need to improve attendance rates. Guidance for schools and local councils was set to be introduced from September and the party has also expanded a pilot of whole-family support workers to get children back into schools.
NHS
What Labour has pledged
Cutting NHS waiting lists by providing 40,000 more appointments each week – funded by tackling tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes – is one of six key pledges of the Labour Party heading into the election, Sir Keir Starmer announced last week.
Labour will introduce a national NHS programme to carry out more operations, appointments and diagnostic tests during the evenings or at weekends, paying staff overtime rates to take on extra shifts out of hours.
The party also wants to get the NHS “working differently”, by setting up shared waiting lists and collaboration between hospitals, and trialling Neighbourhood Health Centres, bringing together doctors, district nurses, care workers, physiotherapists and mental health specialists under one roof.
It has also promised to reform primary care “to bring back the family doctor, harness the power of the NHS App to make it easier to get an appointment and reduce the workload on GPs by cutting red tape”.
Asked whether the step on NHS appointments could be called a promise despite lacking a specific timescale for delivery, he replied: “It is – from day one, minute one, we’ll be working to deliver it.”
He said his party was already in discussions with doctors and that Labour would be able to increase appointments “pretty swiftly”.
On its website, Labour says it will be “the government that finally transforms our NHS to make it a service fit for today” promising to get the health service “back on its feet”.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said he would “hold the door wide open” to private sector entrepreneurs who can improve the NHS if the Labour Party enters government. Mr Streeting said he wants to get “quite tough on NHS England” to drive reform using new technologies and encourage the body to be more open to bringing private-sector companies into the health service.
Under Labour, new health technology would be tried at a single NHS trust before potentially being rolled out across the country, while the health service would collaborate more closely with the life sciences sector. Mr Streeting wants to do away with bureaucratic hurdles – such as having to trial new health technology at a single trust before a wider rollout – which would allow companies to deliver their innovations into the NHS much faster.
Mr Streeting also believes a centralised procurement system would help companies developing their technology and make the NHS work more efficiently, ultimately resulting in improved healthcare for patients.
Labour’s pledges on healthcare only apply to England as powers over these matters are devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The party will make separate policy pledges for Scotland and Wales.
What the Conservatives have pledged
Within weeks of taking office, Rishi Sunak set out five pledges by which voters should judge his premiership, one of which was to slash NHS waiting lists. It would be difficult to describe that pledge as having been fulfilled, but waiting times in England have come down slightly in recent months.
It is highly likely the Prime Minister will head into the election on a promise to reduce those times further, particularly as he has repeatedly claimed his efforts so far have been hampered by strikes.
A new Conservative government would build on the targets outlined in the NHS long-term workforce plan, with Mr Sunak having promised to recruit 300,000 doctors and 170,000 nurses by 2036-37. The expansion of medical school places is expected to continue to ensure the NHS is less reliant on recruiting foreign staff.
On social care, the Tories will have to decide whether to recommit to introducing an £86,000 cap on the amount people will have to pay for care across their lifetimes. The limit was originally to come into force this October, but its implementation has now been pushed back by Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, until after the election.
Boris Johnson had planned to pay for the policy by hiking national insurance, but the tax rise was scrapped by Liz Truss and Mr Sunak chose not to resurrect it.
Last week, the Government announced that patients would soon be able to benefit from the largest expansion of choice in a decade. Those requiring treatment outside of hospitals would be able to choose between multiple providers across the NHS and independent sector.
Pilots were set to commence from the autumn offering patients a choice of where they receive out-of-hospital care. Patient choice expansion would be tested in new areas across the country. Services that could be offered under the expansion include endoscopy, nutrition and podiatry.
Subject to the results of local pilots, the government and NHS intend to expand choice to many more areas of the country and many more services.
Greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) is also expected to feature in the Tories’ election manifesto based on recent announcements. Last October, Mr Sunak announced £100m investment in AI to tackle incurable diseases. And on Tuesday, he said “game-changing” AI technology would be rolled out to all radiography departments in England in weeks – backed by £15.5m in new Government funding.
The new system works by automatically reviewing a CT or MRI scan, helping doctors quickly distinguish between cancerous cells and healthy organs and to prevent healthy organs from being damaged during radiation treatment. Officials said cancer waiting times will fall thanks to new AI technology that locates cancer cells 2.5 times quicker than doctors alone.
Pensions
What the Conservatives have pledged
Under the triple lock system, the state pension increases each April, by whichever is highest of either inflation, average earnings, or 2.5 per cent.
The system was introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2010, to ensure the value of the state pension was not overtaken by the increase in the cost of living or the working population’s income.
In 2023, the average earnings rose more than the other two, with the state pensions increasing by 8.5 per cent in April 2024.
Earlier in March, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said if the Conservatives win the next general election, they would continue the triple lock system, and was confident that the party would be able to afford the promise.
“We made that commitment to pensioners and we think it’s a very important one,” he told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.
But Mr Hunt also recognised it was a “expensive commitment” that had to be maintained with public spending cuts and economic growth.
What Labour has pledged
Labour also said it was “committed to retaining” the triple lock.
The party’s National Policy Forum has also backed the triple lock, saying in its final policy document: “We will stand by increases to the state pension to protect pensioners from the cost of living crisis. Labour recognises the triple lock in how it has protected pensioners’ incomes and providing certainty in retirement.
“That is why Labour has defended the triple lock when the Conservatives have sought to break their promises,” the party stated in the document.
Although Mr Sunak and Mr Starmer have committed to the policy for the entirety of the next Parliament, both parties have not made it clear about the triple lock in their manifesto.
The state pension cost £110.5bn in 2022-2023, and is currently worth £221.20 per week or more than £11,500 per year.
Transport
What Labour has pledged
If Labour was in power, it would attempt to fix England’s bus crisis by effectively nationalising many services across the country in its first term of office, i previously revealed.
Louise Haigh, the shadow Transport Secretary, said the plan would both create and save up to 1,300 bus routes, allowing 250 million more passenger journeys per year.
The pledge follows exclusive research from i showing 16 million miles of England’s bus routes have been axed since 2010.
It is hoped the move would make it easier for local authorities to take over failing transport companies.
Areas expected to be included in the plan owing to underperforming services include Cambridgeshire, Liverpool, Peterborough and West Yorkshire.
What the Conservatives have pledged
In October, Mr Sunak promised the Government would spend billions on transport projects across the country after the northern leg of the HS2 high speed rail link was scrapped.
The Prime Minister said “every single penny” saved from cancelling the remainder of HS2, which he claims is £36bn, would be invested in the projects.
He added: “Every region outside of London will receive the same or more government investment than they would have done under HS2, with quicker results,” he said, although it is not clear when this money will be made available.
Mr Sunak said the plan would result in “hundreds” of alternative projects being funded, including upgrading the A1, the A2, the A5 and the M6, building the Midlands rail hub, connecting 50 stations and funding 72 road schemes.
Mr Sunak also said £12bn would be reserved to “better connect” Manchester and Liverpool, but that this would not necessarily be with high speed rail.
Energy
What the Conservatives have pledged
The Government attempted to get a grip on the energy crisis through its Energy Bills Support scheme, which offered households a £400 discount and ended last June.
To fund the scheme, ministers introduced a windfall tax on the profits of fossil fuel companies, and last June they claimed the tax had raised more than £2.8bn and saved a typical household nearly £1,500 on energy bills.
Critics claim the Government’s tax relief loophole for new North Sea projects has made it cheaper for companies to extract harmful fossil fuels.
The Government’s Energy Act became legislation in October and ministers say it will encourage energy companies to invest in low-carbon heat pumps.
The act includes powers to deliver a planned smart meter rollout by 2028, which the Government believes will save households £5.6bn.
The legislation also gives energy regulator Ofgem the power to set rules on excessive energy pricing and requires it to support the Government in its legal obligation to achieve net zero by 2050.
Ministers are also considering raising household energy bills to fund a new £20bn nuclear energy plant in Suffolk, Sizewell C.
What Labour has pledged
Mr Starmer’s party has focused on energy policy for many years – but in February the party’s leader cut its green investment plans in half.
In February, Mr Starmer and Rachel Reeves, the shadow Chancellor, jointly announced they would slash the green prosperity plan from £28bn a year to under £15bn.
The move means the party’s plans to cut energy bills by giving 19 million people warmer homes in a decade could now take up to 14 years to achieve, as Labour promised to insulate only 5 million properties by 2030.
Instead, the party pledged to spend £23.7bn over the next five-year Parliament, in addition to the £10bn a year it says the Government has already committed to.
The party also pledged to enforce a “proper” windfall tax on energy companies, which would match the rate imposed by Norway. Labour claims the tax would raise £10.8bn over five years, and it would be earmarked for green investment.
Mr Starmer has also previously pledged to form a publicly owned body called Great British Energy, which would invest in clean energy and aim to make the UK a world leader in floating offshore wind.
The party said the plans would slash annual energy bills by hundreds of pounds and “rebuild Britain’s industrial strength by creating half a million new jobs”.
Housing
What Labour has pledged
Labour has pledged to start building new homes “within months” of getting into government.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner has said the party wanted to start creating “towns of the future” within its first term.
Ms Rayner, who is the shadow Housing Secretary, said Labour would set up an expert independent taskforce to help choose the right sites to develop.
Under Labour’s proposed New Towns Code, developers would have to aim for more social and affordable homes, with the gold standard set at 40 per cent of any development.
The code would push developers to deliver buildings with character, in tree-lined streets that fit in with nearby areas, with good links to town and city centres, with guaranteed public transport and parks and places for children to play.
What the Conservatives have pledged
In February, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove outlined new policies in a bid to boost the supply of homes on used land in big cities in England.
The proposed changes to the planning system would encourage developers to “undertake major regeneration on brownfield sites [previously developed land that is not currently being used]”, the Government said.
Planning authorities in England’s 20 largest cities and towns would be made to follow a ‘brownfield presumption’, if housebuilding drops below expected levels.
Under the legislation, Mr Gove said planning laws would be relaxed to allow commercial buildings such as shops and offices, to be turned into new homes without the need to seek planning permission.
It comes as the Government faces criticism for failing to reach its housing targets.
Immigration
What Labour has pledged
Mr Starmer has pledged to scrap the Government’s Rwanda scheme “straight away” if his party wins the election.
But a Labour government is not planning to repeal the highly contentious Illegal Migration Bill and would instead look to make “very quick changes” to the legislation, the party said.
Labour has already said it would launch a new Border Security Command with hundreds of new specialist investigators and would use counterterror powers to smash the criminal boat gangs.
Mr Starmer has pledged to end the use of migrant hotels, to clear the Tory asylum backlog, and speed up returns to safe countries, with more caseworkers and a new Returns and Enforcement Unit.
Under a points-based immigration system that Labour says would reduce the reliance on overseas workers, the party would introduce new training plans and requirements for key occupations – including a workforce plan and a Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care.
What the Conservatives have pledged
The Government has vowed to “stop the boats”, with the Rwanda deportation scheme part of its plan to stem cross-Channel landings from migrants.
Migrants have been detained ahead of the first flight, which the Government has earmarked for the end of June or start of July.
But there are concerns legal challenges could cut the number of migrants being put on flights to the east African country.
Salary requirements for UK visas have risen sharply under Government plans to reduce legal migration, with James Cleverly insisting the new rules would mean 300,000 fewer people could come to the UK.
Since 11 April 2024, skilled workers must earn at least £38,700 a year – an increase of nearly 50 per cent from the previous £26,200.
PIP
What the Conservatives have pledged
The Tory Party has announced plans to replace Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) with a six-tier benefits system that focuses more on individual needs.
Mr Sunak announced a consultation on proposals under which some disabled people would have their benefits reduced or removed altogether if it is judged they do not face higher costs as a result of their condition.
The reforms have been based on Norway’s “Basic Benefit” system whereby payments are made based on the severity of their condition, their equipment and clinical needs and other support.
The Prime Minister has indicated that he wants to tighten the eligibility for new claimants and recipients would have to provide a letter from their GP outlining the nature of their condition and the associated extra costs.
The assessment process would also take longer under the reforms, giving assessors more time to establish the impact of someone’s condition and whether it is expected to be long-term.
Mr Sunak also said the Government wanted to assess whether to stop ongoing payments to claimants and replace them with one-off sums linked to a specific cost they have incurred to help with their condition.
What Labour has pledged
The Labour Party has said it will target job centres and benefit assessments under the plans to get more disabled people into work.
Labour MP Alison McGovern acknowledged that fixing the welfare system would need “big changes”, with measures such as replacing job centres with more bespoke and localised support for unemployed people.
She also said changes to PIP must ensure assessment decisions are more accurate as well as tackling the backlog of applications.
However, the party said that disabled people needed to be supported to get back into work, previously arguing for employment services to be better integrated with healthcare services.
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