The main parties and their promises

LABOUR

Economy

The front page of Labour’s manifesto pledges to obtain a surplus on the current budget as soon as possible. This differs from the Conservatives’ policy, as they pledge to eliminate the entire deficit, while Labour’s pledge still allows them to borrow for infrastructure investment – capital projects. Labour also pledges not to increase personal taxes, but will reintroduce the 50p tax rate, and abolish the “non dom” status which allows some people to not pay UK tax on their earnings outside the UK. The minimum wage will be increased to more than £8 an hour by late 2019, and zero-hours contracts will be banned. A mansion tax will also be introduced.

Healthcare

Labour have not pledged the full £8 billion requested by Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, however they have pledged £2.5 billion to pay for more GPs, nurses, and midwives, as well as look to provide the money if they can make it available. They also pledge to put mental health on the same priority as physical health, repeal the Health and Social Care Act, cap profits made by private operators in the NHS, and guarantee GP appointments within 48 hours.

Education

Tuition fees will be cut to £6,000 for home and EU students, and provide more in-depth careers advice for school students to help them decide between university and apprenticeships.

Welfare

Labour will abolish the Bedroom Tax, also known as the Spare Room Subsidy, and impose rules where migrants cannot claim UK benefits until they have been resident for at least two years. Everyone over 25 out of work for at least two years will be guaranteed a job, which must be taken (those under 25 will wait only one year).

CONSERVATIVE

Economy

The Conservatives pledge to simultaneously eliminate the UK’s budget deficit while granting millions a tax cut, in raising the minimum salary upon which you pay income tax to £12,500.

They also pledge to not rise VAT, national insurance, or income tax; and will introduce a law to bind themselves to doing it. They intend to pay for this through cutting down on tax evasion and avoidance, further austerity, and putting measures in place to promote growth in the North, Midlands, South West and East England, partially through devolution to elected mayors.

Healthcare

The Tories’ headline pledge in healthcare is to provide 7 day access to GPs by 2020, but they have also pledged to fund in full the request of £8 billion by NHS England. Further therapists for those with mental health conditions will be introduced, and health and social care systems will be joined up using a £5.3 billion fund.

Education

Announced as part of a previous Budget, a postgraduate loan system will be introduced for taught masters and PhD courses. The Conservatives will also lift the cap on university places, create enterprise zones around universities to promote spinouts, and invest more money in online education.

Welfare

Much debate has been had in the press over where the Conservatives will cut £12 billion from the welfare budget. They intend to do this in part through freezing working age benefits, excluding disability benefits, for the first two years of the Parliament.

In addition, the benefit cap will be reduced by £3,000 to £23,000 but disability living allowance and the personal independence payment will continue to be exempt.

LIB DEMS

Economy

The Lib Dems will continue to balance the country’s current budget, like Labour allowing borrowing for investment. They will do this by April 2018. In addition, an extra tax charge will be levied on banks to raise money to clear the deficit (after which it will be removed). A mansion tax will be introduced on properties worth over £2 million, the amount of money you can earn before income tax raised to at least £12,500, and additional work to cut down on tax avoidance.

Healthcare

The Lib Dems will provide the £8 billion requested by NHS England, and will also provide money for the rest of the United Kingdom. £500 million will be provided for mental health care, with an aim to get waiting times down to 6 weeks for depression or anxiety, and 2 weeks for a first episode of psychosis. GP surgeries will be open in evenings and weekends, with phone and Skype appointments also made available. A “Patient Premium” will be introduced in disadvantaged areas.

Education

Higher education finance reforms will be reviewed and changed where needed, with a focus on living costs. The review will also cover postgraduate courses. The Lib Dems will also look into creation of a student contract, and will aim to widen participation through summer schools, mentoring, and transparency in selection criteria.

Welfare

Universal Credit will be introduced, and the minimum wage increased at a rate which does not slow down job creation. The Work Programme will be reformed – the Lib Dems claim it currently ignores people who have not found work but stop claiming jobseeker’s allowance.

GREEN

Economy

The Green Party reject austerity, will renationalise the railways, and will borrow to invest. Zero hours contracts will be banned, and the minimum wage increased to £10 an hour by 2020. The working week will be set to a maximum of 35 hours. A 60p tax rate will be introduced at £150,000, and people worth £3m or more will be subject to a wealth tax of 2%. Finally, a financial transaction tax will be introduced.

Healthcare

The Greens have trumped the other parties and have pledged to increase the NHS budget by £12 billion. Social care will be, in some cases, free of charge, and resources will be provided to make mental health a much high priority. The Health and Social Care Act will be repealed, and the Private Finance Initiative method of building new NHS buildings (where the private sector builds the building and leases it back to the NHS).

Education

Tuition fees will be scrapped and debt cancelled for all undergraduate courses, with grants reintroduced. The Greens will also consider scrapping tuition fees for postgraduate courses. State funding will be reintroduced for all courses, and fossil fuel divestment will be encouraged across all universities.

Welfare

The Basic Income – a fixed income paid to every individual – will be consulted upon. In the mean time, the Green Party will end workfare (where people work for benefits) and the bedroom tax. In addition, half a million new social rented homes will be introduced by 2020. The carers allowance will be increased by 50%, and child benefit doubled.

UKIP

Economy

The amount of money you can claim before paying income tax will be increased to £13,000, and inheritance tax will be abolished. In addition, UKIP will introduce a 30p tax rate starting somewhere in between £43,500 and £55,000. UKIP have also pledged to change how VAT works upon withdrawal from the EU, including removal of VAT from sanitary products, and will introduce rules to ensure companies cannot avoid corporation tax in the UK. The Barnett Formula which allocates funding in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will be replaced, and the deficit eliminated.

Healthcare

UKIP will fund 8,000 more GPs, 20,000 more nurses and 3,000 more midwives. They will also increase mental health funding by £170 million, to improve provision of mental health services, and will trial a scheme of putting GPs in A&E so those with actual emergencies see an emergency doctor.

Education

Tuition fees will be waived for students studying STEM subjects and medicine who remain in their discipline in the UK for at least 5 years. The target aiming to get 50% of school leavers into university will be abolished, and EU students will not receive tuition fee loans.

Welfare

UKIP will remove the bedroom tax and will end the current Work Capability Assessments for disability benefits and move the tests to GPs and consultants. The carers allowance will be increased, and will train and fund advisors in food banks to help those who use them, and exempt food banks from many taxes. Migrants will be banned from accessing benefits for 5 years, and the benefits cap will be lowered.