It won’t be long before the UK goes to the polls to decide who their next prime minister should be.
In the build-up to July 4, we have seen vigorous campaigning from all parties as they vie for votes up and down the country.
All the large parties have now released their election manifestos, laying out their vision for the future of Britain.
Labour wants to add 20% VAT to private school fees, to pay for 6,500 extra teachers in England’s state schools. The party also aims to build 1.5 million new homes in the next five years and says it will restore plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
Meanwhile, part of Rishi Sunak’s plan to get people onto the property ladder is a resurrection of the Help to Buy scheme, which would provide first-time buyers with an equity loan of up to 20% towards the cost of one of these new homes.
The Conservative Party’s manifesto also pledges to abolish National Insurance for the self-employed, implement tougher sentences for offences including knife crime, grooming and assaults against retail workers, and underlines the plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, saying there will be a “regular rhythm of flights every month.”
Two of Reform UK’s core five pledges also involve migration. The party says it would freeze non-essential immigration, but concedes there would be exceptions with work in healthcare considered essential.
The Liberal Democrats plan to introduce free personal care in England, similar to the system that operates in Scotland where people needing help with daily tasks do not have to pay.
While each party passionately puts forth its case to the electorate, it is ultimately down to voters to decide what – and who – they think will take the country forward.
We want to know the issues that matter the most to you in this general election campaign. Will you be swayed most by a party’s stance on Brexit? Or is an iron-clad plan to tackle the rising cost of living your number one priority?
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