UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWith the July 4 general election just two weeks away, all major parties now released their manifestos setting out their vision for the country’s future.The policies within these documents explain what each party would aim to achieve during their time in power, should they successfully secure a parliamentary majority.For all the latest updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coverageWhile it’s very unlikely any party but Labour or the Conservatives will form the new government in July, other parties’ manifestos offer an insight into the principles their members hold, and will hold the prevailing government to account on if they secure any MPs.With each manifesto coming in at hundreds of pages, it can be hard to sift through to the important bits, so here’s a handy guide to where all the major parties stand on the key areas:ConservativesIncrease NHS spending above inflation every yearLong-term workforce plan: 92,000 new nurses, 28,000 more doctors by the end of next parliamentInvesting £8.6bn into social care system, reaching a funding settlement with local authoritiesSticking to 2019 plan of 40 new hospitals by 2030 (despite concerns from the National Audit Office)Expand Pharmacy First, build or modernise 250 GPs, build 50 more Community Diagnostic CentresLabourReduce waiting time for non-urgent treatment to no longer than 18 weeks from referral40,000 more appointments a week by incentivising out-of-hours working and shared waiting lists between practicesUse ‘spare capacity’ in the private sector to reduce waiting times (in the short-term)8,500 more mental health staffDouble the number of CT and MRI scanners for cancer preventionIntroduce Neighbourhood Health Service and give pharmacists independent prescribing rightsLib DemsGive patients the right to see a GP within 7 days, or 24 hours if urgentRecruit 8,000 new GPsBring in mental health hubs for young people, with check-ups offered at key points in lifeCancer treatment to be guaranteed no more than 62 days after referralGive pharmacists independent prescribing rightsSupport carers with wages at least £2 above the minimum, and free personal care for adultsGreensSteadily reduce waiting lists and grant rapid access to a GP (same day if urgent)Guaranteed access to an NHS dentistBoost NHS staff pay immediatelyRestrict the role of commercial companies in the NHSMove towards a legal and regulated drug marketMake mental health and equal priority to physical health: guaranteed free therapy within 28 daysReformNo tax on frontline NHS staff for first three yearsUse independent healthcare capacity to supplement NHS services20 per cent tax relief on all private healthcare and insuranceNHS patients to receive voucher for private treatment if they can’t see a GP within three daysSet up an ‘excess deaths and vaccine harms’ Covid inquiryTax and economyConservativesAnother 2p cut to national insurance (halving it to 6p from 12p at the start of the year)No increase to personal taxes like income tax or VAT Maintain corporation tax at 25 per cent and back businesses to trade and invest in the UKReduce borrowing and debtAbolish main rate of national insurance for self-employed workersLabourNo increases to taxes like income tax, VAT or national insuranceImplement new strict fiscal rules guided by ‘securonomics,’ strengthen the role of the OBRCreate ‘sustained economic growth’ by being the party of ‘wealth creation’Close non-dom tax loopholes and tackle tax avoidanceIntroduce VAT and business rates to private schoolsWindfall tax on oil and gas giantsLib DemsCut income tax by increasing the tax-free personal allowance (frozen since 2022)Reform capital gains tax to make it ‘fairer’ by introducing three rates, similar to income tax, and raising allowanceReverse Conservative ‘tax cuts’ for big banksImplement a one-off windfall tax on ‘super-profits’ of oil and gas companiesProtect the independence of the Bank of England and OBRFix ‘broken relationship’ with Europe to improve trade opportunitiesGreensNo increase to basic rate of income tax during cost of living crisis75 per cent windfall tax on banksIntroduce a ‘wealth tax’: assets over £10 million taxed at 1 per cent; assets over £1 billion at 2 per centReform capital gains by bringing rates in line with income tax, scrap the upper limit of national insurance taxInvest £40bn into the “green economic transformation,” through combined revenue-raising measuresOnly party backing full nationalisation of public utilitiesReformLift income tax allowance to £20k (and higher rate to £70k)Lower fuel duty by 20p per litreReduce stamp duty to 0 per cent below £750k (up from the current £250k)Bring corporation tax down to 15 per cent within three yearsImmigrationConservativeGet Rwanda scheme off the ground as soon as possibleIntroduce a legal cap on migrationIncrease visa feesCut migration by half and then reduce every year of next parliamentLabourReduce migration by training more UK workers to fill employment gapsBan employers from recruiting from overseas as defaultAbolish the non-dom status immediately (curbing transitional measures)Bring in 1,000 more staff dedicated to returning asylum seekers with rejected applicationsCancel the Rwanda policyLib DemsScrap the Rwanda scheme, and provide a safe, legal route for refugeesCreate a dedicated unit to decide on asylum cases within three monthsGive asylum seekers right to work if no decision is made on their case in three monthsGive full settled status to all EU citizens in the UK with pre-settled statusGreensReplace Home Office with Department of MigrationScrap minimum income requirement for spouses of migrants with work visasEnd all detention of migrantsAll asylum seekers to work while their case is being decidedReformAll migrants who arrive illegally from safe countries are barred from claiming asylumSmall boat migrants who cross Channel are sent back to FranceRequired five years residency before benefits can be claimedAsylum seekers to be processed from safe countries offshore20 per cent national insurance for international workersLabourRecruit 6,500 new teachersCreate 100,000 new nursery places and 3,000 primary school-based nurseriesHelp such as training or apprenticeships for all 18-21 year olds looking for workFree primary school breakfast clubs for all childrenConservatives30 hours free childcare from nine months old (from September 2025)Child benefit threshold for single-income households raises to £120,000Schools to ban mobile phonesEnd ‘rip-off’ degrees and fund 100,000 more apprenticeships instead60,000 more school places and 15 new free schoolsLib DemsDedicated mental health professional in every primary and secondary schoolIncrease school and college funding per pupil above inflation every yearIntroduce a ‘tutoring guarantee’ for every disadvantaged pupil needing supportAll adults given £5,000 to spend on education or training throughout their lives, rising to £10k when possibleTriple pupil premium to £1000 a yearGreensAdditional £8bn funding for schoolsAbolish university tuition feesScrap OFSTEDEnd ‘high stakes’ testing in schools to reduce pupil stressReformBan ‘transgender ideology’ in all schoolsNo VAT on private school feesScrap interest on student loansCut funding to universities that ‘undermine free speech’EnvironmentConservativesBan bonuses for water company bosses if the company breaks the lawCreate a new national parkIncrease the UK’s offshore wind capacity threefoldCut the cost of net zero and aim for goal of 2050LabourCreate Great British Energy – a publicly-owned clean power companyBan bonuses for bosses of failing water companiesMake five million homes energy efficientCreate 650,000 new energy jobs by 2030Ban frackingLib DemsWater companies made public and bonuses for bosses bannedIntroduce a 16 per cent sewage tax on water company profitsDouble the size of Protected Area Network by 2050All new homes to be zero carbonPlant 60 million trees a yearGreensBring in a carbon tax on businesses of £120 per tonne emitted (rising to £500 p/t over ten years)70 per cent of UK electricity to come from wind by 2030Ban cage farming and badger cullingBring energy sources into community ownership, allowing excess to be soldRemove oil and gas subsidiesReformScrap VAT on energy billsScrap environmental leviesSpeed up North Sea oil and gas licencesScrap HS2 and ULEZ More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Conservative Party’s director of campaigning has “taken a leave of absence” as the scandal over allegations that key figures used insider knowledge to bet on the date of the election.The Independent has been told that Tony Lee took “a leave of absence” after it was discovered his wife Laura Saunders was being investigated for placing a bet on the general election. Both are now being investigated by the Gambling Commission.It means that the Tory election campaign which was already on the ropes with Labour holding a massive 20 point lead is without its campaign director.Rishi Sunak has lost his director of campaigning More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA leading expert has warned Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives not to “overreact” to dire poll predictions they are heading for a bloodbath at the election. A bombshell survey suggests the party could be left with just 53 MPs – and Rishi Sunak would not be among them.But Lord Hayward, who is also a Tory peer, said that the party had lost fewer than predicted seats in the council elections in May.“And I see no evidence to believe (the polls) are any more accurate six weeks later than they were then,” he said. Bombshell polls suggest Rishi Sunak is heading for disaster More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Gambling Commission is investigating a second Tory candidate for taking a bet on the date of the election who may have had inside knowledge ahead of Rishi Sunak’s surprise announcement.The candidate understood to be under investigation is Laura Saunders, who is running for the Tories in Bristol North West and has worked for the party since 2015. It was also revealed that she is married to Tony Lee, the Conservative Party’s director of campaigns.This follows an admission by one of the prime minister’s closest aides Craig Williams that he “took a flutter” on the election date just days before it was announced.Two candidates linked to the prime minister’s inner circle are being investigated over betting on the election date More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailProfessor Sir John Curtice has warned that the polling evidence in the election so far suggests that the Conservatives are heading for their worst ever result “by a country mile”.The polling guru was reacting to the latest polls including the MRP surveys which yesterday suggested a potential Tory wipeout leaving them with as few as 53 seats.In one scenario Rishi Sunak would become the first sitting prime minister to lose his seat with the previously ultra safe Richmond and Northallerton falling to Labour.The polls suggest that other big figures like Penny Mordaunt, James Cleverly and Jeremy Hunt are all on the cusp of being ousted too. Another one in peril is Tory party chairman Richard Holden who caused outrage when he forced the Billericay and Basildon association to accept him as their candidate in a one person shortlist for what had appeared to be a safe seat with a majority of more than 20,000.Prof Sir John Curtice has warned the Tories are heading for a record defeat (Strathclyde University/PA)Prof Curtice noted that the polls show both Labour and the Tories are down three points each since the beginning of the election to 41 percent and 21 percent on average respectively.He noted that the 62 percent “will be a record low combined vote for Labour and the Conservatives.” He added that the 21 percent for the tories is “a record low” for them as well.Reform are up five points since the election began mainly because of Nigel Farage’s decision to stand according to Prof Curtice. The Lib Dems are up two points to around 11 percent and the Greens are holding at six points, he noted.Prof Curtice noted that the MRP polls try to work out what is happening geographically rather than trying to apply straight swings across the country.He noted that it showed further bad news for the Tories because they are down between 11 percent at the most optmisitic and 21 percent at the worst end in the areas that they have traditionally been strongest.This suggests that the blue wall Tory safe seats are now very much in danger of falling to Labour and the Lib Dems.Prof Curtice said: “The Conservatives are at the moment heading for the worst performance since the First World War, since the advent of the mass franchise, by a country mile. “Secondly, not even the More in Common poll suggest they go to quite reach that lowest ever number of seats in the House of Commons, which is 156 all the way back in 1906.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailArtificial intelligence will allow pupils to continue conversing with Holocaust survivors even when they are no longer alive.The technology for schools in the UK will aim to “immortalise” real Holocaust survivors and their stories through life-like conversations with pupils.The programme has been launched at a time when antisemitism is rising in the country and the number of Holocaust survivors is dwindling.Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, who created the programme, said it is vital that young people learn about the Holocaust as conspiracy theories and misinformation continue to be spread on social media.She told the PA news agency: “I think the challenge we’ve got with Holocaust education sadly is that there are people who deny the Holocaust, who distort the Holocaust, who use the Holocaust to make other points that they want to make, abuse the memory of the Holocaust.“So this is also about holding it up and saying this is the experience of a real person and you can hear about it and see the site that they are talking about.”Ms Pollock added that there had been an “explosion of antisemitism” in recent months – which includes “inappropriate use of Holocaust language”.Currently, Holocaust survivors share their experiences with thousands of pupils every year, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for survivors who are in their 80s and 90s to travel across the country to speak to pupils first-hand and soon the Holocaust will no longer be in living memory.But now speech-to-text recognition AI search technology, combined with a filming technique using a nine-camera rig, has created virtual 3D versions of Holocaust survivors which can answer 1,000 questions from pupils.AI understands the question and then plays the survivor’s recorded answer to give pupils the feeling of a natural conversation with the Holocaust survivor.Using virtual reality (VR) headsets, students will also be able to explore key sites linked to the survivor testimonies, including their pre-war home towns and the concentration camps where they were imprisoned.It is hoped the technology will ensure that young people have memorable experiences learning about the Holocaust for generations to come.Ms Pollock told PA: “We’re just facing the reality that Holocaust survivors are getting older and frailer and fewer. They are in their later years.”She added: “Let’s not wait till that moment where we don’t have anyone here. Let’s do it now and gradually embed this sort of programme in schools.”Manfred Goldberg, who survived Stutthof concentration camp and a death march, is the first to feature in the programme for pupils across the UK.The 94-year-old, who has shared his testimony with young people in hundreds of schools over 20 years, said pupils have told him in the past that hearing his story was “an experience of a lifetime” and it changed their lives.Mr Goldberg, from north London, told PA: “That is a very powerful reaction and that is what keeps me going at my age to continue doing what I’m doing.”He added: “I think one basic and highly important factor is the one we seem to have cracked now and that is that all these people for decades to come will be able to hear the words of a Holocaust survivor.”Mr Goldberg spent five days being filmed within a green screen rig, from multiple angles at once using special volumetric capture cameras, and he answered more than 1,000 questions to ensure his virtual self could answer almost any question a student may pose about their experience of the Holocaust.He said: “Never during those dark days of the Holocaust did I ever imagine that one day I would see myself, and my story, immortalised in this way.Schools are doing all they can to combat the rise in antisemitism and other forms of prejudice, by teaching pupils about different faiths and how to build and maintain positive relationships with their peers. This technology will provide another tool with which to do thisPepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL“I have spoken to thousands of pupils over the years – perhaps now I will make it millions. If this is my legacy, it will be a truly remarkable one.”The Testimony 360 programme was officially launched on Wednesday at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Camberwell, London.Virtual testimonies from three other Holocaust survivors are set to be rolled out in schools from 2025.Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This new technology will help staff bring this vitally important topic to life for future generations of students and ensure they understand the significance of this period of history.“Schools are doing all they can to combat the rise in antisemitism and other forms of prejudice, by teaching pupils about different faiths and how to build and maintain positive relationships with their peers. This technology will provide another tool with which to do this.“However, schools are facing growing challenges as a result of harmful material and disinformation being posted on social media and need swift action to be taken to prevent this.“The next government needs to stand up to the technology giants and ensure they stop hatred from spreading across society via their platforms.”A Unesco report this week warned that generative AI could be used by bad actors to seed disinformation and antisemitism around the Holocaust. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA number of top Tory ministers are set to lose their seats in the upcoming general election as the Conservative’s faltering campaign grinds on, according to a new shock poll.In devastating news for prime minister Rishi Sunak, YouGov’s poll has predicted 14 Tory big beasts are set to lose their seats to Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru.The Conservatives would drop to just 108 seats, losing 257 of the seats they won in 2019, according to YouGov’s most recent projection. Labour would win a huge majority of 425 seats, up by 223.Follow live updates hereAmong those set to be outsted are Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Mel Stride, Alex Chalk, Mark Harper, Grant Shapps and Gillian Keegan.Here, The Independent takes a closer look at the Tory candidates set to lose their seats.Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is set to lose his seat under a new prediction by polling company YouGov More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Conservatives are facing a historic defeat at the election after a bombshell new poll suggested the party could be left with just 53 MPs – and Rishi Sunak would not be among them. Adding further misery to a raft of dire poll results for Mr Sunak, it also shows him on course to become the first sitting prime minister to lose his seat. And the Tories could be left battling the Lib Dems to avoid third place, with Sir Ed Davey’s party set to gain 50 MPs. The Savanta and Electoral Calculus polling analysis puts Labour on track to take 516 seats, with an estimated majority of 382 – twice the size of Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide – suggesting that recent Tory warnings of a Labour “supermajority” are correct.Rishi Sunak has had a disastrous election campaign so far More