General Election 2019 PolicyWatch: Public service broadband, investment in 'overlooked' communities and £100bn fund to combat climate change

Labour has promised free public service broadband for all, the Tories want to invest in “overlooked” communities and the Lib Dems plan to pump an extra £100 billion into combating climate change.

Campaigning is well under way for the general election and keeping up with the latest promises, policies and pledges from the parties can be difficult. Here are latest announcements on issues from parties as they seek to win your vote on December 12.

Labour: Free public service broadband for all

Labour has promised a British Broadband public service that will deliver free full-fibre internet to every home and business by 2030 if it wins the General Election.

The party intends to bring parts of BT into public ownership under plans it said will result in a massive upgrade in the UK's internet infrastructure.

The multibillion-pound plan - one of the major announcements of the election campaign so far - will aim to put an end to patchy and slow coverage, boosting 5G connectivity across the country.

Jeremy Corbyn will make the announcement in Lancaster on Friday and describe the new free public service as central to Labour's plans to transform the country and economy, bringing communities together in an "inclusive and connected society".

Labour said it will be paid for through the party's Green Transformation fund and taxing corporations such as Amazon, Facebook and Google - adding it will save the average person £30.30 a month.

Conservatives: investment in ‘overlooked’ communities

Boris Johnson has pledged to pump hundreds of millions of pounds into towns and villages that have been "overlooked and left behind".

The Prime Minister announced a package of measures, including cutting business rates for shops, cinemas and pubs, designed to help places which have not always benefited from economic growth.

Under the plans, the average corner shop will get a £1,400 cut in their business rates from the extension in the retail discount.

The Tories said up to half a million businesses will benefit, with the discount extended to all cinemas and music venues.

The party has pledged to save pubs and post offices, promising to back community groups who want to buy their local pubs and post offices with a £150 million fund and a nine month ban on sale to other bidders.

Liberal Democrats: £100bn for combating climate change

An extra £100 billion will be pumped into combating climate change and protecting the environment if the Liberal Democrats take power, the party's finance spokesman will say.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Ed Davey will also launch an attack on the "fantasy" economics of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Tories and Labour.

Sir Ed will use a speech in Leeds on Friday to say: "A Liberal Democrat government will jump-start an economy-wide programme to tackle the climate emergency.

"Across a five year Parliament, Liberal Democrats would spend and invest an extra £100 billion of public finance on climate action and environmental preservation.

"This includes a new £10 billion renewable power fund to leverage in over £100 billion of extra private climate investment.

"This will fast-track deployment of clean energy, to make Britain not just the world leader in offshore wind, but also the global number one in tidal power too.”