Yahoo News Who should I vote for in the 2024 general election?
The next general election is just over a week away and many in the UK are still undecided about who to vote for. Some reports estimate that around 15 per cent of people are undecided, but depending on who you ask, that number could be as high as 25 per cent.
It has been five years since the last general election, when Boris Johnson swept to victory earning 365 seats out of 650. This time, it could be very different when voters take to the polling stations on Thursday, July 4.
To help sway undecided voters, the political parties of the UK have released their manifestos, a list of pledges which they hope to enforce over the next five years. Some of these pledges can be more than 100 pages long, so it can be quite tricky to find out the exact details that matter to you.
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We have taken the time to read through the manifestos to pick out the key points which each party is promoting in order to win enough seats to win the election. Whether it is about tax, the NHS, job opportunities or immigration, the parties are promoting very different ideas of their vision for the UK. Reform UK has instead created a contract with its MPs and the public rather than a manifesto.
As well as the Conservatives, Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK, the Bristol area and wider region has a few independent candidates and others from different parties. Candidates are also representing the Monster Raving Loony, Party of Women, Social Democratic, Trade Unionist and Social Coalition and the Workers Party.
The Conservatives
The Tories are pledging to cut the National Insurance tax by 2p as part of measures to half the tax from 12 per cent at the beginning of the year to six per cent by April 2027. They also pledge to cut tax for pensioners with a new Triple Lock Plus scheme, meaning that pensioners can receive more without paying income tax in line with the new scheme, wages or at 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher.
The Conservatives have pledged to increase NHS spending above inflation every year and recruit 92,000 more nurses and 28,000 more doctors. The Tories have also pledged to introduce mandatory National Service for all school leavers at 18-years-old, who will choose between a placement in the military or civic service.
Other pledges include:
Boosting defence spending up to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030
Introduce a cap on migration and to stop the boats
Investing £36 billion in local roads, rail and bus services
Funding 100,000 high-quality apprenticeships for young people
Recruiting 8,000 new police officers
Green Party
The Green Party are pledging to provide 150,000 social homes every year from either new builds or refurbishment of older housing. It aims to also reach net zero emissions by 2040 by investing £40 billion a year to create a green economy.
The Greens are also pledging on reducing waiting lists in the NHS and immediately boosting pay for the NHS staff. It also pledges to invest in more dentistry which would reach £3 billion a year by 2030.
Other pledges include:
Introducing a wealth tax on assets over £10 million
Cutting energy bills by improving home insulation
Bringing railways, energy firms and water companies back under public ownership
Increasing minimum wage to £15 per hour for everyone
Supporting the changing of law to legalise assisted dying
Labour
Labour has pledged no increases in the income tax, National Insurance or VAT. It has also pledged to cut NHS waiting times as it wants to create 40,000 more appointments each week including during evenings and weekends.
Labour has pledged to create Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean power company, in order to cut bills. Labour has pledged to launch a new Border Security Command with hundreds of new specialist investigators to stop “criminal boat gangs”.
Other pledges include:
Recruit 6,500 new teachers in key subject areas
Recruit 13,000 neighbourhood police officers to reduce anti-social behaviour
Introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school
Building 1.5 million new homes over the five-year term
Conduct a Strategic Defence Review with plans to eventually spend 2.5 percent of GDP on defence.
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats have pledged to give everyone the right to see a GP within seven days or within 24 hours if it is urgent. The party has also pledged to establish mental health hubs for young people in every community.
The Liberal Democrats will invest in renewable power so that 90 per cent of the UK’s electricity is generated from a renewable source by 2030. This is on top of investing in green infrastructure, innovation and skills to create jobs and tackle climate change.
Other pledges include:
Repairing the relationship with Europe
Banning sewage discharge from entering rivers and seas
Introduce free personal care, including nursing at home, and offer support for unpaid carers
Extending the free school meals scheme to all children in poverty
Removing the two-child limit and the benefit cap to tackle child poverty
Reform UK
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has pledged to stop non-essential immigration to boost wages in the UK. It also has pledged to stop illegal migration from the English Channel via small boats and deporting illegal migrants.
Reform UK has also said that it will lift the income tax starting threshold to £20,000 to save the lowest-paid from tax payments. Reform UK will also end policies to reach net zero emissions and will use oil and gas reserves to save on energy bills.
Other pledges include:
Cutting NHS waiting times down to zero by increasing recruitment
Abolishing the Inheritance Tax for estates under £2 million
Increasing the number of police officers by 40,000 over the parliamentary term
Scrapping EU regulation laws
Increasing defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP in three years then three percent within six years
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