The UK will go to the polls for the 2024 General Election on July 4. The election campaign has begun, with parties seeking to win votes from the electorate across the country – but what are the party’s key pledges?
We’ve included in the tabs below the key pledges from each of the main political parties standing in the election – select a tab to read more.
More announcements will be made ahead of voting day, and this page will continue to be updated.
Opinion polls suggest Labour are on course to return to Government for the first time since leaving Downing Street in 2010. Keir Starmer, the Labour Leader, has revealed the party’s slogan for the election campaign will be one word: ‘Change’ – with the party arguing that change is needed following 14 years of the Conservatives in Government.
The Labour Manifesto can be found here.
Labour has setup first 6 steps for change, including:
- Deliver economic stability through tough spending rules in order to grow the economy and keep taxes/inflation/mortgages low
- Cut NHS waiting times through 40,000 more appointments each week
- Launch a new Border Security Command designed to smash criminal gangs and strengthen borders
- Set up Great British Energy as a new publicly-owned clean power company
- Crack down on antisocial behaviour with more neighbourhood police and new youth hubs
- Recruit 6,500 new teachers in key subjects, paid for by ending tax breaks for private schools
Labour has also set out 5 missions which they say will form the backbone of the party’s manifesto and drive forward a Labour government. The missions include:
- Kickstart economic growth
- Make Britain a clean energy superpower
- Take back our streets
- Breakdown barriers to opportunity
- Build an NHS built for the future
Other announcements so far include pledges for lowering the voting age to 16, and renationalising most passenger rail services within 5 years.
The Conservatives have been in Government in the UK since 2010, though 5 different leaders and Prime Ministers have been in place since then, including 3 since the last General Election in 2019. Rishi Sunak, the current Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives has been arguing that the party’s plan is working. This plan includes delivering on 5 priorities:
- Halve Inflation
- Grow the Economy
- Reduce Debt
- Cut Waiting Lists
- Stop the Boats
The Conservatives Manifesto can be found here.
The party has announced some other policies, some of which include:
- Scrapping A-Levels and replacing them with a new ‘Advanced British Standard’, bringing together academic and technical qualifications, and ensuring maths is studied until the age of 18.
- Keeping the triple lock system, whereby pensions increase each April by the highest of either inflation, average earnings or 2.5%, and updating the tax free allowance to ensure the State Pension isn’t taxed.
- The party has vowed to continue with plans for the Rwanda immigration scheme if it wins the election.
- The Conservatives have pledged a move to mandatory national service for 18-year-olds, with either a military/cyber defence placement (for around 30,000 people) or compulsory volunteering for 25 days in a year in civil resilience roles.
- The party has pledged a further 2p cut of National Insurance.
The Liberal Democrats say that “now more than ever, people deserve a fair deal”.
The Liberal Democrats Manifesto can be found here.
The party’s key priorities as part of its fair deal include:
- A fair, prosperous and innovative economy that promotes opportunity and wellbeing
- Fair access to good public services and a strong social safety net
- A flourishing environment, with fair access to nature for all.
- A strong United Kingdom and a fair international order.
- A truly fair democracy, where everyone’s rights are respected and individuals and communities are empowered.
Following the announcement of the election, the party said it was “time to change the system and give people real hope”, “time to smash the blue wall and kick out the Conservatives” and “Time to deliver the fair deal the British people deserve”.
Some of the party’s policies include:
- Give everyone the right to see their GP within seven days, or 24 hours for urgent cases
- Increase school and college funding per pupil to above the rate of inflation annually
- Lowering the voting age to 16
- Investing in renewable power so that 80% of the UK’s electricity is generated from renewables by the start of the next decade
The SNP’s campaign is focused on unity in a variety of aspects. The party is now led by John Swinney, who has only recently become party leader.
In his speech launching the SNP’s General Election campaign, Swinnery set out a mission to unify business for a purpose, unite around a better way of doing politics, and to unite Scotland to protect the NHS, strengthen the economy, eradicate child poverty, to ensure Scotland’s voice is heard and to unite Scotland for independence.
Some other key messages from the SNP’s campaign so far have been around wanting to defeat the Conservatives across Scotland, and to argue that the Conservatives and Labour have “proven they won’t stand up for Scotland’s interests”.
The party argues the elections will be a change election and it will be focused on trust.
The Reform Party argues that reform is essential in a number of areas. These include:
- Reform our Economy – the party says it would aim to free up over 6 million people from paying Income Tax and over 1.2 million small businesses and self-employed from paying Corporation Tax, in order to achieve faster growth.
- Reform our Energy Strategy – the party says its energy plan will create thousands of British jobs and also nationalise 50% of key utility companies.
- Reform our Public Sector – the party says it has a bold plan to achieve zero waiting lists in health, while it also pledges changes in education and border security.
- Reform our Institutions – the party wants to make the voting system in the UK fairer and more representative.
Nigel Farage is now the leader of the party and standing for election in Clacton, after previously saying he wouldn’t stand in this election. The party was previously known as the Brexit Party.
The Green Party, co-led by Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, says there can be a greener, fairer future.
The Green Party Manifesto can be found here.
Some of the key policies pledged by the party so far include:
- Major investment into the NHS, including £8bn in the first year
- New taxes on assets of people with more than £10m
- Bringing the UK’s net zero target forward to 2040
- Banning domestic flights for journeys that take less than 3 hours by train
- Nationalise major industries including water, railways and the big five energy companies
Plaid Cymru is a political party in Wales.
The Plaid Cymru Manifesto can be found here.
Some of the party’s key pledges for the election include:
- Secure £4bn from HS2 to invest in public transport in Wales
- Increasing child benefit by £20 a week to support families with the cost of living crisis
- Investment into the NHS workforce and recruitment of 500 GPs in Wales
- A new Cancer Strategy for Wales
- Demanding a fair funding system to support public services in Wales.
