Who to vote for in General Election 2017? Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, SNP, Green and Ukip manifestos explained
TODAY UK voters have headed to the ballot box to decide who should be running the country for the next four years.
With polls predicting a tighter race than many had thought, we take a look at the key policies of each of the main parties. Here's the lowdown...
Who should I vote for in the General Election 2017?
It really depends on what issues matter to you.
All the usual talking points are being rolled out during campaigning - from skills to schools and health to homelessness.
But the elephant in the room is Europe and the Brexit negotiations.
"The country is coming together, but Westminster is not,” the Prime Minister said when she announced the election.
"Division in Westminster will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit and it will cause damaging uncertainty and instability to the country.
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"So we need a General Election and we need one now, because we have at this moment a one-off chance to get this done while the European Union agrees its negotiating position and before the detailed talks begin.”
What's in each party's election manifesto?
Conservatives
The Tories have revealed they will:
- Cap energy prices
- Increase the number of grammar schools
- Carry on spending 0.7 per cent of GDP on foreign aid
- Regain control of the country's borders
- Commit the UK to leave the free market
- Remove EU judges powers to meddle in our affairs
- £8billion a year extra to the NHS by the end of the parliament.
- A social care plan to abandon a £72,000 cap on home costs
- A major overhaul of the crooked honours system and a cut to the number of Lords
- An Extremism Commissioner to halt divisive and dangerous behaviour
- A threat to strip private schools of their charitable status unless they create 100 free schools
- A Veterans Board to ensure ex-forces heroes are better looked after, as well as tax breaks for bosses to employ them
- The manifesto reaffirms a pledge not to increase VAT, but abandons ex-PM David Cameron’s promise not to raise income tax or NICS
- After releasing her party manifesto, Theresa May announced that a cap on social care costs will be included as an option in a consultation on reforms, which will be launched after the General Election
The manifesto - launched on May 18 - promised no one will have to sell their property in their lifetime to fund residential or home care, with the cost of care instead taken from their estate if it is worth at least £100,000 when they die.
Other manifesto promises include:
- Scrapping winter fuel payments to better-off pensioners
- An extra £4bn on schools in England by 2022 - partly funded by an end to free school lunches for all infant pupils in England
- Scrapping the triple-lock on the state pension after 2020 and replacing it with a "double lock", rising with earnings or inflation
Mrs May has said that the Tory Party can offer Britain a “strong and stable leadership in the national interest, with me as your Prime Minister”.
Labour
A leaked manifesto revealed many of the policies planned by Jeremy Corbyn's party scuppering their full launch.
The party intends to:
- Increase the minimum wage to £10
- Extend free school meals to all primary school children
- Cap school classroom sizes at 30 children
- Increase the Carers' Allowance by £10 a week
- Build 1,000,000 new homes
- Lower the voting age to 16
- Scrapping the 1 per cent pay cap increase for NHS staff
- Ban zero hours contracts and unpaid internships
- Abolish tuition fees and reintroduce maintenance grants
- Bring railways back into public ownership and freeze fares
- Ban junk food ads before the 9pm watershed
- Scrapping Theresa May's Brexit white paper and the Great Repeal Bill.
- A "meaningful" vote on the final Brexit deal for MPs in Parliament - and going back to the table if it’s rejected
- Guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens in the UK to remain after Brexit
- Repealing the Trade Union Act
- A 500bn National Investment Bank
- 10,000 more cops on the streets over five years
- More powers to target rogue landlords
- Scrapping all hospital parking charges
Mr Corbyn said: “Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered failing living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS.";
Labour also have a 20-point plan to end the "rigged economy", which includes scrapping tuition fees, abolishing employment tribunal fees and scrapping the public sector pay cap entirely.
Liberal Democrats
Tim Farron's Lib Dems are planning to:
- Stop employers forcing staff to identify as self-employed
- Hold a second referendum on the terms of Brexit
- Increase in the threshold at which students have to pay back tuition fees
- Announce measures to help end rough sleeping
- Address the critical funding and capacity challenges the NHS faces
- £7billion extra on education for children
- A £1billion fund dedicated to mental health services
- Completely legalise cannabis with a fully-operational market
- An extra month of parental leave for dads
- Take over the running of Southern Rail and Govia Thameslink
Mr Farron has also made it clear he is not interested in forming any coalition deal with the Tories or Labour after the election.
He called the election “your chance to change the direction of our country”.
He added: “If you want to avoid a disastrous hard Brexit. If you want to keep Britain in the single market. If you want a Britain that is open, tolerant and united, this is your chance.”
The Green Party
The party will:
- Scrap tuition fees and bringing back maintenance grants
- Offer voters the chance of a second referendum with the option to remain in the EU
- Continue the Erasmus student exchange programme after Brexit
- Pledge to maintain equivalent funding for universities losing cash from the EU
- Ensure the HIV prevention drug PrEP is provided by the NHS
The party also want the voting age in the UK lowered to 16.
Scottish National Party
Nicola Sturgeon's party wants:
- A pledge to fight a second referendum on Scottish independence
- The removal of the Bedroom Tax
- Changes to Child Tax Credits policy to get rid of the controversial 'rape clause'
- A commitment to creating a wealthier, more successful Scotland
- The NHS revenue budget to rises by £500m more than inflation by the end of the next parliament
SNP councils will also work with the Scottish Government to transform the provision of early learning and childcare.
Nicola Sturgeon has called on voters to “stand up for Scotland” ahead of the election.
“The Tories see a chance to move the UK to the right, force through a hard Brexit and impose deeper cuts,” she said.
Ukip
Paul Nuttall's party have made it clear what they will do including:
- A ban on full face coverings
- An explicit ban on the practice of Sharia Law
- Mandatory reporting of Female Genital Mutilation
- A moratorium on new Islamic faith schools
- A £10 billion a year cut in the foreign aid budget
- A 'one in one out' immigration system
- Closure of schools where Islamic ideology being taught and no new Islamic faith schools until integration has made progress
The right-wing party also wants to abolish postal voting over fears of vote rigging.
Paul Nuttall has welcomed the snap election, saying: “Every vote for Ukip in this upcoming general election will be a reminder to the PM that the British people want a clean Brexit with restored borders."
Where do the parties stand on Brexit?
Conservatives
Tory Prime Minister Theresa May was against Brexit before the EU referendum but now says there can be no turning back and that "Brexit means Brexit". The reason she gave for calling a General Election was to strengthen her hand in negotiations with the EU, in which she plans to withdraw the UK from the single market and strike a new free trade deal. More Tory MPs backed Remain than Leave in last year's referendum - but they now strongly support the UK leaving - in February, only one voted against the government beginning Brexit by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
Labour
The Party campaigned against Brexit in the referendum but now says the result must be honoured, provided workers' rights, access to the benefits of the single market and four other tests are met. It has also ruled out a second referendum on the final deal, but wants MPs to have a decisive say on what happens once negotiations are complete. And it would guarantee the right of EU nationals living and working in the UK to stay in the country from "day one" of a Labour government. The vast majority of Labour MPs backed Remain ahead of the referendum - but most followed party orders to allow Article 50 to be invoked in February's vote.
Lib Dems
The Liberal Democrats are strongly pro-EU, and have promised to stop what they call a "disastrous hard Brexit". They say they will fight with "every fibre of their being" to protect existing aspects of EU membership, such as the single market and the free movement of people, and want another referendum - this time on the terms of the deal struck between the UK and the EU. All of the Lib Dem MPs backed staying in the EU, and seven out of nine opposed Article 50, with two abstaining.
SNP
Leader Nicola Sturgeon has been pushing for Scotland - which voted to remain in the EU - to have a special status after Brexit, including remaining in the single market. She has called for a second independence referendum before the Brexit package has been finalised. The SNP's 54 MPs voted en masse against triggering Article 50 and are expected to maintain their vocal opposition to Brexit in the next Parliament.
The Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales joint leader Caroline Lucas has called for a second EU referendum on the Brexit deal reached with Brussels, and the Greens have promised "full opposition" to what they call "extreme Brexit".
Ukip
Leader Paul Nuttall has vowed to "hold the government's feet to the fire" on Brexit and will be hoping to take votes from Labour in areas that backed Leave. But with the formal exit process already under way, will the party's longstanding anti-EU message still have the same resonance.
