Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, unveiled his party’s General Election manifesto on Thursday in a bid to radically alter the country’s economic landscape. Addressing a packed hall in Manchester, Starmer vowed to “turn the page decisively” on what he described as 14 years of “Conservative chaos.”
With the General Election scheduled for July 4, Starmer laid out a vision centred on “wealth creation” and economic rejuvenation. “Today we can lay a new foundation of stability and on that foundation, we can start to rebuild Britain,” he declared, emphasising the need for comprehensive reforms to steer the country towards prosperity.
The Labour leader’s speech was momentarily interrupted by a climate protester who heckled from the audience before being swiftly removed by security. Undeterred, Starmer used the interruption to underscore Labour’s shift from being a party of protest to one seeking governmental power. “We gave up being a party of protest five years ago, we want to be a party of power. That’s not in the script, but that is part of the change,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
Labour’s manifesto, which is being closely scrutinised by political analysts and the public alike, promises a robust agenda aimed at economic growth, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Key proposals include significant investments in renewable energy, a commitment to creating high-quality jobs, and measures to address the cost-of-living crisis.
Starmer’s pledge to rebuild Britain on a foundation of stability reflects a strategic shift towards appealing to a broad electorate disillusioned with years of Conservative governance. As the campaign heats up, the Labour Party’s detailed plans for economic transformation will be critical in swaying voters.
The upcoming weeks will be crucial as both Labour and the Conservatives make their final pitches to the electorate. With economic concerns at the forefront of voters’ minds, Starmer’s vision of wealth creation and stability will be a pivotal theme in the race to Number 10.
Summary of the manifesto:
NHS and healthcare
- 40,000 more NHS appointments each week
- Double the number of cancer scanners
- Train “thousands” more midwives
- New dentistry rescue plan, including 700,000 more urgent appointments
- Recruit 8,500 additional mental health staff
- Bring back the “family doctor”
- Transform the NHS app
- Grant more pharmacists independent prescribing rights
- A “deep” reform of social care sector
- A full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices
- Ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children
- Plan to end HIV cases by 2030
- Two fiscal rules – that the current budget moves into balance, so that day-to-day costs are met by revenues and that debt must be falling as a share of the economy by the fifth year of the forecast
- £1.8bn to upgrade ports and build supply chains across the UK
- £1.5bn to new gigafactories “so our automotive industry leads the world”
- £2.5bn to rebuild the steel industry
- One major fiscal event per year
- Reduce energy, food and house prices, while expanding access to childcare
Foreign policy and defence
- Keep Britain steadfast in its financial, military and diplomatic support of Ukraine
- Maintain the UK’s “unshakeable” commitment to NATO
- Conduct a strategic review of the UK’s defence within the first year
- Create a long-term strategy to manage the relationship with China
- Commit to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution towards a renewed peace process in the Middle East
- To rebuild and reset the relationship with the EU – but crucially remain outside of it
- Pledge to defend Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands
Energy, environment and climate
- Issue no new licenses to explore new oil and gas fields
- Create a new Clean Power Alliance
- Aim for “clean power” by 2030 by doubling onshore wind, tripling solar power and quadrupling offshore wind by that date
- £1bn to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture
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- Ban trail hunting, puppy smuggling and snare traps
- Phase out animal testing
- Invest £6.6bn on improving energy efficiency in homes
- Put failing water companies under special measures and give regulators new powers to block bonus payments to executives who “pollute our waterways”
Tax, pay, pensions and benefits
- Raise £7bn in tax revenue by closing non-dom loophole, cracking down on tax avoidance, collecting VAT and business rates on private schools
- A time-limited windfall tax on oil and gas giants – which would raise £1.2bn
- Cap corporation tax at the current level of 25%
- Increase stamp duty on purchases of residential property by non-UK residents by 1%
- Remove all age bands so all adults are entitled to the same minimum wage
- Keep mortgage rates as low as possible
- End the use of offshore trusts to avoid inheritance tax
- Review the current Universal Credit system
- retain the triple lock for the state pension.
Housing, transport, schools and other infrastructure
- Bring railways into public ownership as existing rail contracts expire
- Fix one million potholes each year
- New powers for local leaders to franchise local bus services
- Build 1.5 million homes by the end of the next parliament
- Deliver the “biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation”
- Immediately abolish “no-fault evictions”
- Open 3,000 more nurseries
- Train 6,500 new teachers
- Offer free breakfast clubs in every school
- Create a “Border Security Command” – hundreds of new investigators, intelligence officers, and cross-border police officers, funded by ending Rwanda scheme
- Seek a new security agreement with the EU
- Set up a new returns and enforcement unit, with an additional 1,000 staff, to fast-track removals
- Reform the points-based immigration system
Constitution and regulation
- Give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote
- Remove right to hereditary peers in the House of Lords
- Enforced House of Lords retirement age of 80
- Consult on how to replace the House of Lords entirely
- Establish a new ethics and integrity commission
- Establish a “modernisation committee” for the House of Commons
- Reform gambling regulation
- Football Governance Bill, which will establish an independent regulator to ensure the financial sustainability of football clubs in England
- Strengthen relations with devolved governments
Policing, law and order
- Recruit “thousands” of new police officers
- Scrap the “effective immunity” for some shoplifting offences
- Redirect young people carrying knives to a team to be given a plan
- Ban on ninja swords, lethal zombie knives and machetes
- Introduce new offences for spiking and for the criminal exploitation of children
- Mandatory professional standards on vetting, checks and misconduct for individual officers
- New fraud strategy
