Our manifesto gets Brexit done and unleashes the potential of the whole country

Boris Johnson will launch the Conservative Party manifesto - entitled Get Brexit Done, Unleash Britain’s Potential - in the West Midlands on Sunday.

The manifesto sets out how a Conservative majority government would bring back the Withdrawal Agreement Bill before Christmas so that we can get Brexit done by the end of January and focus on the people’s priorities.

It also explains how a Conservative majority government that believes in a dynamic, market economy can invest in the people’s priorities like our NHS, schools and tackling crime. It includes a series of measures that will put money back in people’s pockets and help with the cost of living by reducing taxes and tackling high bills.  

The manifesto has a transformative agenda of investment in infrastructure, R&D and skills training. This is essential if we are to level up the whole economy and unleash Britain’s potential.

Measures in the manifesto include:

Cost of living

• A Triple Tax Lock will mean the rates of income tax, national insurance and VAT will not rise under a Conservative government. This builds on the Prime Minister’s announcement to raise the National Insurance Contributions threshold for working people, saving 31 million taxpayers around £100 next year.
• £1 billion boost to childcare to increase the availability of after school and holiday childcare, giving parents more flexibility. The funding will go to schools and childcare providers to open up more options to families. Our ambition is for 250,000 more primary school children to get onsite childcare over the summer holidays.
• Keeping the pensions triple lock, winter fuel payment and the older person’s bus pass - ensuring financial security for those in retirement.
• Keeping the existing energy price cap and spending £6.3 billion on energy efficiency measures to cut fuel bills in 2.2 million homes - targeting social housing and fuel poor families.

Infrastructure and business

The ambitious programme for Government will include record investments in infrastructure, science funding and skills that will help to level up the whole economy and unleash Britain’s potential:

• The manifesto announces £2 billion for the biggest ever pothole-filling programme, as part of our National Infrastructure Strategy.
• Take the first steps towards a Right to Retrain with a £3bn for a new National Skills Fund. This will give individuals and small businesses the chance to level-up with high-quality education and training - opening up new opportunities for the incredible talent that is spread throughout the country.
• This builds on other manifesto commitments to reduce the burden of business rates, and provide relief for music venues, cinemas and pubs.

‍The Conservative Party will ensure our economy is strong, allowing us to invest in the people’s priorities.

NHS

• The Prime Minister has already committed £33.9 billion to the NHS by 2023-24, the biggest cash boost in its history.
• Today we will go further to support our fantastic NHS staff on night shifts, as well as disabled and terminally ill patients and their families, by ending unfair hospital car parking charges for them.
• We’re making 50 million extra GP appointments available, building 40 new hospitals over 10 years, and upgrading vital equipment like CT scanners and MRI machines, to improve early diagnosis.

Environment

• We have pledged to reach net-zero by 2050 by building on our superb global reputation for action to protect the environment and tackle climate change.  
• Today we are announcing a ban on exporting plastic waste outside the OECD, to reduce the environmental impact on the oceans as well as developing countries which do not have the capacity to handle it properly.
• The manifesto confirms our new Office for Environmental Protection, and our own legal targets, including for air quality.

Backed by his Cabinet in the West Midlands, the Prime Minister will make clear that only a Conservative majority can get Brexit done to grasp the opportunities ahead of us.

All Labour have offered is more dither and delay with two divisive referendums in 2020, and a manifesto that would bankrupt the country.

In contrast, the Prime Minister pledges today to bring forward the Brexit bill before Christmas, so a sensible Conservative-majority parliament can get on with honouring the referendum result and finally leaving the EU.

With Brexit done, the Prime Minister will unleash the potential of the whole UK and deliver on people’s priorities. In the first 100 days, and during the election campaign, Boris Johnson has pledged the one-nation measures that will unite the country and inject a surge of confidence into the UK.

What you need to know

‍Cost of living 

• A new £1bn fund for flexible, high quality wraparound childcare - available after school and outside of term time. We want to make wraparound childcare more available, giving parents the freedom, support and choice to look after their children in the way that works best for them. ‍
• £250 million fund each year for at least three years (resource): The funding will boost both term-time wraparound and holiday provision in schools – either to create new provision or expand existing provision. The fund will also support schemes which allow charities and third sector organisations to provide holiday clubs.‍
• £250 million fund for year one (capital): This will be available to help schools overcome specific barriers (such as hiring staff or capital investment in equipment and premises) which might prevent them offering childcare on their site outside the normal school year, or to help underwrite the costs of new provision until it becomes established.‍
• It is our ambition for 250,000 more primary school children to get onsite childcare over the summer holidays. This fund will help support that ambition. That is on top of the approximately 650,000 that get it now.
• Policy is England only. Education policy is devolved. Barnett consequentials included within £1b costings.

‍Triple Tax Lock

• The manifesto commits not to raise the rates of income tax, National Insurance or VAT. This is a tax guarantee that will protect the incomes of hard-working families across this Parliament.‍
• Jeremy Corbyn has voted against £7,800 worth of tax cuts for hard-working people – showing that Labour just can’t be trusted to deliver for ordinary working families. Jeremy Corbyn has voted against our cuts to personal allowance and fuel duty which will save the average basic rate tax payer £7,800 by April 2020.

National Insurance Contributions

• We will raise the National Insurance threshold to £9,500 next year - the largest increase ever, representing a tax cut of around £100 for 31 million workers.
• Our ultimate ambition is to ensure that the first £12,500 you earn is completely free of National Insurance contributions and all other tax - which would put almost £500 a year in people’s pockets. ‍
• We have already raised the Income Tax Personal Allowance to £12,500. Since we came to office in 2010, we have doubled the personal allowance on income tax which is now £12,500. A typical basic rate taxpayer now pays £1,205 less tax than in 2010.‍

Pensions

• We are keeping the Triple Lock on the State Pension. This will mean that the State Pension will be increased by the highest of CPI inflation, wage growth or 2.5 percent each year. As a result, the full new state pension will be at least £1,000 a year higher in cash terms at the end of the parliament than at the beginning, rising to over £10,000 a year during the next Parliament. ‍
  
• We will continue to pay Winter Fuel Payments. This is a tax-free payment available to pensioners to help with heating costs. It is worth between £100 and £300 a year to cover these costs, based on circumstances.‍
• We will continue the older person's free bus pass. We make over £1 billion of funding available for concessionary bus passes every year, helping the elderly and most vulnerable to get around on public transport and we will continue this support.
• We support the free TV licence for over-75s and expect the BBC to pay for it, as they previously agreed with the government.

Energy

• We will keep existing energy price cap legislation. We will keep the existing energy price cap to help protect consumers from rip-off bills.‍
• We will take action to lower the energy bills of those in social housing. We will invest £6.3 billion to improve the energy efficiency of 2.2 million disadvantaged homes, reducing their energy bills by as much as £750 a year. There will be 2 schemes: ‍
• £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Scheme. This scheme will focus on improving the insulation provided in 2 million social homes, reducing energy bills by an average of £160 a year.‍
• £2.5 billion Home Upgrade Grants. This programme will will replace boilers, provide insulation and in some cases replace energy systems wholesale. 200,000 homes will be upgraded, providing an average annual saving of £750 a year. It will cover costs up to £12,000 and apply to fuel poor households, both private and social, with poor energy efficiency.

NHS

Hospital Car Parking Charges

• We will make it mandatory for hospitals to provide free hospital car parking to protected groups. It is not right that hospitals have ignored the clear guidance they were given in 2015 – and many more now are charging the protected groups than when we first introduced the guidance. This change will make the NHS as accessible as possible for those who need it most and have little choice but to travel by car – without congesting car parks. The protected groups are: disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, gravely ill patients, visitors to relatives who have an extended stay in hospital, or carers of such people, staff working shifts that mean public transport cannot be used (e.g. night shifts).‍
• No NHS trust will be left with less money because of this change. We are supporting these measures with up to £78 million every year of new money. This will cover costs and deliver new capacity where necessary – England only, Barnett implications.
• This will cost up to £78 million per year for England. Barnett implications: Scotland £8m; Wales £4m.

Backing Business  

Right to Retrain and a £3 billion National Skills Fund

• We will establish a new National Skills Fund as the first step towards a “Right to Retrain”. We will invest £600 million a year, £3 billion over the Parliament, into the Fund. This is new funding on top of existing skills funding. We expect this to include funding for a range courses including apprenticeships. A proportion of the Fund will be reserved for further strategic investment in skills and it comes on top of existing skills and training programmes.
• We will consult widely on the design of the Fund. The Treasury will consult widely on the final design of the Fund to ensure that the money is invested wisely and delivers the best possible outcomes for individuals and businesses. The full details will be set out in the first Spending Review of a Conservative majority Government. We will have strong quality assurance mechanisms in place.‍
• It is our ultimate ambition to establish a Right to Retrain. Over time, it is our ambition to establish a Right to Retrain for all adults. Conservatives have previously empowered millions of people to own their own home with the Right to Buy. It is our ultimate ambition to empower millions of people in the future with the skills to achieve their potential, keep pace with technological change and embrace lifelong learning.

Environment

Banning Plastic Waste Exports to non-OECD countries

• We will ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, so that less plastic ends up dumped in the oceans. We will legislate through the Environment Bill to ban exports of plastic waste to non-OECD countries, consulting with industry, green groups and local councils on the date by which this should be achieved.

Infrastructure

Potholes

• We will spend £2 billion on the biggest ever pothole-filling programme, as part or our National Infrastructure Strategy. The Government will launch a national pothole filling programme to improve the quality of our roads. Local authorities, which are responsible for the maintenance of roads, will be given money to fill-in potholes and improve conditions for road users. We will spend £500 million a year over four years on the programme.
• Last year Conservative councils filled nearly double the number of potholes compared with Labour councils.

‍Police

• The Conservatives are making our streets safer with 20,000 more police officers to tackle serious violence. We have announced a tough new approach to knife crime, immediately arresting offenders, charging them within 24 hours and getting them into court within a week. Our manifesto commits more support for victims of rape, extra protections for those suffering from domestic abuse, and introduces a Victims Law to guarantee their rights.

Education

• Every child deserves the right to an excellent education, so they are able to succeed in life. The extra £14 billion we are giving schools means at least £5,000 for each secondary school pupil and at least £4,000 for each primary school pupil. We will attract more of the brightest into teaching by raising teachers' starting salaries to £30,000.