Labour manifesto 2024: 12 key policies analysed

The Labour Party has published its manifesto for the upcoming 2024 election. The manuscript details the party's goals and strategies in the event of winning the election, which will be held on July 4th.

Here, BBC reporters have examined some of the most striking commitments.

'Creating Wealth' For The Working Class

The Labour party is marketing itself as the group that champions "making money", striving to enhance the quality of life for laborers. If inflation is taken out of the equation, the average individual's financial situation has only increased by a mere 5% since the conclusion of the financial crisis in 2008/2009.

Labour's main focus is on reviving investment, which has been stagnant since 2016. They believe that by doing so, there will be an increase in funding for training, skills, technology, and buildings. Experts suggest that these measures will make us more effective. UK productivity, measured by the output per hour, is below that of many other countries. This is where Labour hopes to make a significant improvement.

However, having good intentions alone is not enough for businesses. There are very few concrete measures in place that actually encourage business spending, with the exception of planning and education reforms. Even though the UK government has allocated £3.5bn for public 'green' investments, such as enhancing homes and investing in hydrogen, it's only a small portion of the massive package worth billions implemented in the US by President Biden.

According to the latest projections from government sources, the economy is expected to grow steadily in the coming years. However, it's important to note that unforeseen circumstances could derail these plans. The crucial factor to consider is the extent and timeline of these growth initiatives. It's worth keeping in mind that investments usually require a long-term commitment and can have a significant impact on our finances.

£8bn Fundraising Plan - No Surprises Expected

The Labour manifesto has clear and predictable tax and spending proposals. They plan on generating an additional £8 billion in revenue through several methods, including restructuring the non-dom tax status for the affluent, tightening regulations on tax avoidance, charging VAT to private schools, and instituting a one-time tax on major energy companies. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen how these adjustments will be received by certain groups, such as parents and energy firms, and how it will impact revenue collection.

The funds generated will be utilized for ecological ventures, a greater number of National Health Service surgeries, psychological healthcare personnel, proficient educators and modest initiatives such as breakfast get-togethers at elementary schools. The overall expenditure is slightly less than £5 billion. In addition, there is an extra £4 billion allotted for the Green Prosperity Proposal of the Labour Party, which includes GB Energy, a public monetary resource and insulation projects. This will be funded to some degree through supplementary borrowing.

The Labour party states that they have been careful with their spending and have kept £2.5 billion of their anticipated revenue unused. Their approach is not aimed at competing with the Conservative party's tax cuts, and they consider their offer to be sensible. This could lead to the tax burden reaching a record high after World War II. Their reasoning is based on the belief that the general public doesn't believe that tax cuts are a viable option and would prefer consistency instead.

"Private School Fees Fund Teachers In State Schools"

The Labour party intends to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) by 20% on fees charged by private schools. The additional funds will be used to hire 6,500 new teachers for state schools in England. However, some people believe that this move would negatively impact parents who seek private education for their children. They believe that middle-income families may find it difficult to afford private schooling due to these proposed taxes.

In the UK, only a small percentage of kids, around 7%, go to privately-run schools where fees are paid. There's a chance that some of these students might have to switch to government-funded schools. The cost of attending the more expensive private schools can go up to £50,000 a year for those who live on-campus. The average fee across all private schools in the UK is around £15,000.

According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, a group that researches economic issues, implementing this tax could generate up to £1.6bn annually. However, it remains unclear how this additional funding would be allocated. State schools are facing a significant challenge in attracting and retaining teachers, especially in core subjects like mathematics and physics, due to a shortage of proper training programs to prepare them for these roles.

Simply offering higher salaries may not be enough to attract more people to become teachers. Other professions for graduates offer flexible working arrangements, while teachers are required to be present in the classroom every day. The amount of work that teachers are expected to do is often cited as a reason why they might leave their profession. Additionally, experienced teachers have seen a 12% drop in their pay in real terms since 2010. A new government in England will need to make decisions regarding the amount of pay that teachers will receive next year in just a few weeks.

Constructing 300K Homes Annually

The Labour Party has pledged to construct 1.5 million fresh residences in England over the course of the next five years. This is an enormous feat since it necessitates a level of home construction that has not been seen since the 1960s. The task is made even tougher by the fact that in the previous year, only 150,000 houses were commenced, which is considerably less than the average requirement of 300,000 completed homes needed to keep the promise. The last time England had that many homes finished was in 1969, when 45% of the total was attributed to newly built council housing.

During the past ten years, an estimated 152,000 homes have been built annually, on average. In earlier times, private house developers have succeeded in constructing over 170,000 units just twice, in the 1970s. In the most recent decade, their average output has been at 123,000 homes.

The Labour party thinks that planning regulations and expensive land have been obstructing developers. They want to change the way building homes is managed and decrease bureaucracy, which may lead to a rise in privately-owned homes. However, the party's goals are quite big, and it's difficult to achieve them without the help of housing associations and local councils. Unfortunately, last year, housing associations only managed to start constructing 30,000 houses, whereas English councils only managed to start constructing 3,000 houses.

No More Sales Of Petrol & Diesel Cars By 2030

The Labour party intends to reintroduce a ban on the sales of new diesel and petrol-powered vehicles from the year 2030, claiming that it will provide a sense of security to car manufacturers. This move conflicts with a previous government decision made in September to postpone the ban to 2035, which was supported by a few car companies but criticized by others for deterring consumers from switching to electric cars.

The problem lies in whether a sufficient number of drivers will be persuaded to switch to electric vehicles in order to make the proposed plan feasible. While there are now more electric car options available, the demand has not shown significant growth in the previous year. To address this issue, the Labour Party intends to establish a uniform system of assessing the battery condition of electric vehicles as well as hasten the installation of charging stations. However, it has not specified any concrete target to achieve these goals.

According to the SMMT trade organization, it is better to entice buyers with rewards than force them with punishments. This implies that they propose the implementation of more benefits in order to encourage people to make the transition, particularly due to existing barriers such as expensive costs and unreliable charging facilities.

These precautions will be enforced throughout the United Kingdom.

New UK Border & Security Command Created

The Labour party plans to cancel the Rwanda program, which is meant to discourage individuals from coming to the UK on small boats across the Channel, and redirect £75 million from it to fund a new Border and Security Command. It seems likely that they will be able to do this because there is already enough money allocated for Rwanda (£541 million over five years) compared to what is needed to establish the new command. Moreover, this allocation of funds will supplement the current Home Office funding for immigration enforcement.

Is it going to have an impact or is it just a new name? According to Sir Keir, he aims to grant investigators with powers similar to those of counter-terrorism units to supervise and limit the actions of those suspected of smuggling. This would be a novel concept.

There are big obstacles. It may require several years to see outcomes and the Labour party might experience difficulties from the authorities in Brussels and Paris about fresh agreements on preventing the act of smuggling.

Green Initiatives Get £24bn Boost

Labour Party's greatest financial obligation, excluding the current budgets for each department, is the £23.7 billion reserved for eco-friendly actions over the upcoming parliament period. This amount surpasses the supplementary expenditure for healthcare and schooling. This is due to the fact that environmentally-friendly policies are the main focus of the party's strategy for the economy to flourish and a step forward towards climate change.

The Great British Energy company is allocated a budget of £1.7bn per annum to expedite the implementation of renewable and nuclear power. The primary objective is to generate 650,000 employment opportunities by 2030, rejuvenate industries, reduce energy costs, and ensure sustainable access to uncontaminated energy sources.

An additional amount of £1.1 billion per annum is being provided to enhance the energy efficiency of the UK's unstable housing. The main objective is to generate employment opportunities while concurrently reducing costs and emissions.

However, the road to achieving green energy goals won't be easy. Governments have faced challenges in convincing citizens to invest in upgrading their homes, despite offering attractive financial incentives. Additionally, there might be opposition from local communities towards the installation of solar farms and onshore wind turbines, which are crucial components of the sustainable energy plan.

Fully Committed To Nuclear And NATO Alliance

Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, aims to distinguish his party's stance on defence from that of his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, who led the party during the 2019 election. Despite this, there have been no significant alterations to Labour's nuclear weapons policy. It is worth noting that even under Mr Corbyn's leadership, the party endorsed Trident, a decision that was met with criticism due to his previous statement in 2015 that he would not use it.

Although, Sir Keir is determined to demonstrate a distinct separation from the former approach. According to the manifesto, Labour's allegiance to the nuclear deterrent is unwavering and undisputed. The same level of assurance is expressed when referencing membership within Nato, as the party's loyalty to the military alliance is resolute.

However, there is not much more information available apart from that. This is because the Labour party claims that they must carry out a comprehensive evaluation if they win the election, to analyze the risks that the UK is exposed to and the condition of its military forces. This assessment will determine any decisions on defence spending. It is only after that, that the Labour party will establish a plan to invest 2.5% of the nation's GDP on defence.

"NHS: 40,000 Extra Appointments And Surgeries"

The Labour party has pledged to boost public healthcare by offering more weekend services and collaborating with the private industry. This move is said to add an extra 40,000 appointments and operations annually. The funds required for this initiative will be sourced through strict enforcement of measures against non-domiciled tax schemes.

The proposed strategy suggests a rise of under 2%, which some specialists believe may be adequate to restore waiting periods to their normal state. However, there is uncertainty regarding whether the objective will be accomplished.

Even though the NHS has received additional funds and hired more workers, they are still serving a similar number of patients for scheduled treatment as they were prior to the previous election. There are various factors contributing to this, but the top two causes are likely the increased strain on emergency services and ongoing difficulties with postponed patient discharges. This happens when individuals who no longer require hospital care cannot leave due to insufficient resources in their community.

According to Labour's manifesto, the budget will rise higher than the rate of inflation. However, this statement doesn't give us a lot of information. In the past, the NHS has received roughly 4% more funding each year than the inflation rate, but this has only been sufficient to keep things at the same level they already were.

In order to implement the suggested upgrades, it has been suggested that additional funds will need to be allocated or sacrifices will need to be made in other areas of healthcare. According to the Nuffield Trust, the absence of clear information on this matter is extremely concerning.

These rules are only applicable in England as other countries establish their own health regulations.

The blog post discusses the party manifesto which highlights the principles that should be followed to revamp the crisis-hit care system in England, but does not delve into specifics. The manifesto emphasizes the need to establish a National Care Service built on the foundation of national care quality standards. The guiding principle will be to prioritize care at home so that individuals can lead an independent life.

The manifesto includes a proposal for a just remuneration agreement that involves staff, unions, care providers, and the government to enhance the pay, circumstances, and training of care providers. They aim to create a consensus on mid-term changes, although the funding source has not been specified.

The blog section also mentions an assurance to secure the entitlement of care home residents to visit their families. This move is expected to receive a positive response from those relatives who were prohibited from entering care homes due to the pandemic. They have been actively advocating for a lawful provision that will allow them to visit their dear ones, regardless of the situation.

The written statement doesn't include the frequently talked about proposal of placing a cap on the sum an individual who is elderly or has a disability must spend on their own personal care in England throughout their life. However, a Labour insider has verified that they won't interfere with the already determined arrangement to establish an £86,000 cap on care starting from October 2025.

Reducing Rape Case Backlog: A Strategic Plan

There are an unprecedented amount of cases waiting to be heard in courts throughout England and Wales. The backlog has reached a record high with over 68,000 trials pending as of April. The most affected individuals by these extensive delays are victims of severe sexual assault.

The Labour party intends to allocate specific areas in crown courts for sexual assault cases in order to reduce the number of cases awaiting trial. This will not involve additional expenses but will involve reallocation of current resources. Do you believe this approach will be effective?

The major predicament is that there aren't enough accomplished lawyers who can perform the roles of prosecuting and defending in trials. This subsequently affects the number of judges who can preside over such cases. According to a recent study conducted by the association that governs criminal barristers, a greater number of these professionals are expected to abandon sexual offence cases in the upcoming year, mainly due to the inadequate compensation, long working hours, and pressure.

The answer? Everyone in the field of law enforcement understands that a substantial amount of funding is required to fix the system. However, there are no indications that this will happen.

An initiative to combat ticket scalping hopes to garner public support. Many people have expressed concerns that cultural events, particularly those held in London, are too costly and not accessible to families from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Lots of folks are getting left out of big happenings, while some are forking over tons of money for tickets that are way overpriced or not even real. This is especially true when it comes to the Eras Tour of mega-celeb Taylor Swift.

Many nations already prohibit the act of reselling tickets for personal gain. The Labour party is suggesting that they fortify the current legislation pertaining to consumer rights.

The new policy will also constrain the resale of tickets and the value they can be sold for, control the amount of tickets individual resellers are permitted to have, and hold platforms like Ticketmaster and Facebook more answerable.