June 10th 2024.
Today, Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, paid a visit to Thorpe Park. While his campaign stunts have been getting a lot of attention, today's focus is on the party's manifesto and the serious business it entails. As the fourth-largest party after the 2019 General Election, the Lib Dems are hoping to overtake the SNP and become the third-largest after this one.
On the campaign trail, the party has already unveiled pledges on various issues such as care, water quality, the NHS, national parks, and rail travel. However, the manifesto is the most comprehensive representation of their goals if they end up in government. Sir Ed has been sharing personal stories in the past few weeks, highlighting his experiences caring for his family members and emphasizing the importance of care in the party's campaign. During his speech at the manifesto launch at a venue in Hackney, he once again got emotional while discussing how his family has been affected by issues like bereavement support.
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Before heading off to ride a rollercoaster at Thorpe Park, Sir Ed announced the main points of the manifesto. One of the key focuses is on health and social care, with the Lib Dems presenting it as a manifesto to fix the NHS. During his speech, Sir Ed spent 75% of his time discussing the NHS and social care. The party promises that everyone in England will have the right to see a GP within seven days, or within 24 hours for urgent needs. They also plan to recruit 8,000 more GPs to ensure this is possible. In addition, they promise that 100% of cancer patients will be able to start treatment within 62 days of their urgent referral. The party also plans to introduce free personal care, with the help of a new Royal College of Care Workers and a higher minimum wage for carers. They also plan to expand the eligibility for Carer's Allowance and increase it by £20.
The environment is another top priority for the Liberal Democrats. Remember when Sir Ed fell off a paddleboard in Windermere at the start of the campaign? That was to draw attention to water quality. The party pledges to tackle the "sewage scandal" by banning bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks are stopped. They also aim to "double nature" by 2050, which includes doubling the size of the Protected Area Network, the area of important wildlife habitats, species abundance, and woodland cover in the UK. However, a previous promise to create new National Parks did not make it into the final manifesto.
In terms of international issues, the Lib Dems remain pro-European, despite not being able to stop Brexit in the last election. They aim to strengthen the UK-EU relationship by seeking to join the Single Market. The party also plans to officially recognize the independent state of Palestine, a move that they believe will put them ahead of Labour.
When it comes to education, the Lib Dems have a few proposals to address the mental health crisis among children. They plan to have a dedicated, qualified mental health professional in every primary and secondary school. They also aim to provide an additional five free hours of early years education per week to disadvantaged children aged three and four, in an effort to close the attainment gap. Additionally, all adults will receive a £5,000 Lifelong Skills Grant to use for education and training throughout their lives, with plans to increase this to £10,000 when the public finances allow.
Finally, the party aims to tackle the cost of living through various assistance schemes. These include an emergency Home Energy Upgrade program to lower bills and a National Food Strategy to reduce food prices. They also plan to reverse tax cuts for big banks and provide HMRC with the necessary resources to tackle tax avoidance and evasion.
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