Change
Labour Party Manifesto 2024
My plan for change
This election is about change.
A chance to stop the endless Conservative chaos that
has directly harmed the finances of every family in
Britain.
A moment where we can turn the page on a set of
ideas that, over 14 years, have consistently left us more
vulnerable in an increasingly volatile world.
And an opportunity to begin the work of national
renewal. A rebuilding of our country, so that it once
again serves the interests of working people.
Restore hope
Every great nation is held together by shared beliefs. To
outsiders they may not seem exceptional or distinctive,
but they are essential for a sense of collective national
purpose. Britain is no different, but at this moment two of
our most important beliefs are in grave danger.
First, that politics should be driven by a sense of service to
the country, not considerations of party or self-interest.
Second, that if you work hard then - whoever you are,
wherever you started in life - Britain is a country that will
respect your contribution and give you a fair chance to
get on.
When I consider these beliefs, it is hard not to think back
to my childhood. Then, as now, Britain's place in the
world was uncertain. Then, as now, our economy was
gripped by stuttering growth and a cost-of-living crisis
that hurt working people.
Yet back then, there was at least a degree of security
in being able to take those two fundamental beliefs for
granted. For families like mine, this was a comfort. The
knowledge that Britain would offer your children a better
future gave us hope. A hope that may not sound high-
minded or particularly idealistic, but which families like
mine could build a life around.
Stop the chaos
To restore this hope, we must first end the Conservative
chaos. The visible decline in our communities -people
waiting on trolleys in A&E; families weighed down by
soaring mortgages; sewage in our rivers - is not an
accident. Rather, it is a direct result of a governing
party that, time and again, puts its own interests and
obsessions above the issues that affect families.
The result is a vicious cycle - decline feeding off chaos,
chaos feeding off decline - that will continue if they
return for five more years. Only a Labour government
can break this cycle and stop the chaos.
Turn the page
We must turn the page decisively on the Conservative
ideas that have caused the chaos.
The world has become increasingly volatile, with a major
war in Europe for the first time in a generation and ever
greater threats to the living standards of working people.
This 'age of insecurity' requires the government to step
up, not stand aside.
This means a return to the foundations of good
government: national security, secure borders, and
economic stability. But it also requires an enduring
partnership with business to deliver the economic
growth we need. It needs more focus on long-term
strategy, not the short-term distractions that can
animate Westminster. And it demands a final and total
rejection of the toxic idea that economic growth is gifted
from the few to the many.
Because whether it is crashing the pound to give
tax cuts to the richest 1%; degrading public services
because of a mess made by the banks; or the failure
to invest in clean British energy that left us exposed
when Putin invaded Ukraine - so much of what Britain
has been through in the past 14 years is explained by a
Conservative failure to face the future. Only Labour can
turn the page.
Rebuild our country
We must rebuild our country. It will not be easy. Not
only because there is no quick fix to the mess the
Conservatives have made. But also, because their
failures have sapped our collective confidence that
Britain can still achieve great things. I reject this with
every fibre of my being. Despite all the chaos inflicted
on Britain, the country I see is one where working people
never let each other down. They came together in
the pandemic - missed weddings, funerals and last
goodbyes - to save the lives of people they will never
meet. They dug deep in the years of austerity, to keep
delivering the public services people needed. And
throughout the cost-of-living crisis, they found a way to
support those less fortunate than themselves.
We are still a great nation. We can still achieve great
things. What we lack is a government that can match
the ambition working people have for their family and
community, with a credible long-term plan.
This manifesto is that plan. Fully costed, fully funded -
built on a rock of fiscal responsibility.
At its heart are five national missions - with clear first
steps to begin the journey of rebuilding - that provide
a clear destination for everyone invested in Britain's
future. A new Britain, where wealth is created in every
community. Where the golden opportunity of clean
British power is harnessed for lower bills. Where your
town centre has been revitalised and everyone feels
safe to walk the streets. Where you can go to work and
know you will be treated with dignity and respect. Where
our children are equipped with the skills to thrive in the
future. Where our NHS is once again at the cutting edge
of healthcare. And where we show that politics can be
about serving the country.
It's time for change
I know some people will roll their eyes at this last
sentence. Yet serving our country is the only reason I
came into politics. The defining purpose of my Labour
leadership has been to drag my party away from the
dead end of gesture politics and return it once more
to the service of working people. I have changed my
party. Now I want the chance to bring that change to the
country.
But to succeed we need everyone, every community, to
play their part. I know, after everything you have been
through in the past 14 years, that this is a hard request to
make. But I also expect, deep down, that you know this
is what our country needs now - an end to the chaos,
a turning of the page, and a patient but determined
rebuilding of our country.
So, I invite you to join us in this common endeavour of
national renewal. It is time to change Britain.
My first steps for change
1. Deliver economic stability with tough spending rules,
so we can grow our economy and keep taxes, inflation
and mortgages as low as possible.
2. Cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more
appointments each week, during evenings and
weekends, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance
and non-dom loopholes.
3. Launch a new Border Security Command with
hundreds of new specialist investigators and use
counter-terror powers to smash the criminal boat gangs
4. Set up Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean
power company, to cut bills for good and boost energy
security, paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.
5. Crack down on antisocial behaviour, with more
neighbourhood police paid for by ending wasteful
contracts, tough new penalties for offenders, and a new
network of youth hubs.
6. Recruit 6,500 new teachers in key subjects to prepar
children for life, work and the future, paid for by ending
tax breaks for private schools.
Contents
Mission-driven government..........................................10
Strong foundations.........................................................13
Kickstart economic growth............................................21
Make Britain a clean energy superpower....................47
Take back our streets.....................................................61
Break down the barriers to opportunity........................75
Build an NHS fit for the future.........................................92
Serving the country......................................................107
Britain reconnected.......................................................119
Change............................................................................131
Mission-driven government
Ending the Conservative chaos is vital, but turning the
page with a new government is not in itself enough to
tackle the deep-rooted challenges our country now
faces. To rebuild Britain, we need to change how Britain is
governed.
For too long, Britain has been held back by governments
that, because they lack a relentless focus on long-term
ends, are buffeted about by events. Politics has enormous
potential to change lives for the better, but too often
different parts of the government have pursued their own
narrow goals rather than working together. Government
is at its best when working in partnership with business,
trade unions, civil society, faith groups, and communities.
But without a shared project those partnerships barely
get off the ground.
So, as well as a new administration with new priorities,
Britain needs a new approach: mission-driven
government.
Mission-driven government means raising our sights
as a nation and focusing on ambitious, measurable,
long-term objectives that provide a driving sense of
purpose for the country. It means a new way of doing
government that is more joined up, pushes power out to
communities and harnesses new technology, all with one
aim in mind - to put the country back in the service of
working people.
Labour's five missions to rebuild Britain are:
1) Kickstart economic growth to secure the highest
sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and
productivity growth in every part of the country
making everyone, not just a few, better off.
2) Make Britain a clean energy superpower to cut bills,
create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-
carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero.
3) Take back our streets by halving serious violent
crime and raising confidence in the police and
criminal justice system to its highest levels.
4) Break down barriers to opportunity by reforming our
childcare and education systems, to make sure there
is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people
in Britain.
5) Build an NHS fit for the future that is there when
people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest
killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for
longer.
Delivering the change Britain needs will require
perseverance. The starting point for delivering
these missions is to ensure the foundations of good
government are right. Labour will make sure we have
strong national security, secure borders, and economic
stability. Building on these secure foundations, we have
already set out the first steps for change. Today we
present further policies in this manifesto, as part of the
journey of rebuilding our country.
Strong foundations
National security
No policy commitment in pursuit of Labour's missions
matters unless we uphold the first duty of any
government: to keep the country safe. Peace and
security are hard earned. They require constant
vigilance. Over the last 14 years geopolitical tensions
have risen, while the Conservatives have hollowed out
our armed forces. Now Putin is attempting to break
European security with his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Labour will meet this challenge by strengthening our
armed forces and protecting our national security.
Our commitment to the UK's nuclear deterrent is
absolute. It is a vital safeguard for the UK and our NATO
allies. As the party that founded NATO, we maintain our
unshakeable commitment to the alliance, and we will
apply a NATO test to major defence programmes to
ensure we meet our obligations in full.
In recent years, threats to our safety and security
have multiplied and diversified. Alongside greater
conventional threats, we are faced with the growing
emergence of hybrid warfare, including cyber-attacks
and misinformation campaigns which seek to subvert
our democracy. To ensure the UK is fully prepared to
deal with these interconnected threats, Labour will
conduct a Strategic Defence Review within our first year
in government, and we will set out the path to spending
2.5 per cent of GDP on defence.
From the Skripal poisonings to assassination plots by the
Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, threats from
hostile states or state-sponsored groups are on the rise,
but Britain lacks a comprehensive framework to protect
us. Labour will take the approach used for dealing with
non-state terrorism and adapt it to deal with state-
based domestic security threats.
Terrorism remains a significant threat. Labour will bring
in 'Martyn's Law' to strengthen the security of public
events and venues. We will update the rules around
counter-extremism, including online, to stop people
being radicalised and drawn towards hateful ideologies.
Labour will also ensure the police and intelligence
services have the powers and resources they need to
protect the British people from terrorism and hostile
espionage.
Secure borders
Britain is a tolerant and compassionate country. We
have a proud tradition of welcoming people fleeing
persecution and abuse. Schemes like Homes for
Ukraine, Hong Kong humanitarian visas, and the Syrian
resettlement programme have provided important
routes for refugees seeking sanctuary. But the system
needs to be controlled and managed and we need
strong borders. The small boats crisis, fuelled by
dangerous criminal smuggler gangs, is undermining our
security and costing lives.
Rather than a serious plan to confront this crisis, the
Conservatives have offered nothing but desperate
gimmicks. Their flagship policy - to fly a tiny number of
asylum seekers to Rwanda - has already cost hundreds
of millions of pounds. Even if it got off the ground, this
scheme can only address fewer than one per cent
of the asylum seekers arriving. It cannot work. Chaos
in the Channel has been matched by chaos at home.
The Conservatives' unworkable laws have created
a 'perma-backlog' of tens of thousands of asylum
seekers, who are indefinitely staying in hotels costing the
taxpayer millions of pounds every week.
Labour will stop the chaos and go after the criminal
gangs who trade in driving this crisis. We will create a
new Border Security Command, with hundreds of new
investigators, intelligence officers, and cross-border
police officers. This will be funded by ending the
wasteful Migration and Economic Development
partnership with Rwanda. This new Command
will work internationally and be supported by new
counter-terrorism style powers, to pursue, disrupt,
and arrest those responsible for the vile trade. We will
seek a new security agreement with the EU to ensure
access to real-time intelligence and enable our policing
teams to lead joint investigations with their European
counterparts.
Labour will turn the page and restore order to the
asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and
fairly; and the rules are properly enforced. We will hire
additional caseworkers to clear the Conservatives'
backlog and end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer
billions of pounds.
Labour will set up a new returns and enforcement unit,
with an additional 1,000 staff, to fast-track removals
to safe countries for people who do not have the
right to stay here. We will negotiate additional returns
arrangements to speed up returns and increase the
number of safe countries that failed asylum seekers can
swiftly be sent back to. And we will also act upstream,
working with international partners to address the
humanitarian crises which lead people to flee their
homes, and to strengthen support for refugees in their
home region.
Economic stability
Every commitment a Labour government makes will be
based on sound money and economic stability. This
is a non-negotiable principle for our changed Labour
Party. Siren voices may claim that there are no limits
on what government can spend, or that tax cuts pay
for themselves. We reject this flawed ideology that was
tested to destruction by the disastrous Conservative
'mini budget'. The British people are still paying the
price of those unfunded commitments through higher
mortgage costs, and taxpayers continue to foot the
bill through higher interest payments, meaning less
money for investment and public services. The impact
was not confined to these shores. The Conservatives'
recklessness sent a signal of instability across the world
that damaged our standing, making Britain a less
attractive place for business to invest.
The chaos is not over. The desperate Conservatives have
now made yet more unfunded tax cuts and spending
promises at a scale beyond the 'mini budget'. This would
be devastating for families across the country.
Labour will turn the page on this economic chaos.
Our approach is based on strong fiscal rules which will
govern every single decision we make in government.
Our fiscal rules are that:
• The current budget moves into balance, so that
day-to-day costs are met by revenues
• Debt must be falling as a share of the economy by the
fifth year of the forecast.
These rules allow for prudent investment in our
economy. This represents a clear break from the
Conservatives who have created an incentive to cut
investment; a short-term approach that ignores the
importance of growing the economy. Labour will strike a
balance between prioritising investment and the urgent
need to rebuild our public finances. There will be no
return to austerity.
Unlike the Conservatives, Labour will never sideline
the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) for political
convenience. Instead, we will strengthen the role of the
OBR. Every fiscal event making significant changes to
taxation or spending will be subject to an independent
OBR forecast.
Labour will safeguard taxpayers' money. We will end the
link between access to ministers and an inside track
for public contracts. We will appoint a fixed-term Covid
Corruption Commissioner and use every means possible
to recoup public money lost in pandemic-related fraud
and from contracts which have not delivered. And we
will not tolerate fraud or waste anywhere, whether in
social security or the excessive use of consultants.
Alongside strong national finances, Britain needs
resilient family finances too. The Conservatives have left
families struggling with the cost of living. Labour will take
action to support families, by tackling the underlying
causes of the crisis.
We will bring down the cost of energy. We will reduce
food prices by removing barriers to businesses trading.
We will make housing more affordable, expand access
to childcare, and make work pay. We will support
families with children by introducing free breakfast clubs
in every primary school. Labour will also keep mortgage
rates as low as possible, with a strong, independent
Bank of England - which will continue to target stable
inflation of 2 per cent.
The Conservatives have raised the tax burden to a
70-year high. We will ensure taxes on working people are
kept as low as possible. Labour will not increase taxes
on working people, which is why we will not increase
National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates
of Income Tax, or VAT.
Labour will address unfairness in the tax system. We
will abolish non-dom status once and for all, replacing
it with a modern scheme for people genuinely in the
country for a short period. We will end the use of offshore
trusts to avoid inheritance tax so that everyone who
makes their home here in the UK pays their taxes
here. Private equity is the only industry where
performance-related pay is treated as capital gains.
Labour will close this loophole.
We will modernise HMRC and change the law to tackle
tax avoidance. We will increase registration and
reporting requirements, strengthen HMRC's powers,
invest in new technology and build capacity within
HMRC. This, combined with a renewed focus on tax
avoidance by large businesses and the wealthy, will
begin to close the tax gap and ensure everyone pays
their fair share.
Labour will stop the chaos, turn the page, and return to
the foundations of national security, secure borders,
and economic stability.
Kickstart economic growth
• Deliver economic stability with tough spending rules
• A new partnership with business to boost growth
everywhere
• A National Wealth Fund to invest in jobs
• Planning reform to build 1.5 million
new homes
• Devolution of power across England
• A New Deal for Working People
Change Labour Party Manifesto 2024
Charlie, cafe owner and former Conservative voter
"Change is overdue. Since we opened our cafe in
June 2020 our gas and electric bill has soared.
Customers are feeling the pinch so some visit us less
often. How can we pass these costs on to customers
when they can't afford to pay more? Continuing like
this will ruin us. I voted Conservative before but the only
way out of this is Labour's plan for economic growth.
Cheaper bills for us and our customers, and that bit of
extra cash to spend. That's the change we need."
RICHARD WALKER OBE
Executive Chairman of Iceland
"Labour's plan for the economy is good news for my
customers and colleagues in high streets across the
country. Labour will bring stability, good jobs and
higher living standards. As a business leader, I am
sick and tired of chaos under the Conservatives. I am
absolutely convinced that Keir Starmer is the leader to
deliver the change this country needs. Labour will end
division, strengthen our communities and protect the
environment. That's why I'll be voting Labour and I urge
you to do the same."
22
Sustained economic growth is the only route to
improving the prosperity of our country and the
living standards of working people. That is why it is
Labour's first mission for government. It means being
pro-business and pro-worker. We are the party of
wealth creation.
This election follows the chaos of the Conservatives'
'mini-budget' and an unprecedented fall in living
standards. Their miserable economic record over the
past 14 years has seen productivity and wages flatlining,
leaving British families significantly poorer than those in
France or Germany.
This decline is rooted in two failures.
First, an inability to accept that a strong economy can
only be built on the contribution of every community
and every person - the many not the few. Second, a
failure to acknowledge that sustainable growth requires
government to be a strategic partner with business -
that markets must be shaped, not merely served.
These twin failures have led to greater economic
insecurity - in the financial resilience of households,
but also in our national economy - at the very time
when our world has become less stable and secure.
The Conservatives have failed to grasp the implications
of a new era of rising global competition and tension,
instead leaving our economy on an increasingly shallow
and insecure footing.
It is time to turn the page. Labour will restore stability,
increase investment, and reform our economy.
We will embrace a new approach to economic
management - securonomics - that understands
sustainable growth relies on a broad base and resilient
foundations. Our approach will depend on a dynamic
and strategic state. This does not mean ever-growing
government, but it does mean a more active, smarter
government that works in partnership with business,
trade unions, local leaders, and devolved governments.
Labour will stop the chaos and support business through
a stable policy environment - strengthening our
economic institutions, and giving investors the certainty
they need to fuel growth. Labour will seek involvement
from industry, trade unions, and civil society in our plans
for growth, so they can contribute to building a stronger
economy in all parts of the country. We will strategically
use public investment where it can unlock additional
private sector investment, create jobs, and provide a
return for taxpayers.
While stability and greater investment will support
growth, parts of our economy require substantial reform
if we are to create the wealth our country needs. Britain
is hampered by a planning regime that means we
struggle to build either the infrastructure or housing the
country needs.
The country remains too centralised, with the economic
potential of too many regions and communities ignored.
Our labour market fails to provide secure jobs and, as a
result, for far too many people work does not pay.
The innovation, dynamism and sheer hard work of
British business and workers has never been in question.
The next Labour government will partner with them to
kickstart economic growth and rebuild Britain.
Strategic partnership through industrial strategy
Labour will introduce a new industrial strategy. Our
approach will be mission-driven and focused on the
future. We will work in partnership with industry to seize
opportunities and remove barriers to growth. Critically,
we will end short-term economic policy making with
the establishment of an Industrial Strategy Council, on
a statutory footing, to provide expert advice. We will
ensure representation on the Council from all nations
and regions, business and trade unions, to drive
economic growth in all parts of the country.
Labour will take a sectoral approach and be
clear-eyed about where the UK enjoys advantages
over other countries. Our approach will back what
makes Britain great: our excellent research institutions,
professional services, advanced manufacturing, and
creative industries. We will ensure a pro-business
environment, with a competition and regulatory
framework, that supports innovation, investment, and
high-quality jobs. Procurement and trade policy will also
be aligned with our industrial strategy priorities.
Financial services are one of Britain's greatest success
stories. Labour will create the conditions to support
innovation and growth in the sector, through supporting
new technology, including Open Banking and Open
Finance and ensuring a pro-innovation regulatory
framework.
Our other great British industries need certainty over
the policies that will apply to them. In opposition, Labour
has worked with the automotive, life sciences, and
creative sectors, on the approach we will take to policy. In
government, we will set out plans for these and other vital
sectors of the economy.
Boosting investment
Business has for too long been hampered by a
government that does not work with it. As a result,
investment in the UK is too low. To address this long-
standing problem Labour will use every available lever.
Public investment, where it supports and de-risks
additional private investment, is one important tool being
used successfully across the world. It can create good jobs
across the country and would mean British taxpayers can
reap the benefits of economic growth. To realise these
opportunities Labour will establish a National Wealth Fund.
Capitalised with £7.3 billion over the course of the next
Parliament, the National Wealth Fund will have a remit
to support Labour's growth and clean energy missions,
making transformative investments across every part
of the country. The fund will have a target of attracting
three pounds of private investment for every one pound
of public investment, creating jobs across the country.
We plan to allocate:
• £1.8 billion to upgrade ports and build supply chains
across the UK
• £1.5 billion to new gigafactories so our automotive
industry leads the world
• £2.5 billion to rebuild our steel industry
• £1 billion to accelerate the deployment of carbon
capture
• £500 million to support the manufacturing of green
hydrogen.
Labour will also act to increase investment from pension
funds in UK markets. We will adopt reforms to ensure
that workplace pension schemes take advantage of
consolidation and scale, to deliver better returns for UK
savers and greater productive investment for UK PLC. We
will also undertake a review of the pensions landscape
to consider what further steps are needed to improve
pension outcomes and increase investment in UK
markets.
Business taxation
The business tax regime matters for investors. It is not
just the rates of tax that matter, but also certainty. Under
the Conservatives there has been constant chopping
and changing - corporation tax has changed 26 times
- and multiple fiscal events have made drastic changes
often at little notice.
Labour will stop the chaos, and turn the page with a
strategic approach that gives certainty and allows
long-term planning. We are committed to one major
fiscal event a year, giving families and businesses due
warning of tax and spending policies. We will publish a
roadmap for business taxation for the next parliament
which will allow businesses to plan investments with
confidence.
Labour will cap corporation tax at the current level of 25
per cent, the lowest in the G7, for the entire parliament,
and we will act if tax changes in other countries pose a
risk to UK competitiveness. We will retain a permanent
full expensing system for capital investment and the
annual investment allowance for small business. And
we will give firms greater clarity on what qualifies for
allowances to improve business investment decisions.
The current business rates system disincentivises
investment, creates uncertainty and places an undue
burden on our high streets. In England, Labour will
replace the business rates system, so we can raise the
same revenue but in a fairer way. This new system will
level the playing field between the high street and online
giants, better incentivise investment, tackle empty
properties and support entrepreneurship.
Economic infrastructure
Britain is grinding to a halt. Rail cancellations are at
record levels, energy prices have risen faster here than
in any other country in Western Europe, and not a single
reservoir has been built in the last 30 years. This is not an
accident. Conservative chaos has seen major projects
abandoned, decades-long delays, cost overruns,
uncertainty for supply chains, and our infrastructure
crumbling.
Labour will end this chaos by developing a ten-year
infrastructure strategy, aligned with our industrial
strategy and regional development priorities, including
improving rail connectivity across the north of England.
The strategy will guide investment plans and give the
private sector certainty about the project pipeline. We
will work closely with business to map and address
the delivery challenges we face. We will create a new
National Infrastructure and Service Transformation
Authority, bringing together existing bodies, to set
strategic infrastructure priorities and oversee the design,
scope, and delivery of projects.
The current planning regime acts as a major brake
on economic growth. Labour will make the changes
we need to forge ahead with new roads, railways,
reservoirs, and other nationally significant infrastructure.
We will set out new national policy statements, make
major projects faster and cheaper by slashing red
tape, and build support for developments by ensuring
communities directly benefit. We will also update
national planning policy to ensure the planning system
meets the needs of a modern economy, making it
easier to build laboratories, digital infrastructure, and
gigafactories. Labour will ensure economic regulation
supports growth and investment, promotes competition,
works for consumers, and enables innovation.
In an ever more connected world, Britain's
communication network is also vital. Under the
Conservatives, investment in 5G is falling behind other
countries and the rollout of gigabit broadband has
been slow. Labour will make a renewed push to fulfil the
ambition of full gigabit and national 5G coverage by
2030.
Royal Mail remains a key part of the UK's infrastructure.
Labour will ensure that any proposed takeover is
robustly scrutinised and that appropriate guarantees
are forthcoming that protect the interests of the
workforce, customers and the United Kingdom, including
the need to maintain a comprehensive universal service
obligation.
Labour will also explore new business and governance
models for Royal Mail so that workers and customers who
rely on Royal Mail services can have a stronger voice in
the governance and strategic direction of the company.
A modern transport network
Rebuilding Britain means modernising our transport
infrastructure. Our road network is plagued by long-
promised projects that are never delivered. The potholes
cratering our roads are a visible sign of the decline after
14 years of Conservative rule.
Cars remain by far the most popular form of transport.
Labour will maintain and renew our road network, to
ensure it serves drivers, cyclists and other road users,
remains safe, and tackles congestion. We will fix an
additional one million potholes across England in each
year of the next parliament, funded by deferring the
A27 bypass, which is poor value for money. Labour will
further support drivers by tackling the soaring cost of car
insurance. And, as set out in our automotive sector plan,
Labour will support the transition to electric vehicles by
accelerating the roll out of charge points, giving certainty
to manufacturers by restoring the phase-out date of
2030 for new cars with internal combustion engines,
and supporting buyers of second-hand electric cars by
standardising the information supplied on the condition
of batteries.
Labour will overhaul Britain's railways. Fourteen years
of Conservative neglect have failed passengers,
businesses and taxpayers. We will put passengers at
the heart of the service by reforming the railways and
bringing them into public ownership. We will do this as
contracts with existing operators expire or are broken
through a failure to deliver, without costing taxpayers a
penny in compensation. Great British Railways will deliver
a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable,
high-quality, and efficient services; along with ensuring
safety and accessibility. It will be responsible for
investment, day-to-day operational delivery and
innovations and improvements for passengers, working
with publicly-owned rail operators in Wales and Scotland.
Mayors will have a role in designing the services in their
areas. There will be a duty to promote and grow the use
of rail freight. Open access operators are an important
part of the rail system and will have an ongoing role.
Labour will also create a tough new passenger watchdog,
focused on driving up standards.
Local communities have lost control over their bus routes.
Fares have increased, routes have disappeared, and
services are unreliable. Building on the work of Labour
mayors, we will reform the broken system through new
powers for local leaders to franchise local bus services,
and we will lift the ban on municipal ownership. This will
give local communities in England control over routes
and schedules.
Under the Conservatives, transport services have
remained fragmented and inefficient with companies
and sectors failing to speak to and plan with each
other. Labour will give mayors the power to create
unified and integrated transport systems, allowing for
more seamless journeys, and to promote active travel
networks. Labour will also develop a long-term strategy
for transport, ensuring transport infrastructure can be
delivered efficiently and on time. Labour will secure
the UK aviation industry's long-term future, including
through promoting sustainable aviation fuels, and
encouraging airspace modernisation.
Driving innovation
Delivering growth and raising productivity depend
on fresh thinking and new ideas. Britain has many
cutting-edge businesses, but innovation needs to be
converted into commercial success in every corner of
our country. Labour will make Britain the best place to
start and grow a business.
We will ensure our industrial strategy supports the
development of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector,
removes planning barriers to new datacentres.
And we will create a National Data Library to bring
together existing research programmes and help deliver
data-driven public services, whilst maintaining strong
safeguards and ensuring all of the public benefit.
Labour will scrap short funding cycles for key R&D
institutions in favour of ten-year budgets that allow
meaningful partnerships with industry to keep the
UK at the forefront of global innovation. We will work
with universities to support spinouts; and work with
industry to ensure start-ups have the access to
finance they need to grow. We will also simplify the
procurement process to support innovation and reduce
micromanagement with a mission-driven approach.
Regulators are currently ill-equipped to deal with the
dramatic development of new technologies, which often
cut across traditional industries and sectors. Labour
will create a new Regulatory Innovation Office, bringing
together existing functions across government. This
office will help regulators update regulation, speed
up approval timelines, and co-ordinate issues that
span existing boundaries. Labour will ensure the safe
development and use of AI models by introducing
binding regulation on the handful of companies
developing the most powerful AI models and by banning
the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes.
Labour will support diverse business models which
bring innovation and new products to the market. This
includes the co-operative sector, and we will aim to
double the size of the UK's co-operative and mutuals
sector. We will work with the sector to address the
barriers they face, such as accessing finance.
Support for small business and the self-employed
Labour's plan for economic growth has been developed
for all UK businesses. But small firms, entrepreneurs, and
the self-employed face unique challenges. That is why,
in partnership, Labour has developed a plan for small
businesses - the lifeblood of communities and high
streets across the country.
We will take action on late payments to ensure small
businesses and the self-employed are paid on time. We
will improve guidance and remove barriers to exporting
for small businesses. Reform of the British Business Bank,
including a stronger mandate to support growth in the
regions and nations, will make it easier for small and
medium sized enterprises to access capital. We will also
reform procurement rules to give them greater access
to government contracts.
The Post Office is an essential service in communities
across the country. Labour will look for ways to
strengthen the Post Office network, in consultation with
sub-postmasters, trade unions and customers, and
support the development of new products, services
and business models, such as banking hubs, that will
help reinvigorate the high street. We will also ensure
justice and compensation are delivered swiftly for those
sub-postmasters shamefully affected by the Horizon IT
scandal.
Get Britain building again
The dream of homeownership is now out of reach for
too many young people. The Conservatives have failed
to act even though the housing crisis is well known
to be one of the country's biggest barriers to growth.
Labour will get Britain building again, creating jobs
across England, with 1.5 million new homes over the next
parliament.
We will immediately update the National Policy Planning
Framework to undo damaging Conservative changes,
including restoring mandatory housing targets. We will
take tough action to ensure that planning authorities
have up-to-date Local Plans and reform and strengthen
the presumption in favour of sustainable development.
Labour will support local authorities by funding
additional planning officers, through increasing the rate
of the stamp duty surcharge paid by non-UK residents.
We will ensure local communities continue to shape
housebuilding in their area, but where necessary Labour
will not be afraid to make full use of intervention powers
to build the houses we need.
Labour will take a brownfield first approach, prioritising
the development of previously used land wherever
possible, and fast-tracking approval of urban brownfield
sites. But brownfield development alone will not be
enough to meet our housing need.
Labour is committed to preserving the green belt which
has served England's towns and cities well over many
decades. Under the Conservatives, greenbelt land is
regularly released for development but haphazardly and
often for speculative housebuilding. Without changing
its purpose or general extent, Labour will take a more
strategic approach to greenbelt land designation
and release to build more homes in the right places.
The release of lower quality 'grey belt' land will be
prioritised and we will introduce 'golden rules' to ensure
development benefits communities and nature.
In partnership with local leaders and communities,
a Labour government will build a new generation of
new towns, inspired by the proud legacy of the 1945
Labour government. Alongside urban extensions and
regeneration projects, these will form part of a series of
large-scale new communities across England.
Housing need in England cannot be met without
planning for growth on a larger than local scale
so we will introduce effective new mechanisms for
cross-boundary strategic planning. Labour will require
all Combined and Mayoral Authorities to strategically
plan for housing growth in their areas. We will give
Combined Authorities new planning powers along with
new freedoms and flexibilities to make better use of
grant funding.
Labour will further reform compulsory purchase
compensation rules to improve land assembly, speed
up site delivery, and deliver housing, infrastructure,
amenity, and transport benefits in the public interest.
We will take steps to ensure that for specific types of
development schemes, landowners are awarded fair
compensation rather than inflated prices based on the
prospect of planning permission.
Labour will deliver the biggest increase in social
and affordable housebuilding in a generation. We
will strengthen planning obligations to ensure new
developments provide more affordable homes; make
changes to the Affordable Homes Programme to ensure
that it delivers more homes from existing funding; and
support councils and housing associations to build their
capacity and make a greater contribution to affordable
housing supply. Labour will prioritise the building of new
social rented homes and better protect our existing
stock by reviewing the increased right to buy discounts
introduced in 2012 and increasing protections on
newly-built social housing.
Labour wants exemplary development to be the norm
not the exception. We will take steps to ensure we
are building more high-quality, well-designed, and
sustainable homes and creating places that increase
climate resilience and promote nature recovery. We will
implement solutions to unlock the building of homes
affected by nutrient neutrality without weakening
environmental protections.
Labour will work with local authorities to give first-time
buyers the first chance to buy homes and end the farce
of entire developments being sold off to international
investors before houses are even built. And we will
introduce a permanent, comprehensive mortgage
guarantee scheme, to support first-time buyers who
struggle to save for a large deposit, with lower mortgage
costs.
Economic growth across the country
Every town and city across the country has a vital
contribution to make to our economy. But too many
areas have been held back because decisions are often
taken in Westminster, and not by local leaders who
understand local ambitions and strengths. This means
we fail to make the most of the contribution everyone
can make, hampering economic growth. So, Labour
will transfer power out of Westminster, and into our
communities, with landmark devolution legislation to
take back control.
In England, Labour will deepen devolution settlements
for existing Combined Authorities. We will also widen
devolution to more areas, encouraging local authorities
to come together and take on new powers. Towns
and cities will be able to take hold of the tools they
need to pursue growth, create jobs, and improve living
standards. Local areas will be able to gain new powers
over transport, adult education and skills, housing and
planning, and employment support. We will ensure those
places have the strong governance arrangements,
capacity, and capability to deliver, providing central
support where needed.
At the centre of our approach is a new statutory
requirement for Local Growth Plans that cover towns
and cities across the country. Local leaders will work
with major employers, universities, colleges, and
industry bodies to produce long-term plans that identify
growth sectors and put in place the programmes and
infrastructure they need to thrive. These will align with
our national industrial strategy.
Labour will review the governance arrangements for
Combined Authorities to unblock decision making. We
will provide greater flexibility with integrated settlements
for Mayoral Combined Authorities that can show
exemplary management of public money. On housing
and planning we will seek to consolidate powers to allow
for improved decision making.
Our approach will require partnership with local
authorities. Local government is facing acute financial
challenges because of the Conservatives' economic
mismanagement which sent interest rates soaring,
along with their failures on public services. To provide
greater stability, a Labour government will give councils
multi-year funding settlements and end wasteful
competitive bidding. We recognise good jobs deliver
better services that local communities can rely on.
Labour will provide capacity and support to councils,
and will overhaul the local audit system, so taxpayers
get better value for money.
Improving public services is essential to growing our
economy across the country. Public service workers
have a critical role to play, but services are suffering
from recruitment and retention crises. Labour will act
to improve public service workers' living standards
throughout the parliament, and ensure any independent
mechanisms have the confidence of all involved.
Labour will also work with the Scottish and Welsh
Governments, and the Northern Ireland Executive, to
drive growth across the country. Our industrial strategy
will support successful industries across all nations of
the UK.
A fair and properly managed immigration system
People who have come to the UK to work make a
substantial contribution to our economy, our public
services, and our communities.
But under the Conservatives, our economy has become
overly dependent on workers from abroad to fill skills
shortages. As a result, we have seen net migration reach
record highs; more than triple the level than at the
last election in 2019. The overall level must be properly
controlled and managed. Failure to do so reduces the
incentives for businesses to train locally. So, Labour will
reduce net migration.
We will reform the points-based immigration system so
that it is fair and properly managed, with appropriate
restrictions on visas, and by linking immigration and
skills policy. Labour will not tolerate employers or
recruitment agencies abusing the visa system. And
we will not stand for breaches of employment law.
Employers who flout the rules will be barred from hiring
workers from abroad.
Conservative policy is incoherent, with decisions
on migration, skills and sectoral pay determined in
isolation. Labour will bring joined-up thinking, ensuring
that migration to address skills shortages triggers a
plan to upskill workers and improve working conditions
in the UK. We will strengthen the Migration Advisory
Committee, and establish a framework for joint working
with skills bodies across the UK, the Industrial Strategy
Council and the Department for Work and Pensions. We
will end the long-term reliance on overseas workers in
some parts of the economy by bringing in workforce and
training plans for sectors such as health and social care,
and construction.
The days of a sector languishing endlessly on
immigration shortage lists with no action to train up
workers will come to an end.
Supporting people into work
Too many people are out of work or not earning
enough. Long waits for treatment of health conditions,
particularly mental health, are contributing to the rise
in economic inactivity. Labour will reform employment
support so it drives growth and opportunity. Our system
will be underpinned by rights and responsibilities -
people who can work, should work - and there will
be consequences for those who do not fulfil their
obligations.
We will bring Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers
Service together to provide a national jobs and careers
service, focused on getting people into work and helping
them get on at work. We will ensure the service is
responsive to local employers, inclusive for all users,
and works in partnership with other local services.
Labour will work with local areas to create plans to
support more disabled people and those with health
conditions into work. We will devolve funding so local
areas can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills
offer for local people. We will tackle the backlog of
Access to Work claims and give disabled people the
confidence to start working without the fear of an
immediate benefit reassessment if it does not work
out. We believe the Work Capability Assessment is
not working and needs to be reformed or replaced,
alongside a proper plan to support disabled people to
work.
One in eight young people are not in education,
employment, or training, with those lacking good
qualifications and with poor mental health facing
particular disadvantages. Drawing together existing
funding and entitlements, Labour will establish a youth
guarantee of access to training, an apprenticeship, or
support to find work for all 18- to 21-year-olds, to bring
down the number of young people who are not learning
or earning. We will also guarantee two weeks' worth of
work experience for every young person, and improve
careers advice in schools and colleges.
We will work with the Scottish and Welsh Governments,
and Mayors and Combined Authorities in England, to
ensure all aspects of our new approach to Jobcentre
Plus and employment support partner effectively with
devolved provision, to offer the best opportunities for
people right across the country.
Making work pay
Greater in-work security, better pay, and more
autonomy in the workplace improve the lives of working
people and bring substantial economic benefits.
Britain's outdated employment laws are not fit for the
modern economy, and recent Conservative legislation
has fuelled hostility and confrontation leading to the
worst period in industrial relations since the 1980s.
For too many people a job does not offer the route out
of poverty it should: either because work is insecure,
inflexible, or low paid; or because people face barriers
when trying to move into a better job. Responsible
businesses face being undercut when rights are not
enforced properly.
Labour will stop the chaos and turn the page to create
a partnership between business and trade unions,
by implementing 'Labour's Plan to Make Work Pay:
Delivering a New Deal for Working People' in full -
introducing legislation within 100 days. We will consult
fully with businesses, workers, and civil society on
how to put our plans into practice before legislation is
passed. This will include banning exploitative zero hours
contracts; ending fire and rehire; and introducing basic
rights from day one to parental leave, sick pay, and
protection from unfair dismissal. We will strengthen the
collective voice of workers, including through their trade
unions, and create a Single Enforcement Body to ensure
employment rights are upheld. These changes will
improve the lives of working people across the entire UK.
Labour will also make sure the minimum wage is a
genuine living wage. We will change the remit of the
independent Low Pay Commission so for the first time it
accounts for the cost of living. Labour will also remove
the discriminatory age bands, so all adults are entitled
to the same minimum wage, delivering a pay rise to
hundreds of thousands of workers across the UK.
Labour will stop the chaos, turn the page, and kickstart
economic growth by reforming our economy.
Make Britain a clean energy superpower
• Set up Great British Energy to cut bills for good
• Energy independence from dictators like Putin
• 650,000 new high-quality jobs
• Warmer homes to slash fuel poverty
• Water companies forced to clean up our rivers
Gary, pensioner
"Energy bills have shot up so much. I've lived in this
house all my life and I've never struggled this much to
keep warm. I can only afford to heat one room with a
small portable heater. Sometimes I sleep in my armchair
to save money. It's no way to live. Labour is the only
party with a proper plan to cut energy bills for good and
get us back on track. The savings people will get through
things like Great British Energy will make a real difference
to me. No question."
SIR PATRICK VALLANCE
Former Chief Scientific Adviser
"A national mission for clean power by 2030 is
achievable and should be prioritised. We desperately
need to end the era of high energy bills, excessive
carbon emissions and energy insecurity by accelerating
the transition to clean, homegrown energy. Britain
can lead on this by treating this mission like the
vaccine challenge. We can be the innovators and the
implementers, helping ourselves and exporting our
solutions worldwide. But if we choose to go slowly, others
will provide the answers, and ultimately we'll end up
buying these solutions rather than selling them."
The climate and nature crisis is the greatest long-
term global challenge that we face. The clean energy
transition represents a huge opportunity to generate
growth, tackle the cost-of-living crisis and make Britain
energy independent once again. That is why clean
energy by 2030 is Labour's second mission.
The Conservatives have failed to grasp opportunities
in this area for two related reasons. First, because they
simply do not accept that economic growth, energy
security, lower bills, and addressing climate change
can be complementary. Second, because they are
ideologically opposed to using the role of the state,
including public investment, to guarantee that they are.
The damage done by 14 years of chaotic 'sticking
plaster' policies was exposed when Putin invaded
Ukraine. The cost of fossil fuel energy on the international
market rocketed. The Conservatives' ban on new
onshore wind, failure to build new nuclear power
stations, and decision to scrap investment in home
insulation landed British families with amongst the
highest energy bills in Europe. That is just one way we
are paying the price. While countries around the world
are racing ahead to claim the jobs and wealth that the
transition offers, Britain is losing out.
But it is not too late to stop the chaos and turn the page.
We have tremendous untapped advantages: our long
coast-line, high winds, shallow waters, universities, and
skilled offshore workforce combined with our extensive
technological and engineering capabilities. With a
serious industrial strategy and a genuine partnership
between the public and private sectors, we can still
make Britain a clean energy superpower.
Labour will take decisive action to seize this economic
opportunity. We will shape markets and use public
investment to crowd in private funding. At the heart of
our approach will be our Green Prosperity Plan where, in
partnership with business through our National Wealth
Fund, we will invest in the industries of the future. Our
plan will create 650,000 jobs across the country by 2030.
We will end the chaotic Conservative chopping and
changing on policy, harness clean power to boost our
energy security, and invest in home insulation upgrades.
We will save families hundreds of pounds on their bills,
not just in the short term, but for good.
We will provide leadership at home so we can influence
others to ensure every country plays their part in
meeting our collective obligations to future generations.
At home we will also tackle the Conservatives' nature
emergency, including the unforgivable pollution of
our rivers and seas. We will improve access to nature,
promote biodiversity, and protect our landscapes and
wildlife.
Labour understands the road ahead. We have been
clear that this transition presents an opportunity to
create good jobs, with no community left behind,
and support well-paying jobs in existing and future
industries. The Conservatives propose an alternative
course. A denial of reality; delaying action; increasing
costs for Britain; exposing us to insecurity; and a failure
to win the jobs of the future. They tried this chaotic
approach in the 1970s and 80s, and communities are
still scarred by what happened. That is the choice facing
Britain.
Clean power by 2030
Families and businesses will have lower bills for good,
from a zero-carbon electricity system. We have chosen
this mission not because it is easy, but because working
people can never again be left vulnerable to dictators
like Putin.
To deliver our clean power mission, Labour will
work with the private sector to double onshore wind,
triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by
2030. We will invest in carbon capture and storage,
hydrogen and marine energy, and ensure we have the
long-term energy storage our country needs. A new
Energy Independence Act will establish the framework
for Labour's energy and climate policies.
Labour will end a decade of dithering that has seen the
Conservatives duck decisions on nuclear power. We will
ensure the long-term security of the sector, extending
the lifetime of existing plants, and we will get Hinkley
Point C over the line. New nuclear power stations, such
as Sizewell C, and Small Modular Reactors, will play an
important role in helping the UK achieve energy security
and clean power while securing thousands of good,
skilled jobs.
Labour will maintain a strategic reserve of gas power
stations to guarantee security of supply. We will ensure a
phased and responsible transition in the North Sea that
recognises the proud history of our offshore industry and
the brilliance of its workforce, particularly in Scotland
and the North East of England, and the ongoing role of oil
and gas in our energy mix.
We will embrace the future of energy production
and storage which will make use of existing offshore
infrastructure and the skills of our offshore workforce.
Labour will not revoke existing licences and we will
partner with business and workers to manage our
existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan. Crucially,
oil and gas production in the North Sea will be with us for
decades to come, and the North Sea will be managed
in a way that does not jeopardise jobs. And our offshore
workers will lead the world in the industries of the future.
We will not issue new licences to explore new fields
because they will not take a penny off bills, cannot make
us energy secure, and will only accelerate the worsening
climate crisis. In addition, we will not grant new coal
licences and will ban fracking for good.
To support investment in this plan, Labour will close the
loopholes in the windfall tax on oil and gas companies.
Companies have benefitted from enormous profits not
because of their ingenuity or investment, but because of
an energy shock which raised prices for British families.
Labour will therefore extend the sunset clause in the
Energy Profits Levy until the end of the next parliament.
We will also increase the rate of the levy by three
percentage points, as well as removing the unjustifiably
generous investment allowances. Labour will also retain
the Energy Security Investment Mechanism.
Switch on Great British Energy
To drive forward investment in clean, home-grown
energy production, Labour will create a new
publicly-owned company, Great British Energy. It will be
owned by the British people and deliver power back to
the British people.
Great British Energy will partner with industry and
trade unions to deliver clean power by co-investing in
leading technologies; will help support capital-intensive
projects; and will deploy local energy production to
benefit communities across the country. To support this,
Labour will capitalise Great British Energy with
£8.3 billion, over the next parliament.
The company will create jobs and build supply chains in
every corner of the UK. Scotland will be the powerhouse
of our clean energy mission, with Great British Energy
headquartered there.
Local power generation is an essential part of the energy
mix and reduces pressures on the transmission grid.
Labour will deploy more distributed production capacity
through our Local Power Plan. Great British Energy will
partner with energy companies, local authorities, and
co-operatives to install thousands of clean power
projects, through a combination of onshore wind, solar,
and hydropower projects. We will invite communities to
come forward with projects, and work with local leaders
and devolved governments to ensure local people
benefit directly from this energy production.
Energy system reform
Under the Conservatives, the broken energy market
has let customers down. The government has allowed
scandalous abuses on their watch, including poor
customer service, companies going to the wall with
the costs falling on billpayers, and the mass forced
installation of pre-payment meters.
Labour will ensure a much tougher system of regulation
that puts consumers first and attracts the investment
needed to cut bills. Too much of the burden of the
bill is on standing charges and we will work with the
regulator to reduce them. We will strengthen the
regulator to ensure it can hold companies to account for
wrongdoing, require higher standards of performance,
and ensure there is automatic customer compensation
for failure.
The national grid has become the single biggest
obstacle to the deployment of cheap, clean power
generation and the electrification of industry. With grid
connection dates not being offered until the late 2030s,
important business and infrastructure investment
is being stalled or lost overseas. Labour will work
with industry to upgrade our national transmission
infrastructure and rewire Britain.
High-quality jobs
As Britain becomes a clean energy superpower, Labour
is determined that we will create new high-quality jobs,
working with business and trade unions, as we manage
the transition. We will rebuild supply chains at home.
And, as the first major economy to transition to a
clean-energy system, we will export the technologies of
the future.
Labour's National Wealth Fund will directly invest in
ports, hydrogen and industrial clusters in every corner
of the country. We will also secure the future of Britain's
automotive and steel industries.
We will reward clean energy developers with a British
Jobs Bonus, allocating up to £500 million per year from
2026, to incentivise firms who offer good jobs, terms and
conditions and build their manufacturing supply chains
in our industrial heartlands, coastal areas, and energy
communities.
Labour will end the injustice of the Mineworkers' Pension
Scheme. We will review the unfair surplus arrangements
and transfer the Investment Reserve Fund back to
members, so that the mineworkers who powered our
country receive a fairer pension.
Warm homes plan
The energy shock of recent years has highlighted the
urgent importance of improving energy efficiency in
British homes. Labour will invest an extra £6.6 billion
over the next parliament, doubling the existing planned
government investment, to upgrade five million homes
to cut bills for families.
The Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest
loans to support investment in insulation and other
improvements such as solar panels, batteries and
low carbon heating to cut bills. We will partner with
combined authorities, local and devolved governments,
to roll out this plan. Labour will also work with the private
sector, including banks and building societies, to provide
further private finance to accelerate home upgrades
and low carbon heating. We will ensure homes in the
private rented sector meet minimum energy efficiency
standards by 2030, saving renters hundreds of pounds
per year. Nobody will be forced to rip out their boiler as a
result of our plans.
Labour will save families hundreds of pounds, slash
fuel poverty, and get Britain back on track to meet our
climate targets. Our plan will mean good skilled jobs for
tradespeople in every part of the country.
Accelerating to net zero
British industry is also held back by high electricity costs,
which has often made investing here uncompetitive.
Labour's clean energy mission will drive down those bills,
making British businesses internationally competitive
while our National Wealth Fund supports the most
energy intensive sectors to decarbonise.
Labour supports the introduction of a carbon border
adjustment mechanism. This will protect British
industries as we decarbonise, prevent countries from
dumping lower-quality goods into British markets, and
support the UK to meet our climate objectives.
Labour will ensure the institutional framework for policy
making reflects our commitments to reach net zero and
meet our carbon budgets. The Conservatives' decision
to prevent the Bank of England giving due consideration
to climate change in its mandates will be reversed.
Britain's world-leading financial services industry has
a major role to play in mobilising trillions of pounds
in private capital to address the greatest long-term
challenge of our age. Labour will make the UK the green
finance capital of the world, mandating UK-regulated
financial institutions - including banks, asset managers,
pension funds, and insurers - and FTSE 100 companies
to develop and implement credible transition plans that
align with the 1.5oC goal of the Paris Agreement.
Improving resilience
Preparing for the future not only means tackling the
climate and nature emergencies, but also adapting to
the changes they will bring to our environment. Without
action, flooding and coastal erosion will pose greater
risks to lives, livelihoods and people's wellbeing. The
Conservatives' poor risk management, and a disjointed
approach across government and regulators have left
Britain badly exposed.
Labour will improve resilience and preparation across
central government, local authorities, local communities,
and emergency services. This includes formally working
with all stakeholders in the Fire and Rescue services to
inform policy and establish national standards.
Protecting nature
The climate crisis has accelerated the nature crisis.
Whilst Britain enjoys remarkable natural beauty, the
Conservatives have left Britain one of the most
nature-depleted countries in the world. Labour will
deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment
Act targets, and will work in partnership with civil society,
communities and business to restore and protect our
natural world.
As part of our plans to improve responsible access to
nature, Labour will create nine new National River Walks,
one in each region of England, and establish three new
National Forests in England, whilst planting millions of
trees and creating new woodlands. Labour will expand
nature-rich habitats such as wetlands, peat bogs
and forests so families can explore and wildlife can
thrive, including on public land. Labour is committed to
reducing waste by moving to a circular economy.
Clean water
Britain's coasts, rivers, and lakes are being polluted by
illegal sewage dumping. The Conservatives have turned
a blind eye and weakened rather than strengthened
regulation, with serious damage being done to our
countryside, our tourism industry, and people's health.
Labour will put failing water companies under special
measures to clean up our water. We will give regulators
new powers to block the payment of bonuses to
executives who pollute our waterways and bring
criminal charges against persistent law breakers. We will
impose automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing and
ensure independent monitoring of every outlet
Supporting British farmers
Labour recognises that food security is national security.
That is why we will champion British farming whilst
protecting the environment. We will set a target for half
of all food purchased across the public sector to be
locally produced or certified to higher environmental
standards. We will introduce a land-use framework and
make environment land management schemes work for
farmers and nature. And we will work with farmers and
scientists on measures to eradicate Bovine TB, protecting
livelihoods, so that we can end the ineffective badger cull.
Stronger animal welfare
Labour will improve animal welfare. We will ban trail
hunting and the import of hunting trophies. We will end
puppy smuggling and farming, along with the use of
snare traps. And we will partner with scientists, industry,
and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of
animal testing.
Labour will end the climate and energy chaos, turn the
page on 14 years of failed policies, and make Britain a
clean energy superpower.
Take back our streets
• Crack down on antisocial behaviour with more
neighbourhood police
• Tough new penalties for offenders
• A plan to get knives off our streets
• A specialist rape unit in every police force
• A new network of Young Futures hubs
Nour: sister, aunt and campaigner for Raneem's Law
"On the night my niece Raneem Oudeh and her mother
were murdered they called 999 not once, not twice, not
three times, but four times. No one came. Raneem faced
abuse, stalking and threats to kill from her ex-partner.
She repeatedly asked the police for help. But nothing
was done. No woman should ever be ignored like this.
And this was preventable. It's the result of police cuts
and the Conservatives serving themselves. As Director
of Public Prosecutions Keir gave victims a voice in the
justice system. I'm backing Labour's plan to halve levels
of violence against women and girls within a decade."
GAVIN THOMAS
Former Detective Chief Superintendent and Former
President of the Police Superintendents Association
"Labour has serious and credible plans to take back
our streets, with ambitious missions to halve serious
violence - including knife crime - finally tackle the
scrouge of violence against women and girls, and
rebuild public confidence in policing by getting bobbies
back on the beat. These plans will require us to do things
differently and to work hard to offer better protection to
our communities. But they can only happen if you vote
for them."
Labour has a straightforward vision for policing and
criminal justice.
When you call the police, they should come. When you
report a crime, it should be properly investigated no
matter who you are, or where you live. Police should
have the trust of communities. Victims must have
faith that justice will be delivered, and criminals will be
punished. Prisons should not be academies of crime.
These are not outlandish expectations. They are the
basics of a safe, secure, law-abiding society.
Sadly, this vision is a world away from Britain today.
Our sense of security has been badly eroded. Serious
violence is too high. Growing numbers of young people
are drawn into gangs, drug dealing and violence at
ever earlier ages. Antisocial behaviour blights our town
and city centres. Fewer criminals are being caught and
punished. More victims are being let down.
This is not an accident, but the result of Conservative
choices over the last 14 years. Community policing has
been downgraded, with neighbourhood officers pulled
off the beat to plug shortages elsewhere, weakening
connections with communities they serve. Trust in
the police has been undermined by failures in vetting
and appalling misconduct of some officers. Powers to
combat antisocial behaviour and shoplifting have been
weakened, leaving our town centres exposed. Our justice
system has been allowed to grind to a halt.
This must change. Labour will restore neighbourhood
policing with thousands of extra officers, and we will
equip officers with the powers they need. We will tackle
the epidemic of serious violence, with a greater focus
on prevention, including by holding those companies
and executives cashing in on knife crime personally to
account. We will no longer tolerate the violence against
women and girls that stains our society. And we will
reform the justice system to put the needs of victims
first, tackle the prisons crisis and cut reoffending.
In short, Labour will stop the Conservative chaos and
return law and order to our streets.
Visible neighbourhood policing
Visible neighbourhood policing was the cornerstone of
the British consent-based model. In too many areas it
has been eroded, leaving the police a reactive service
focused on crisis response, rather than preventing crime.
Labour will introduce a new Neighbourhood Policing
Guarantee, restoring patrols to our town centres by
recruiting thousands of new police officers, police and
community support officers, and special constables.
Communities and residents will have a named officer to
turn to when things go wrong.
These new recruits will be paid for by tackling waste
through a new Police Efficiency and Collaboration
programme for England and Wales. The programme
will set nation-wide standards for procurement and
establish shared services and specialist functions to
drive down costs.
Cracking down on antisocial behaviour
Antisocial behaviour is not merely a 'low-level' nuisance.
It hits the poorest communities hardest and, if left
unchecked, leads to more serious offending. Yet, the
Conservatives weakened enforcement powers. Labour
will fix this by introducing new Respect Orders - powers
to ban persistent adult offenders from town centres,
which will stamp out issues such as public drinking and
drug use. Fly-tippers and vandals will also be forced to
clean up the mess they have created.
With shoplifting soaring, retail workers increasingly
find themselves in harm's way. Labour will scrap the
effective immunity for some shoplifting introduced by
the Conservatives and create a new specific offence
for assaults on shopworkers that will protect them from
threats and violence.
Knife crime action plan
Knife crime has been rising for a decade, claiming far
too many young lives. It is a national crisis, requiring
urgent action. Yet, under the Conservatives, too often
when a teenager is found with a knife, nothing happens,
and carrying a knife becomes normalised. There are
virtually no services for vulnerable teenagers at risk
of being drawn into a life of violence. The next Labour
government will change this. We aim to halve knife
crime in a decade.
Labour will end the practice of empty warnings by
ensuring knife carrying triggers rapid intervention and
tough consequences. Every young person caught
in possession of a knife will be referred to a Youth
Offending Team and will receive a mandatory plan to
prevent reoffending, with penalties including curfews,
tagging, and custody for the most serious cases.
To get knives off our streets Labour will ban ninja
swords, lethal zombie-style blades and machetes, and
strengthen rules to prevent online sales. Executives of
online companies that flout these rules will be personally
held to account through tough sanctions.
Labour will intervene earlier to stop young people
being drawn into crime, creating a new Young Futures
programme with a network of hubs reaching every
community. These hubs will have youth workers, mental
health support workers, and careers advisers on hand to
support young people's mental health and avoid them
being drawn into crime.
We will not wait for those at risk to come forward. Local
prevention partnerships will identify young people
who could be drawn into violence and intervene. And
to offer young people a pathway out of violence, we
will place youth workers and mentors in A&E units and
Pupil Referral Units, funded by full recovery of the cost of
firearm licensing.
Labour will also introduce a new offence of criminal
exploitation of children, to go after the gangs who are
luring young people into violence and crime.
Tackling violence against women and girls
For too long, violence against women and girls has been
ignored. Our landmark mission to halve violence against
women and girls in a decade will require a national
effort. We will use every government tool available to
target perpetrators and address the root causes of
abuse and violence.
That starts with tougher enforcement and protection.
With Labour, there will be specialist rape and sexual
offences teams in every police force. The most prolific
and harmful perpetrators will be relentlessly targeted,
using tactics normally reserved for terrorists and
organised crime.
Prosecution rates for rape are shamefully low with many
victims dropping out of the justice system when faced
with years of delays. Labour will fast-track rape cases,
with specialist courts at every Crown Court location in
England and Wales.
Victims deserve better support. Building on the success
of the approach adopted by Labour Police and Crime
Commissioners, we will introduce domestic abuse
experts in 999 control rooms so that victims can talk
directly to a specialist, and ensure there is a legal
advocate in every police force area to advise victims
from the moment of report to trial.
Violence and abuse against women and girls does not
come from nowhere. Misogyny is one root cause, and
therefore Labour will ensure schools address misogyny
and teach young people about healthy relationships
and consent. We will ensure police forces have the
powers they need to track and tackle the problem.
Stalking has not been treated with the seriousness it
deserves. Labour will strengthen the use of Stalking
Protection Orders and give women the right to know the
identity of online stalkers. Spiking is a devastating crime
for victims, leaving many women feeling vulnerable
when they go out. Labour will introduce a new criminal
offence for spiking to help police better respond to this
crime.
We will strengthen the rights and protections available
to women in co-habiting couples, as well as for
whistleblowers in the workplace, including on sexual
harassment.
Better policing
Under the Conservatives, poor policing performance has
been tolerated, with forces spending years in special
measures. Trust in the police has been undermined by
the appalling acts of some officers. Labour will turn the
page and raise standards by reforming the police.
Labour will give His Majesty's Inspectorate of
Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services new powers
to intervene with failing forces. We will introduce
mandatory professional standards on vetting, checks
and misconduct for individual officers; and stronger
training on racism and violence against women
and girls. Anyone with a history of violence against
women and girls will be barred from the service and
we will introduce automatic suspensions if officers are
investigated for domestic abuse and sexual offences.
Particular care is required when investigating children.
Labour will introduce new legal safeguards around
strip-searching children and young people.
Fraud accounts for almost two in five crimes, but the
Conservatives have failed to respond to the scale of the
challenge. Labour will introduce a new expanded fraud
strategy to tackle the full range of threats, including
online, public sector and serious fraud. We will work with
technology companies to stop their platforms being
exploited by fraudsters.
Criminals never stop looking for new ways to target
victims. Police must change the way they operate
too, with technology and investigative techniques
keeping pace with modern threats. We will work with
national policing bodies and police staff to standardise
approaches to procurement, IT, professional standards
and training. And we will ensure the service is organised
so as to enable investment in specialist capabilities,
such as digital forensics, and to more effectively tackle
cross-border issues such as serious organised crime.
Solving crime
Under the Conservatives, plummeting charge and
prosecution rates have emboldened criminals. Rather
than working together, police and prosecutors often
engage in a blame game, which lets down victims.
Labour will reverse this, driving up the proportion of
crimes solved by reducing barriers to bringing charges,
cutting bureaucracy, and improving collaboration. We
will make it easier for high-performing police forces
to charge domestic abuse suspects to speed up the
process.
Labour recognises recruitment challenges, particularly
for detectives, so we will roll out a direct entry scheme
for detectives to boost investigation skills.
A justice system that puts victims first
After 14 years of neglect, the criminal justice system is
broken. Victims wait months, sometimes years, for their
case to come to trial, unable to move on with their lives.
As an initial step to address the courts backlog, Labour
will ensure more prosecutors are available by allowing
Associate Prosecutors to work on appropriate cases.
We will introduce new protections for victims of crime
and persistent antisocial behaviour, by increasing the
powers of the Victims' Commissioner, and ensuring
victims can access the information and support they
need.
Even when criminals are found guilty, the sentences they
receive often do not make sense either to victims or the
wider public. This is particularly worrying for offences
against women and girls. Labour will carry out a review
of sentencing to ensure it is brought up to date.
Getting a grip of our prisons and reducing reoffending
Prisons in England and Wales are in crisis. The
Conservatives' failure to build sufficient places has led
to overcrowding and chaos. Judges are being advised
to delay sentencing. Prisoners are being released early.
And fewer dangerous criminals are locked up because
of a lack of space.
The Conservatives have failed to get prisons built.
Labour recognises that prisons are of national
importance and therefore will use all relevant powers to
build the prisons so badly needed.
As a result of overcrowding, our prisons are increasingly
dangerous, plagued by drug use and violent disorder
- putting prison officers in a dangerous position. Far
from being places where offenders are punished and
rehabilitated, prisons are a breeding ground for more
crime. Prison leavers are more likely to reoffend if they do
not have the tools to move away from crime, if they have
nowhere to live and if they do not have a job on release.
Labour will act to reduce reoffending. We will work with
prisons to improve offenders' access to purposeful
activity, such as learning, and ensure they create
pre-release plans for those leaving custody. We will
support prisons to link up with local employers and
the voluntary sector to get ex-offenders into work. The
children of those who are imprisoned are at far greater
risk of being drawn into crime than their peers. We will
ensure that those young people are identified and offered
support to break the cycle.
After 14 years of chaotic reorganisations, the national
probation service is struggling to keep the public safe.
A lack of co-ordination between prisons, probation and
other local services also means prison-leavers are not
getting the right support, raising the risk that they go
straight back to crime.
In some areas of the country, we have seen Labour
Mayors pioneering a more joined-up approach to
reduce reoffending. In Greater Manchester, probation
is linked up with housing and health services to ensure
offenders leaving custody receive the support they
need. Labour will conduct a strategic review of probation
governance, including considering the benefits of
devolved models.
Historical injustices
Under the Conservatives, too many victims of historical
injustices have had insult added to injury by years of
legal delays. Without justice and the truth, victims and
their families cannot move forward. Labour will right this
wrong, act on the findings of the Infected Blood Inquiry,
and respond to the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry and
the Covid-19 Inquiry, to ensure swift resolution.
Labour will introduce a 'Hillsborough Law' which will
place a legal duty of candour on public servants and
authorities, and provide legal aid for victims of disasters
or state-related deaths. We will ensure the victims of
the appalling Windrush scandal have their voices heard
and the compensation scheme is run effectively, with
a new Windrush Commissioner. Labour will also ensure,
through an investigation or inquiry, that the truth about
the events at Orgreave comes to light.
Labour will stop the chaos that lets too many criminals
act with impunity, turn the page with stronger
policing, and rebuild our criminal justice system.
Break down the barriers to opportunity
• Recruit 6,500 new expert teachers in key subjects
• 3,000 new primary school-based nurseries
• Free breakfast clubs in every primary school
• A modern curriculum so young people are ready for
work and life
• High-quality apprenticeships and specialist
technical colleges
Zahida, Trust School Improvement Partner
"I went into education to make a difference for all
children, especially those from council estates like the
one I grew up on. I taught Spanish to Labour's Shadow
Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson.
Having been a headteacher, it is my privilege to support
Labour's plans for 6,500 new teachers, free breakfast
clubs in every primary school, and to give all children the
chance to take part in music, sport, and the arts. Bridget
and her colleagues in government will continue to make
that difference."
IMELDA STAUNTON CBE
Actor
" I welcome Labour's proposals set out by Keir Starmer
to broaden opportunity and make sure all young
people have access to the arts. Opening up access
to creativity in our schools is critical, not just so that
our children have a better chance at a career in the
arts, but because access is what will fuel growth in the
creative industries - one of the most important sectors
for the future of the economy - creating good jobs in all
corners of the country."
Introduction
Whoever you are, wherever you come from, Britain
should be a country where hard work means you can
get on in life. Under the Conservatives, this basic promise
- that if you work hard, you will enjoy the rewards - has
been broken. We are a country where who your parents
are - and how much money they have - too often
counts for more than your effort and enterprise. Too
many people see success as something that happens
to others. This is an appalling waste of talent as well as a
huge injustice. So, breaking the pernicious link between
background and success will be a defining mission for
Labour.
First, we must recognise that greater opportunity
requires greater security. Tackling economic insecurity
- at work, at home, in our communities and public
services - is the golden thread that runs through all of
Labour's missions. On that secure foundation, we can
build an education system that prepares our children for
life, work, and the future.
Our education system is struggling to cope after years
of chronic mismanagement under the Conservatives.
Childcare and early education are increasingly
unaffordable and unavailable. Too many children arrive
at primary school not ready to learn. Too many children
are not even getting to school. Teachers are burnt out
and leaving in droves. Fewer people are participating
in apprenticeships and training. Higher education is in
crisis. Meanwhile, too many of our young people leave
school unprepared for the future.
Labour will transform our education system so that
young people get the opportunities they deserve. We
will expand our childcare and early-years system, drive
up standards, modernise the school curriculum, reform
assessment, and create higher-quality training and
employment paths by empowering local communities
to develop the skills people need. We will also put
employers at the heart of our skills system.
Every child should believe that success belongs to them.
Education has so often been the spark that can light a
fire within, transforming life chances. It is time to light
that fire for the whole country.
Family security
The last Labour government lifted over half a million
children and over a million pensioners out of poverty.
That progress transformed life chances and ensured
security in retirement. The next Labour government will
build on that legacy of pursuing opportunity and social
justice.
Good work will be the foundation of our approach to
tackling poverty and inequality. We will create more
good jobs, reform employment support, and make work
pay so that many more people benefit from the dignity
and purpose of work.
Labour is committed to reviewing Universal Credit so
that it makes work pay and tackles poverty. We want
to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels,
which is a moral scar on our society.
Child poverty has gone up by 700,000 under the
Conservatives, with over four million children now
growing up in a low-income family. Last year, a million
children experienced destitution. This not only harms
children's lives now, it damages their future prospects,
and holds back our economic potential as a country.
Labour will develop an ambitious strategy to reduce
child poverty. We will work with the voluntary sector,
faith organisations, trade unions, business, devolved
and local government, and communities to bring about
change.
We will take initial steps to confront poverty by
introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school,
protecting renters from arbitrary eviction, slashing fuel
poverty, banning exploitative zero hours contracts, and
improving support to help people get into good work.
Our system of state, private, and workplace pensions
provide the basis for security in retirement. Labour will
retain the triple lock for the state pension. We will also
adopt reforms to workplace pensions to deliver better
outcomes for UK savers and pensioners. Our pensions
review will consider what further steps are needed to
improve security in retirement, as well as to increase
productive investment in the UK economy.
Security also means having a secure roof over your
head. That is not the case for too many renting their
homes privately. Labour will legislate where the
Conservatives have failed, overhauling the regulation of
the private rented sector. We will immediately abolish
Section 21 'no fault' evictions, prevent private renters
being exploited and discriminated against, empower
them to challenge unreasonable rent increases, and
take steps to decisively raise standards, including
extending 'Awaab's Law' to the private sector.
Labour will also take decisive action to improve building
safety, including through regulation, to ensure we never
again see a repeat of the Grenfell fire. We will review
how to better protect leaseholders from costs and take
steps to accelerate the pace of remediation across the
country. We will put a renewed focus on ensuring those
responsible for the building safety crisis pay to put it
right.
For far too many leaseholders, the reality of home
ownership falls woefully short of the dream they were
promised. Labour will act where the Conservatives have
failed and finally bring the feudal leasehold system to
an end. We will enact the package of Law Commission
proposals on leasehold enfranchisement, right to
manage and commonhold. We will take further steps
to ban new leasehold flats and ensure commonhold
is the default tenure. We will tackle unregulated and
unaffordable ground rent charges. We will act to bring
the injustice of 'fleecehold' private housing estates and
unfair maintenance costs to an end.
The last Labour government made huge strides in
ending homelessness. Under the Conservatives, that
progress has been undone, with rough sleepers an all-
too-common sight in our towns and cities, and a sharp
rise in hidden homelessness. Building on the lessons of
our past, Labour will develop a new cross-government
strategy, working with Mayors and Councils across
the country, to put Britain back on track to ending
homelessness.
Best start in life
High-quality early education and childcare is a crucial
opportunity to transform life chances. Too often it is
unavailable, or unaffordable.
As an initial step, Labour will open an additional 3,000
nurseries through upgrading space in primary schools,
to deliver the extension of government funded hours
families are entitled to.
Supporting children in the early part of their life also
means giving parents the flexibility they need to care
for their children. Labour will review the parental leave
system, so it best supports working families, within our
first year in government.
Every child should have a loving, secure home. Labour
will work with local government to support children
in care, including through kinship, foster care, and
adoption, as well as strengthening regulation of the
children's social care sector.
Sadly, too often we see families falling through the
cracks of public services. Labour will improve data
sharing across services, with a single unique identifier, to
better support children and families.
Raising school standards
Labour is determined to raise school standards for every
child, and ensure they are prepared for the future. Most
children attend schools where the Conservatives are
failing to provide the support and teaching that they
need. Labour will end the VAT exemption and business
rates relief for private schools to invest in our state
schools.
The factor that makes the biggest difference to
a child's education is high-quality teaching; but
there are shortages of qualified teachers across
the country. Labour will recruit an additional 6,500
new expert teachers. We will get more teachers into
shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment
challenges, and tackle retention issues. The way
bursaries are allocated, and the structure of retention
payments, will be reviewed.
Teaching is a hard-earned and hard-learned skill,
Labour will work to further raise its status. We will update
the Early Career Framework, maintaining its grounding
in evidence, and ensure any new teacher entering the
classroom has, or is working towards, Qualified Teacher
Status. We will introduce a new Teacher Training
Entitlement to ensure teachers stay up to date on best
practice with continuing professional development.
School support staff play a vital role in children's
education and development. Labour will reinstate the
School Support Staff Negotiating Body, which will help
address the acute recruitment and retention crisis in
support roles.
Raising school standards starts with early education.
The last Labour government's promotion of phonics put
rocket boosters under the reading and writing ability
of a generation of children. We will do the same for
numeracy, improving the quality of maths teaching
across nurseries and primary schools.
Developing early communication skills is another key
foundation for life, with serious knock-on consequences
when development is delayed. Labour will fund
evidence-based early-language interventions in
primary schools, so that every child can find their voice.
Alongside high-quality teaching, driving up standards
in education requires outstanding leadership. Labour
will create a new Excellence in Leadership Programme,
a mentoring framework that expands the capacity of
headteachers and leaders to improve their schools.
Labour will introduce new Regional Improvement Teams,
to enhance school-to-school support, and spread best
practice.
Accountability is non-negotiable, which is why Labour
supports school inspection. Under the Conservatives
our inspection regime has been broken. A system which
declares nine in ten schools are good or outstanding
fails to provide sufficient information on school
performance. We will enhance the inspection regime
by replacing a single headline grade with a new report
card system telling parents clearly how schools are
performing. We will also bring Multi-Academy Trusts
into the inspection system and introduce a new annual
review of safeguarding, attendance, and off-rolling.
Every child should have a broad curriculum with an
excellent foundation in reading, writing and maths,
and support to develop essential digital, speaking, and
creative skills. Yet today, too many are missing out.
Labour will launch an expert-led review of curriculum
and assessment, working with school staff, parents and
employers to change this.
Our reforms will build on the hard work of teachers who
have brought their subjects alive with knowledge-rich
syllabuses, to deliver a curriculum which is rich and
broad, inclusive, and innovative. To capture this breadth,
our review will consider the right balance of assessment
methods whilst protecting the important role of
examinations.
Too often our education and care systems do not meet
the needs of all children, including those with Special
Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Labour will
take a community-wide approach, improving inclusivity
and expertise in mainstream schools, as well as
ensuring special schools cater to those with the most
complex needs. We will make sure admissions decisions
account for the needs of communities and require
all schools to co-operate with their local authority on
school admissions, SEND inclusion, and place planning.
Too many children's life chances are being scarred by
rising poverty. Too many arrive at school not ready to
learn, and too many are absent. Breakfast clubs improve
behaviour, attendance, and learning. Labour will fund
free breakfast clubs in every primary school, accessible
to all children. Our breakfast clubs will support parents
through the cost-of-living crisis. We will also bring down
the cost of school by limiting the number of branded
items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.
Poor mental health is another barrier to learning. The
struggle to access support is paralysing children and
young people through their formative years. Labour will
provide access to specialist mental health professionals
in every school, so every young person has access to
early support to address problems before they escalate.
This will complement our plan for Young Futures Hubs,
which will make sure every community has an
open-access hub for children and young people with
drop-in mental health support.
Reforming further and higher education
After years of Conservative chaos and policy churn,
the skills system in England is confusing for young
people, adults, and employers. Apprenticeship numbers
have plummeted. Skills shortages are widespread.
Young people have been left without the opportunities
they need. The result is an economy without the
necessary skills, nor any plan for the skills needs of the
future. Labour will address this by bringing forward a
comprehensive strategy for post-16 education. And we
will guarantee training, an apprenticeship, or help to find
work for all 18- to 21-year-olds.
We will establish Skills England to bring together
business, training providers and unions with national
and local government to ensure we have the highly
trained workforce needed to deliver Labour's Industrial
Strategy. Skills England will formally work with the
Migration Advisory Committee to make sure training in
England accounts for the overall needs of the labour
market. And we are committed to devolving adult skills
funding to Combined Authorities, empowering local
leaders to have greater control of skills development
in their areas, alongside a greater role in supporting
people into work. Skills England will co-ordinate between
local areas to ensure everyone can access all the
opportunities available.
Labour will transform Further Education colleges into
specialist Technical Excellence Colleges. These colleges
will work with businesses, trade unions, and local
government to provide young people with better job
opportunities and the highly trained workforce that local
economies need.
Labour will also reform the Conservatives' broken
Apprenticeships Levy. The current rigid rules ignore vital
skills and training needed to access apprenticeships.
Labour will create a flexible Growth and Skills Levy, with
Skills England consulting on eligible courses to ensure
qualifications offer value for money.
Labour will continue to support the aspiration of every
person who meets the requirements and wants to go to
university.
We recognise that UK higher education creates
opportunity, is a world-leading sector in our economy,
and supports local communities. To better integrate
further and higher education, and ensure high-quality
teaching, Labour's post-16 skills strategy will set out the
role for different providers, and how students can move
between institutions, as well as strengthening regulation.
We will act to improve access to universities and raise
teaching standards.
The current higher education funding settlement does
not work for the taxpayer, universities, staff, or students.
Labour will act to create a secure future for higher
education and the opportunities it creates across the UK.
We will work with universities to deliver for students and
our economy.
Access to arts, music and sport
With Labour, the arts and music will no longer be the
preserve of a privileged few. Culture is an essential part
of supporting children and young people to develop
creativity and find their voice. There is huge potential
for growth in the creative industries that benefit every
corner of the UK.
Labour will implement our creative industries sector plan
as part of our Industrial Strategy, creating good jobs
and accelerating growth in film, music, gaming, and
other creative sectors. We will work constructively with
the BBC and our other public service broadcasters so
they continue to inform, educate and entertain people,
and support the creative economy by commissioning
distinctively British content.
Labour will support children to study a creative or
vocational subject until they are 16, and ensure
accountability measures reflect this. We will get more
children active by protecting time for physical education,
and supporting the role grassroots clubs play in
expanding access to sport.
Labour will improve access to cultural assets by
requiring publicly funded national museums and
galleries to increase the loans they make from their
collections to communities across the country. We will
also launch a new National Music Education Network - a
one-stop shop with information on courses and classes
for parents, teachers and children. Access to music,
drama and sport has become difficult and expensive
because of ticket touting. Labour will put fans back
at the heart of events by introducing new consumer
protections on ticket resales.
From the Men's UEFA European Football Championship
to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup to the Invictus
Games, Labour will deliver international events with
pride and seek new opportunities where we can,
creating a legacy to inspire the next generation of talent
while promoting exercise and healthy living.
Labour is committed to making Britain the best place
in the world to be a football fan. We will reform football
governance to protect football clubs across our
communities and to give fans a greater say in the way
they are run. We will introduce a Football Governance Bill,
which will establish an independent regulator to ensure
financial sustainability of football clubs in England. We
will never allow a closed league of select clubs to be
siphoned off from the English football pyramid.
Respect and opportunity for all
Everyone in this country deserves a government that
matches their ambition. Labour will ensure no matter
whatever your background, you can thrive, and
therefore we will enact the socio-economic duty in the
Equality Act 2010.
Women's equality will be at the heart of our missions.
Our plan to Make Work Pay will transform the lives of
working women, including by strengthening rights
to equal pay and protections from maternity and
menopause discrimination and sexual harassment. And
Labour will take action to reduce the gender pay gap,
building on the legacy of Barbara Castle's Equal Pay Act.
Labour will introduce a landmark Race Equality Act, to
enshrine in law the full right to equal pay for Black, Asian,
and other ethnic minority people, strengthen protections
against dual discrimination and root out other racial
inequalities. Labour will also reverse the Conservatives'
decision to downgrade the monitoring of antisemitic
and Islamophobic hate.
Labour is committed to championing the rights of
disabled people and to the principle of working with
them, so that their views and voices will be at the heart
of all we do. We will introduce the full right to equal
pay for disabled people. Building on gender pay gap
reporting, we will introduce disability and ethnicity pay
gap reporting for large employers. We will support
disabled people to work by improving employment
support and access to reasonable adjustments. We will
also tackle the Access to Work backlog and make sure
people can try out a job without fear of an immediate
benefit reassessment if it does not work out.
Delivering opportunities for all means that everyone
should be treated with respect and dignity. Labour
will protect LGBT+ and disabled people by making all
existing strands of hate crime an aggravated offence.
So-called conversion therapy is abuse - there is no
other word for it - so Labour will finally deliver a full
trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, while
protecting the freedom for people to explore their sexual
orientation and gender identity.
We will also modernise, simplify, and reform the intrusive
and outdated gender recognition law to a new process.
We will remove indignities for trans people who deserve
recognition and acceptance; whilst retaining the need
for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a specialist
doctor, enabling access to the healthcare pathway.
Labour is proud of our Equality Act and the rights and
protections it affords women; we will continue to support
the implementation of its single-sex exceptions.
Labour will stop the chaos, end the failure and division
of the last 14 years, and turn the page to ensure
everyone can thrive.
Build an NHS fit for the future
• Cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more
appointments every week
• Double the number of cancer scanners
• A new Dentistry Rescue Plan
• 8,500 additional mental health staff
• Return of the family doctor
Haruna, security manager, former Conservative voter
"I've always voted Conservative but I won't be again.
They've let the country down badly. My wife is a teacher
at a local school and I'm a security manager in London.
We love living in Thurrock. But over the last ten years
things have gotten worse. Booking the dentist for my
daughter was a nightmare. We had to wait over a year
for an appointment. We switched and voted Labour at
the local elections. Keir Starmer is a good man. His plan
to get more NHS appointments is so important. He'll
deliver it."
DAME JULIE MOORE
Former CEO of Birmingham NHS Trust
" I've worked in the NHS for a long time and I remember
how Labour, the party who created the NHS, transformed
it to be the best-performing health system in the world.
It is heartbreaking to see its decline over the last 14
years. It will be difficult but I believe that, under Keir
Starmer, Labour's plans, short and long term, will once
again restore the NHS to deliver top-class health care
for the people of this nation, reducing waiting lists and
times and transforming it to be fit for the future."
The 1945 Labour government founded our National
Health Service on principles that have stood the test of
time:
The best health services should be available, free for
all. Money should no longer be the passport to the best
treatment. People should get the best that modern
science can offer.
For decades the NHS has served us well, with those
values enduring. These are the principles which will
underpin the next Labour government's plan to reform
the NHS.
But as we look at the NHS now, it is clearly broken -
and the Conservatives broke it. Whilst the Covid-19
pandemic placed the NHS under unprecedented stress,
the reality is waiting lists were at record highs even
before it struck. Rather than healthcare being 'free
for all', we now find ourselves with a de facto two-tier
system - with working people regularly forced to scrape
together the means to go private. Meanwhile, over
the past 14 years, the 'winter crisis' cycle has become
part of the national calendar. Every year, a new crisis is
declared. Then, every year, the Conservatives reach for
a sticking plaster patch-up to get through the winter,
without ever addressing the root cause.
This is a situation Labour is familiar with: we have saved
the NHS before, and the next Labour Government will do
so again. With Labour, it will always be publicly owned
and publicly funded. But our ambition goes beyond
returning the NHS to what it was. Labour's mission is to
build an NHS fit for the future. Investment alone won't be
enough to tackle the problems facing the NHS; it must
go hand in hand with fundamental reform.
We must change the NHS so that it becomes not just
a sickness service, but able to prevent ill heath in the
first place. It must also reflect the change in the nature
of disease, with a greater focus on the management
of chronic, long-term conditions. And we will deliver a
renewed drive to tackle the biggest killers; cutting the
lives lost to cancer, cardiovascular disease and suicide,
while ensuring people live well for longer.
Labour's reforms will shift our NHS away from a model
geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to a
model where more services are delivered in local
communities. We will harness the power of technologies
like AI to transform the speed and accuracy of
diagnostic services, saving potentially thousands of
lives. And we will embed a greater focus on prevention
throughout the entire healthcare system and supporting
services. As we knew in 1945, much avoidable ill health
can be prevented.
The factor that is markedly different from the past
decades is our understanding of mental health.
Across society, mental health has stepped out of the
shadows, yet it is difficult to argue the NHS has kept
up. Indeed, Britain is currently suffering from a mental
health epidemic that is paralysing lives, particularly
those of children and young people. This is a tragedy -
arguably nothing says more about the state of a nation
than the wellbeing of its children. So right at the core
of our mission will be a bold new ambition to raise the
healthiest generation of children in our history. And, as
a crucial part of that, we will reform the NHS to ensure
we give mental health the same attention and focus as
physical health.
Get the NHS back on its feet
We should all be able to trust that the NHS will be there
for us when we need it, whether it is a GP appointment,
an ambulance, or help at A&E. Labour's immediate
priority on health will be to get a grip on the record
waiting list. We will return to meeting NHS performance
standards. That means patients should expect to
wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral for
consultant-led treatment of non-urgent health
conditions. This standard was achieved with the last
Labour government and will be again under the next.
As a first step, in England we will deliver an extra two
million NHS operations, scans, and appointments every
year; that is 40,000 more appointments every week. We
will do this by incentivising staff to carry out additional
appointments out of hours. Labour will pool resources
across neighbouring hospitals to introduce shared
waiting lists to allow patients to be treated quicker.
Recognising the urgent need to bring down waiting lists,
Labour will use spare capacity in the independent sector
to ensure patients are diagnosed and treated more
quickly.
Getting the NHS back to working for patients means
ending the workforce crisis across both health and
social care. When one in seven people in hospital do
not need to be there, joint working is essential. Labour
will ensure the publication of regular, independent
workforce planning, across health and social care. We
will deliver the NHS long-term workforce plan to train the
staff we need to get patients seen on time.
Too many patients have seen their treatment affected
by strikes. Labour will reset relations with NHS staff,
moving away from the Conservatives' failed approach.
Modernising the NHS
A system reliant on pagers and fax machines is not fit for
this decade let alone the next. Too many cancer deaths
could have been prevented with earlier diagnosis. The
NHS has fewer diagnostic scanners per person than
other countries, with many ageing machines operating
for long after they should. State of the art scanners with
embedded AI are faster and more effective at finding
smaller tumours, saving lives. Therefore, Labour will
introduce a new 'Fit For the Future' fund to double the
number of CT and MRI scanners, allowing the NHS to
catch cancer and other conditions earlier, saving lives.
It is also clear that NHS estates are in a state of disrepair
after years of neglect. Labour is therefore committed to
delivering the New Hospitals Programme.
The revolution taking place in data and life sciences
has the potential to transform our nation's healthcare.
The Covid-19 pandemic showed how a strong
mission-driven industrial strategy, involving government
partnering with industry and academia, could turn the
tide on a pandemic. This is the approach we will take in
government. As part of Labour's life sciences plan, we
will develop an NHS innovation and adoption strategy in
England. This will include a plan for procurement, giving
a clearer route to get products into the NHS coupled
with reformed incentive structures to drive innovation
and faster regulatory approval for new technology and
medicines.
Drawing on the strength of our National Health Service,
Labour will also maximise our potential to lead the world
in clinical trials. This means making the process more
efficient and accessible, by speeding up recruitment
and giving more people a chance to participate through
the NHS app. This will mean putting Britain at the
forefront of transforming treatment for dementia.
Power to patients
At the heart of every medical decision must be patients
and their families. Too many are not treated with the
respect they deserve or given the information they need
to adequately access services and navigate the system.
Labour will therefore transform the NHS app, putting
patients in control of their own health to better manage
their medicine, appointments, and health needs.
This will include giving performance information on
local services, and notifications of vaccinations and
health checks. Patients will be able to see the medical
guidelines for the treatment they should get, to hold
health services to account and understand what their
choices are.
Ensuring patient safety
Childbirth should not be something women fear or
look back on with trauma. Labour will ensure that trusts
failing on maternity care are robustly supported into
rapid improvement. We will train thousands more
midwives as part of the NHS Workforce Plan and set an
explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal
mortality gap.
Labour will digitise the Red Book record of children's
health, improving support for new families. We will also
enable vaccinations for babies and children as part of
health visits.
So much of the treatment in the NHS is dependent on
the effective administration of services. Managers need
support and accountability. Labour will implement
professional standards and regulate NHS managers,
ensuring those who commit serious misconduct
can never do so again. And we will establish a Royal
College of Clinical Leadership to champion the voice of
clinicians.
We will work to implement the expert recommendations
of the Cass Review to ensure that young people
presenting to the NHS with gender dysphoria are
receiving appropriate and high-quality care.
Healthcare closer to home
The National Health Service needs to move to a
Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered
in local communities to spot problems earlier. To
achieve this, we must over time shift resources to
primary care and community services.
GPs are the front door to the health service for most
people. Excellent primary care is the key to earlier
diagnosis, but too often it is not possible to get an
appointment, so Labour will reform the system. We will
train thousands more GPs, guarantee a face-to-face
appointment for all those who want one and deliver
a modern appointment booking system to end the
8am scramble. We will bring back the family doctor by
incentivising GPs to see the same patient, so ongoing or
complex conditions are dealt with effectively.
Labour will also take the pressure off GP surgeries, by
improving access to services and treatment through
new routes. We will create a Community Pharmacist
Prescribing Service, granting more pharmacists
independent prescribing rights where clinically
appropriate. We will allow other professionals, such as
opticians, to make direct referrals to specialist services
or tests, as well as expanding self-referral routes where
appropriate.
The principle of integrating health and care services will
improve the treatment patients receive. We know that
more of this care needs to happen outside hospitals.
Therefore, we will trial Neighbourhood Health Centres,
by bringing together existing services such as family
doctors, district nurses, care workers, physiotherapists,
palliative care, and mental health specialists under one
roof.
Dentistry Rescue Plan
Getting an NHS dentist is increasingly a lottery and
the consequences are dire. The most common reason
children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital is
to have rotting teeth removed. Labour will tackle the
immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000
more urgent dental appointments and recruit new
dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild
dentistry for the long term, Labour will reform the
dental contract, with a shift to focusing on prevention
and the retention of NHS dentists. We will also
introduce a supervised tooth-brushing scheme for
3- to 5-year-olds, targeting the areas of highest need.
Social care reform
Labour is committed to ensuring everyone lives an
independent, prosperous life. Social care is vital to
achieving this, but hundreds of thousands of people
suffer without the care they need for a dignified life.
The sector needs deep reform: there are inconsistent
standards, chronic staff shortages, and people are not
always treated with the care, dignity and respect they
deserve.
Labour will undertake a programme of reform to create
a National Care Service, underpinned by national
standards, delivering consistency of care across the
country. Services will be locally delivered, with a principle
of 'home first' that supports people to live independently
for as long as possible. Our new standards will ensure
high-quality care and ongoing sustainability, and
ensure providers behave responsibly. Labour will
develop local partnership working between the NHS and
social care on hospital discharge.
We will enhance partnership working across employers,
workers, trade unions and government and establish
a Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care. This sector
collective agreement will set fair pay, terms and
conditions, along with training standards. Labour will
consult widely on the design of this agreement, before
beginning the process and learn from countries where
they operate successfully.
Labour is committed to ensuring families have the
support they need. We will guarantee the rights of those
in residential care to be able to see their families. As part
of the efforts to move healthcare into local communities
and professionalise the workforce, we will task regulators
with assessing the role social care workers can play in
basic health treatment and monitoring.
Alongside these changes, we will build consensus for
the longer-term reform needed to create a sustainable
National Care Service. We will explore how we best
manage and support an ageing population; how
integration with the NHS can be secured; how to best
support working age disabled adults; and how to move
to a more preventative system.
Improving mental health
The NHS has struggled to keep up with greater
awareness of the challenges of mental health. Waiting
lists for those referred for support are too high, and
shamefully so for young people.
Labour will bring waiting times down and intervene
earlier. We will recruit an additional 8,500 new staff to
treat children and adults through our first term. As part
of our mission to reduce the lives lost to suicide, these
new staff will be specially trained to support people at
risk. Labour's new Young Futures hubs will provide open
access mental health services for children and young
people in every community.
Mental health legislation is also woefully out of date. The
treatment of people with autism and learning difficulties
is a disgrace. The operation of the Mental Health Act
discriminates against Black people who are much more
likely to be detained than others. Labour will modernise
legislation to give patients greater choice, autonomy,
enhanced rights and support, and ensure everyone is
treated with dignity and respect throughout treatment.
Action on public health
Prevention will always be better, and cheaper, than
a cure. So, we must take preventative public health
measures to tackle the biggest killers and support
people to live longer, healthier lives.
That starts with smoking. Labour will ensure the next
generation can never legally buy cigarettes and ensure
all hospitals integrate 'opt-out' smoking cessation
interventions into routine care. Labour will ban vapes
from being branded and advertised to appeal to
children to stop the next generation from becoming
hooked on nicotine.
We face a childhood obesity crisis. So, Labour is
committed to banning advertising junk food to children
along with the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to
under-16s.
Children and young people face significant harm
online, with inappropriate content too easily available
at their fingertips on a smartphone. We have seen an
increase in extreme misogynistic content online driving
a culture of violence against women. Labour will build
on the Online Safety Act, bringing forward provisions
as quickly as possible, and explore further measures
to keep everyone safe online, particularly when using
social media. We will also give coroners more powers to
access information held by technology companies after
a child's death.
Labour is committed to reducing gambling-related
harm. Recognising the evolution of the gambling
landscape since 2005, Labour will reform gambling
regulation, strengthening protections. We will continue
to work with the industry on how to ensure responsible
gambling.
Reducing health inequalities
The UK has stark health inequalities. It cannot be right
that life expectancy varies so widely across and within
communities. As part of our health mission, Labour will
tackle the social determinants of health, halving the
gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and
poorest regions in England. Never again will women's
health be neglected. Labour will prioritise women's
health as we reform the NHS.
We are currently on the cusp of eradicating new cases
of HIV. Labour will commission a new HIV action plan in
England, in pursuit of ending HIV cases by 2030.
Labour will stop the chaos in our health and care
services, turn the page, and reform them in line with
the principles of the NHS that Labour founded.
Serving the country
• A new Ethics and Integrity Commission
• Modernise the House of Commons
• Immediate reform of the House of Lords
• A reset between Westminster and Holyrood, Cardiff
Bay, and Stormont
• Votes at 16
Over the last 14 years, trust in politics has been
shattered. Partying in Downing Street whilst the whole
country sacrificed their freedom. Handing lucrative
Covid contracts to friends and donors. Failing to expel
MPs caught breaking the rules. The behaviour of the
Conservatives has understandably led to a widespread
belief that many politicians are in it for themselves. As a
result, there is now a crisis of confidence in our political
system's ability to deliver any change.
This is not limited to Westminster - in Scotland, the
Scottish National Party has also failed to uphold the
standards expected in public life. The scandals may
be different, but the SNP has also sought to protect its
own and failed to address the behaviour of its MPs and
MSPs, from sexual harassment scandals to accusations
of financial mismanagement and defending the
inappropriate use of public expenses. The people of
Scotland also deserve better from their representatives.
It is not just sleaze and scandal that have eroded trust.
Just as corrosive has been the inability of politicians to
keep promises made to the British people. Over the last
14 years, the vast chasm between Conservative slogans
and reality has shown a contempt for democracy. From
claiming "we're all in it together" while decimating public
services, to the empty promises to "level up", gimmicks
and gestures have shamefully replaced the hard graft of
governing.
In contrast, Labour has been transformed from a party
of protest to one that always puts the interests of the
country first. Now we are determined to do the same
with our politics, returning government to the service
of working people. This will require a reset in our public
life; a clean-up that ensures the highest standards
of integrity and honesty. We will make sure MPs focus
on serving their constituents. We will deepen our
democracy by reforming Parliament and devolving
power to communities. And rather than stoking division
- as do both the Conservatives and the SNP - we
will ensure there is respect and collaboration across
the different governments that make up the United
Kingdom.
Setting the highest of standards in public life is not just
about better behaviour or decision-making, though
it will improve both. It is also central to restoring
trust between the public and politics. After 14 years
of chaos, division and disrespect, the British people
are understandably cynical about appeals to come
together in the national interest. But the challenges we
face demand nothing less - it is the lifeblood of national
renewal. This plan recognises that politics must make
the first move in repairing that bond.
Restoring public service in Westminster
Labour will restore confidence in government and
ensure ministers are held to the highest standards. We
will establish a new independent Ethics and Integrity
Commission, with its own independent Chair, to ensure
probity in government.
Labour will review and update post-government
employment rules to end flagrant abuses seen under
the Conservatives. This includes enforcing restrictions
on ministers lobbying for the companies they used
to regulate, with meaningful sanctions for breaching
the rules. We will give the Independent Adviser on
Ministerial Interests the powers to start investigations
into misconduct and ensure they have access to the
evidence they need.
Most MPs work hard to serve their constituents
but can be hamstrung by arcane procedures and
outdated working practices. Labour will establish a
new Modernisation Committee tasked with reforming
House of Commons procedures, driving up standards,
and improving working practices. The absence of rules
on second jobs also means some constituents end up
with MPs who spend more time on their second job,
or lobbying for outside interests, than on representing
them. Therefore, as an initial step, Labour will support
an immediate ban on MPs from taking up paid advisory
or consultancy roles. We will task the Modernisation
Committee to take forward urgent work on the
restrictions that need to be put in place to prevent
MPs from taking up roles that stop them serving their
constituents and the country.
Constitutional reform
Although Labour recognises the good work of many
peers who scrutinise the government and improve the
quality of legislation passed in Parliament, reform is long
over-due and essential. Too many peers do not play a
proper role in our democracy. Hereditary peers remain
indefensible. And because appointments are for life, the
second chamber of Parliament has become too big.
The next Labour government will therefore bring about
an immediate modernisation, by introducing legislation
to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote
in the House of Lords. Labour will also introduce a
mandatory retirement age. At the end of the Parliament
in which a member reaches 80 years of age, they will be
required to retire from the House of Lords.
Labour will ensure all peers meet the high standards
the public expect of them, and we will introduce a new
participation requirement as well as strengthening the
circumstances in which disgraced members can be
removed. We will reform the appointments process to
ensure the quality of new appointments and will seek
to improve the national and regional balance of the
second chamber.
Whilst this action to modernise the House of Lords will
be an improvement, Labour is committed to replacing
the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber
that is more representative of the regions and nations.
Labour will consult on proposals, seeking the input of the
British public on how politics can best serve them.
Upholding democracy
Labour is committed to strengthening our democracy
and upholding the integrity of elections. Rather than
encouraging full participation in our democracy, the
Conservatives have brought in partisan changes
that make it harder to vote, whilst doing nothing to
strengthen protections against foreign interference.
To encourage participation in our democracy, Labour
will improve voter registration and address the
inconsistencies in voter ID rules that prevent legitimate
voters from voting. For example, in the case of HM Armed
Forces Veteran Cards. We will increase the engagement
of young people in our vibrant democracy, by giving
16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections. And
we will protect democracy by strengthening the rules
around donations to political parties.
Greater collaboration and respect across the country
As part of Labour's plans to clean up politics and return
it to the service of working people, we will reset the UK
Government's relationship with devolved governments
in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The Conservatives weakened our country by
disrespecting the legitimate role of devolved
governments and parliaments. We will ensure members
of devolved legislatures have the same free speech
protections enjoyed by MPs at Westminster, so elected
representatives can hold power to account.
Labour will ensure the structures and institutions of
intergovernmental working improve relationships and
collaboration on policy. Labour will strengthen the
Sewel Convention by setting out a new memorandum
of understanding outlining how the nations will work
together for the common good.
Labour will renew opportunities for the Prime Minister
and Heads of Devolved Government to collaborate
with each other. As recommended in the Report of
the Commission on the UK's future, we will establish
a new Council of the Nations and Regions. This will
bring together the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of
Scotland and Wales, the First and deputy First Minister
of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined
Authorities.
The next Labour government will also ensure that
UK-wide bodies are more representative of our nations
and regions. UK trade negotiators will work with devolved
governments to promote our fantastic businesses
and services internationally. Labour will restore
decision-making over the allocation of structural funds
to the representatives of Scotland, Wales, and Northern
Ireland. The planned investments in public services
outlined in this manifesto by a UK government will result
in additional funding for Scotland, Wales, and Northern
Ireland.
Scottish devolution and the Scotland Office
The people of Scotland deserve governments that are
focused on delivering for them. Labour does not support
independence or another referendum, but we know
that after 14 years of the Conservatives, the people
of Scotland need change. Labour will take a different
approach in Scotland: we will protect and respect
devolution and reset relations between governments.
Labour will strengthen Scottish democracy and
devolution, championing Scotland at home and abroad.
We will ensure the devolution settlement for Scotland
enables collaboration on Labour's national missions for
government. We will maintain the arrangements in the
new Scottish fiscal framework.
A UK Labour government will have a more collaborative
approach to the Scottish Government on their
international engagement. We recognise that within
devolved competencies, the Scottish Government has
an important role to play. In respect to wholly devolved
issues, Labour will support the Scottish Government
to partner with international bodies where relevant
and appropriate, for example to collaborate on global
health initiatives. The UK Government will retain full
responsibility over foreign policy.
The Scotland Office will maximise Scotland's influence,
and with Labour it will once again become an advocate
for Scotland, both at home and abroad. The Scotland
Office will ensure the voice of Scotland is properly heard
on issues under the competence of the UK Government.
Scotland has an enviable international reputation.
Its culture, products and services are internationally
renowned - from whisky and salmon to computer game
development, bioscience and financial services. Labour
will champion 'Brand Scotland' across the world through
the Scotland Office, and our diplomatic and trade
networks.
Welsh devolution and the Wales Office
Wales has been failed by a chaotic and divisive
Conservative Government that does not understand
the ambitions of the Welsh people and refuses to work
with the Welsh Government to achieve them. Labour will
serve Wales with a plan that matches those ambitions.
We will strengthen the relationship between the
governments in Westminster and Cardiff Bay. The two
governments will work collaboratively to deliver Labour's
national missions. Labour recognises that the Welsh
Fiscal Framework is out of date. We are committed to
working in partnership with the Welsh Government to
ensure the framework delivers value for money with two
Labour governments committed to fiscal responsibility.
Labour recognises the value of integrated public
services, which are more efficient and create better
outcomes. As part of the strategic review into probation,
we will explore the devolution of services to enable
them to be more locally responsive. We will work with
the Welsh Labour Government to consider devolution
of youth justice. In line with our commitment to devolve
employment support in England, Labour will devolve
employment support funding to the Welsh Government.
Welsh culture, products and services are renowned
around the world - from the thriving tourism
sector and highest-quality steel to Welsh Lamb
and semi-conductors. Labour will harness the UK's
diplomatic and trade networks, working with the Welsh
Government to champion Wales across the world.
With Labour, the Wales Office will once again become
an advocate for Wales at home and abroad and
facilitate closer collaboration between our governments.
The Wales Office will ensure on issues under the
competence of the UK government the voice of Wales is
properly heard.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland needs stability and long-term certainty
after the challenges of recent years. Labour will work
with the Executive and Assembly to improve public
services and generate economic growth, and with all
political parties and communities to ensure the stability
of devolved government.
Labour is committed to implementing the Windsor
Framework in good faith and protecting the UK internal
market. Northern Ireland's economy has enormous
strengths - with a highly skilled workforce, strong
services, manufacturing and life sciences sectors, and
great opportunities for inward investment. A Labour
government will champion Northern Ireland around the
world and work with the Executive to encourage more
businesses to invest in Northern Ireland's future.
Labour is committed to taking forward discussions with
the Executive about a fiscal framework for Northern
Ireland.
The Good Friday Agreement, and the peace and
prosperity it has brought to Northern Ireland, is one
of the proudest achievements of the last Labour
government. As a guarantor of the Good Friday
Agreement, a Labour government will uphold both the
letter and the spirit of the Agreement, along with the
principle of consent on which it rests. We will work with
the Irish Government to strengthen the relationship
between our two countries.
The Legacy Act denies justice to the families and
victims of the Troubles. Labour will repeal and replace
it, by returning to the principles of the Stormont House
Agreement, and seeking support from all communities
in Northern Ireland.
Labour will end the chaos of sleaze and division, turn
the page, and reset politics to put it back in the service
of working people.
Britain reconnected
• Unshakeable commitment to NATO and our nuclear
deterrent
• Standing up for our armed forces and veterans
• New trade agreements
• Britain leading a Clean Power Alliance
• Modernise international development
With Labour, Britain will once again be strong on the
world stage, confident in the pursuit of our national
interest, and progressive but realistic about the
challenges we face. We will reconnect with allies and
forge new partnerships to deliver security and prosperity
at home and abroad.
Over the last 14 years, the world has grown more volatile
and insecure. War has returned to Europe for the first
time in a generation, there is devastating violence in the
Middle East, rapid technological change and the climate
crisis are fuelling geopolitical tensions, and malign
actors are seeking to divide us.
This darkening global landscape demands a strong and
connected Britain.
Instead, chaotic Conservative foreign policy has
weakened our alliances, squandered our climate
leadership - a huge diplomatic opportunity - and
undermined our reputation as upholders of international
law. At home, Conservative attacks on our globally
respected institutions - universities, courts and the BBC -
have undermined our soft power, traditionally a source of
great strength, and diminished our influence.
This failure on the international stage has cost the British
people. We are less secure, with families exposed to high
energy bills and food prices as a result.
Labour will turn the page and reverse this, reinvigorating
alliances and forging new partnerships. Our commitment
to NATO as the cornerstone of European and global
security is unshakeable. We will be confident in our status
outside of the EU, but a leading nation in Europe once
again, with an improved and ambitious relationship with
our European partners. We will once again be a good
partner for international development, and a defender
of the international rule of law. And we will return to the
forefront of climate action by creating the green jobs
of the future at home and driving forward the energy
transition on the global stage.
Britain will be a reliable partner, a dependable ally, and a
good neighbour. An optimistic country at the start of an
era of renewal.
Rebuilding relationships
Britain is always stronger when we work with others.
The United States is an indispensable ally. Our special
relationship is crucial for security and prosperity, and
transcends whatever political parties and individuals are
in office. We will continue to work with the United States
on the basis of our shared values and common interests
including on economic co-operation, defence and
intelligence.
With Labour, Britain will stay outside of the EU. But to
seize the opportunities ahead, we must make Brexit
work. We will reset the relationship and seek to deepen
ties with our European friends, neighbours and allies.
That does not mean reopening the divisions of the past.
There will be no return to the single market, the customs
union, or freedom of movement.
Instead, Labour will work to improve the UK's trade and
investment relationship with the EU, by tearing down
unnecessary barriers to trade. We will seek to negotiate a
veterinary agreement to prevent unnecessary border
checks and help tackle the cost of food; will help our touring
artists; and secure a mutual recognition agreement for
professional qualifications to help open up markets for UK
service exporters.
Labour will seek an ambitious new UK-EU security pact to
strengthen co-operation on the threats we face. We will
rebuild relationships with key European allies, including
France and Germany, through increased defence and
security co-operation. We will seek new bilateral
agreements and closer working with Joint Expeditionary
Force partners. This will strengthen NATO and keep Britain
safe.
Multilateral institutions remain indispensable, but they
are struggling under the strain of new global challenges.
Labour will work with allies to build, strengthen and reform
these institutions. We will use the UK's unique position in
NATO, the UN, G7, G20 and the Commonwealth to address
the threats we face, and to uphold human rights and
international law. Labour values international law because
of the security it brings. Britain will unequivocally remain a
member of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Defending the UK's security
Labour's first duty in government will be to keep our
country safe. We will launch a Strategic Defence Review
to assess the threats we face and the capabilities
needed to address them. At the heart of our security
are the men and women who serve and risk their lives
for this country. We will strengthen support for our
Armed Forces communities by putting the Armed Forces
Covenant fully into law and establishing an independent
Armed Forces Commissioner to improve service life.
Labour will ensure veterans have access to the mental
health, employment, and housing support and in other
areas they need. We will also scrap visa fees for non-UK
veterans who have served for four or more years and
their dependents.
Strengthening Britain's security requires a long-term
partnership with our domestic defence industry. Labour
will bring forward a defence industrial strategy aligning
our security and economic priorities. We will ensure
a strong defence sector and resilient supply chains,
including steel, across the whole of the UK. We will
establish long-term partnerships between business
and government, promote innovation, and improve
resilience. We will prioritise UK businesses for defence
investment and will reform procurement to reduce
waste. Labour will support industry to benefit from export
opportunities, in line with a robust arms export regime
committed to upholding international law.
Strengthening our defences also requires stronger
leadership, clearer accountability, faster delivery, less
waste, and better value for money. Labour will establish
a fully functioning military strategic headquarters
and a national armaments director to create a strong
defence centre capable of leading Britain in meeting the
increasing threats we face.
With Labour, the UK's military, financial, diplomatic and
political support for Ukraine will remain steadfast. Labour
will support efforts to hold Putin's Russia to account for
its illegal war, backing calls for a Special Tribunal for
the Crime of Aggression. We will work with our allies to
enable the seizure and repurposing of frozen Russian
state assets to support Ukraine. And we will play a
leading role in providing Ukraine with a clear path to
NATO membership.
Labour will also work with our allies and international
financial centres to tackle corruption and money
laundering, including in Britain, Crown Dependencies,
and in British Overseas Territories.
Labour is fully committed to AUKUS, the trilateral security
partnership with Australia and the United States.
We will ensure it delivers its full economic as well as
security potential, increasing jobs and investment in
communities across the UK.
After 14 years of damaging Conservative inconsistency
over China, Labour will bring a long-term and strategic
approach to managing our relations. We will
co-operate where we can, compete where we need to,
and challenge where we must. We will improve the UK's
capability to understand and respond to the challenges
and opportunities China poses through an audit of our
bilateral relationship. We will always act in our interests
and defend our sovereignty and our democratic values.
We will stand with and support members of the Hong
Kong community who have relocated to the UK.
Defending our security also means protecting the British
Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, including
the Falklands and Gibraltar. Labour will always defend
their sovereignty and right to self-determination.
Championing UK prosperity
Labour's first mission in government will be to grow our
economy. This will be at the heart of everything we do,
including our foreign policy. We will use our diplomatic
network to attract foreign direct investment into the
UK, expand markets for British exporters, and shape
emerging regulatory frameworks.
Britain is a proud trading nation and flourishing
international business is a vital part of our plan for
growth. Openness to trade allows our firms to grow and
delivers greater choice and value for consumers. Rather
than prioritising insubstantial agreements which do not
bring meaningful benefits to the UK, Labour will seek
targeted trade agreements aligned with our industrial
strategy and economic strengths, to bring prosperity
to communities across England, Scotland, Wales, and
Northern Ireland.
We will publish a trade strategy and use every lever
available to get UK business the access it needs to
international markets. This will promote the highest
standards when it comes to food production. As well as
striking new free trade agreements, Labour will seek to
negotiate standalone sector deals, such as digital, or
mutual recognition agreements, to promote our services
exports.
We will lead international discussions to modernise trade
rules and agreements so they work for Britain, promoting
deeper trade and co-operation including through the
World Trade Organisation and the Comprehensive and
Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Labour supports implementation of the OECD global
minimum rate of corporate taxation and backs
international efforts to make sure multinational tech
companies pay their fair share of tax.
Labour will build and strengthen modern partnerships
with allies and regional powers. We will seek a new
strategic partnership with India, including a free trade
agreement, as well as deepening co-operation in areas
like security, education, technology and climate change.
We will deepen our co-operation with partners across
the Gulf on regional security, energy and trade and
investment.
Recognising the growing political and economic
importance of African countries, we will deliver a new
approach to the continent to foster opportunities for
mutual long-term benefit.
Climate leadership
We cannot address the urgency of the climate and
nature crisis without co-ordinated global action. A
failure to act will cause environmental devastation,
fuelling displacement, conflict and famine. By being
climate leaders at home, including meeting our agreed
targets, Labour will restore the strong global leadership
needed to tackle the climate crisis.
International allies and competitors have already
recognised the opportunities and are racing ahead,
investing in new technology and creating the jobs of the
future. Under the Conservatives, Britain has squandered
our leadership, wasting the opportunity of our COP26
presidency to make historic progress. Labour will
move faster by working together with our international
partners, especially those at the forefront of the climate
crisis, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the
COP30 hosts, Brazil.
Labour will create a new Clean Power Alliance, bringing
together a coalition of countries at the cutting edge of
climate action. This will help to deliver lower energy bills
while accelerating the energy transition and protecting
and enhancing clean energy supply chains.
Strengthening diplomacy
Labour will strengthen Britain's influence abroad,
defending our national interests, promoting progressive
values, and protecting UK nationals.
Our diplomatic leadership is bolstered by the soft power of
our world-leading cultural institutions. Rather than running
these institutions down, we will work across government to
bring leading creative and cultural institutions together to
increase the UK's international clout. And we will work with
our proud diaspora communities to enhance our cultural
links across the world.
Long-term peace and security in the Middle East will be
an immediate focus. Labour will continue to push for
an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the
upholding of international law, and a rapid increase of
aid into Gaza. Palestinian statehood is the inalienable
right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of
any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term
security of Israel. We are committed to recognising a
Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace
process which results in a two-state solution with a
safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign
Palestinian state.
Labour will also strengthen support for British nationals
abroad. We will introduce a new right to consular
assistance in cases of human rights violations.
Modernising international development
With previous Labour governments, Britain gained
world-leading expertise in international development,
with the aim of making the world a safer, more
prosperous place. Under the Conservatives, this
capacity has been degraded, and as a result Britain has
lost influence.
Labour will turn the page to rebuild Britain's reputation
on international development with a new approach
based on genuine respect and partnership with the
global South to support our common interests.
To counter the growing influence of malign actors and
boost efforts to combat threats like climate change,
the UK's development work must be closely aligned
with our foreign policy aims, co-ordinated to tackle
global poverty, instability, and the climate and nature
crisis. Our mission statement will be 'to create a world
free from poverty on a liveable planet' as a signal of
our commitment to greater multilateral action, and our
intention to lead on this agenda.
Regaining Britain's global leadership on development
is a key part of our plan to reconnect with our allies
and partners. Labour will strengthen international
development work within the Foreign, Commonwealth
& Development Office. We will renew expertise and
focus, especially in priority areas such as supporting
economic transformation, tackling unsustainable debt,
empowering women and girls, supporting conflict
prevention, and unlocking climate finance.
Labour is committed to restoring development spending
at the level of 0.7 per cent of gross national income as
soon as fiscal circumstances allow. We will deliver value
for money for the British taxpayer by working closely
with the Independent Commission for Aid Impact to
apply the highest standards to our aid spend - bringing
in robust measures of development effectiveness,
transparency, and scrutiny.
Labour will end the chaotic approach to foreign affairs,
turn the page and reconnect with our allies, to once
again stand strong on the world stage.
Change Labour Party Manifesto 2024
Labour's fiscal plan
Our fiscal rules are non-negotiable and will apply to
every decision taken by a Labour government.
This means that the current budget must move into
balance, so that day-to-day costs are met by revenues
and debt must be falling as a share of the economy by
the fifth year of the forecast.
Costs for Labour's additional public services spending
are set out below. We have used the last year of the
most recent Office for Budget Responsibility forecast
(2028-29) which represents the highest annual cost of
the policies. However, we will begin to put these policies
in place from day one of a Labour government, moving
as quickly as possible in a way that also ensures value
for money for the taxpayer.
We have not allocated all additional revenue to
potential spending. This is a prudent approach in line
with our commitment to economic stability.
Policies not listed here will be funded from existing
budgets or do not have a cost.
131
Public Services1
Revenue (2028-29)
£m
Policies funded (2028-29)
£m
Revenue from closing
further non-dom tax
loopholes and investment in
reducing tax avoidance 2
5,230
40,000 more operations, scans and
appointments every week
1,010
Double the number of NHS CT and
MRI scanners
250
Dentistry package including 700,000
urgent appointments every year
125
Free breakfast clubs in every
primary school
315
Investment in HMRC to reduce tax
avoidance
855
Revenue from applying
VAT and business rates to
private schools
1,510
6,500 new expert teachers
450
Increased teacher and headteacher
training
270
Delivering work experience and
careers advice for all young people
85
Early language development in
primary schools
5
Ofsted reform
45
Over 3,000 new nurseries
35
Mental health support for every
school
175
Young Futures Hubs
95
Revenue from closing
carried interest tax loophole
565
Recruit 8,500 new mental health
staff
410
Legal aid for victims of disasters
or state-related deaths3
30
Waive visa costs for non-UK
veterans who have served four
years or more in the British forces4
10
Revenue from increasing
stamp duty on purchases of
residential property by non-
UK residents by 1%
40
Appoint 300 new planning officers
20
Barnett consequentials5
650
Total
7,350
Total including Barnett
consequentials
4,835
1 May not sum due to rounding.
2
Revenue from tax avoidance driven by additional £855m per year investment
in HMRC. Does not include £600m revenue from removing non-dom discount
loophole in 2025-26.
3
Costs are England and Wales.
4 Costs are UK wide.
5 Scotland (£320m), Wales (£195m), Northern Ireland (£135m).
Green Prosperity Plan6
The Green Prosperity Plan will be funded in part by
a time-limited windfall tax on the oil and gas giants
making record profits, with the rest of the funding
coming from responsible borrowing to invest within
Labour's fiscal rules - catalytic investment that will
leverage higher private investment and boost economic
growth.
For transparency, we have given an annual average
across the parliament given the exact profile of projects
will be driven by partnership with business.
Funding
(annual
average)
£bn
Policies funded (annual average)
£bn
Windfall tax on
oil
and gas giants
1.2
Great British Energy
1.7
National Wealth Fund
1.5
British Jobs Bonus7
0.3
Warm Homes Plan7
1.1
Barnett consequentials
0.2
Total
1.2
Total including Barnett consequentials
4.7
Borrowing to
invest
within fiscal
rules
3.5
6
May not sum due to rounding.
7
Elements of the British Jobs Bonus (up to £500m per year from 2026-27) and
Warm Homes Plan will be devolved.
Changes within departmental
spending plans8
We have identified waste and other efficiencies which
will be used to fund further public service priorities.
For transparency, we have used an annual figure that
reflects the highest annual costs of these policies given
the differing profiles of each spending priority.
Policy
Funding
within existing
departmental
plans
Amount
re-
allocated,
annualised,
£m
Prioritising frontline
public service delivery
and public sector
capability
Halving
consultancy
spend
745
13,000 additional
neighbourhood police
and community
PCSOs; and specialist
domestic abuse
advisers in 999 control
rooms at peak times
Police
Efficiency and
Collaboration
Programme
400
New measures to
clear the asylum
backlog: Caseworkers,
Returns and
Enforcment Unit
End use of hotels
for asylum
accommodation
155
Border Security
Comand to tackle
criminal gangs behind
small boat crossings
Scrap the
Rwanda scheme
75
Invest in roads
maintenance to fill in
up to 1 million potholes
every year
Deferring the
A27 bypass
65
Put youth workers in
A&E units and custody
centres, and youth
mentors in pupil
referral units
Full cost recovery
for firearms
licenses
20
Appoint legal
advocates to provide
free legal advice
and support to rape
survivors across
England and Wales
Redirect PCC
grants for victims'
services
5
Total
1,460
8 May not sum due to rounding.
Change
At this election we can change Britain.
We can stop the chaos, turn the page, and start to
rebuild our country.
A country restored to the service of working people;
united in the common determination to build and share
wealth. And with a renewed confidence that the future
will be better for our children.
This manifesto contains our plan to begin that work.
To succeed we will need every individual and
community to play their part. We must come together,
after 14 years of chaos and division.
That is what Britain needs - and we hope you will join
us in this national endeavour.
Keir Starmer
Leader of the Labour Party
2338_24 Reproduced from electronic media. Promoted by David
Evans on behalf of the Labour Party, both at 20 Rushworth Street,
London, SE1 0SS.