The Week in Review

This was another jam-packed week in politics, with polling day drawing ever closer. The Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens, and Plaid Cymru all published their manifestos this week, with these publications dominating campaigning efforts for all listed parties. The manifestos were welcomed to varying degrees by those interested in the political sphere.

Monday was dominated by the Liberal Democrats, the first major party to publish their manifesto. Their manifesto was 116 pages long, and was largely focused on the health of the NHS. The Liberal Democrats committed to boost spending on health and social care by £9bn by 2028. Additionally, they pledged to recruit 8,000 more GPs, give unpaid carers a right to paid carers' leave from work, and introduce free personal care in England. In keeping with his recent performances, Leader of the Lib Dems Ed Davey followed up his party’s manifesto launch by riding the Rush ride at Thorpe Park. Davey could later be spotted at Thorpe Park riding the teacups whilst hosting an interview on the UK re-joining the single market. Comparisons between Davey’s “political stunts” and prior similar acts performed by Boris Johnson are being noted in the media.

The Conservatives launched their manifesto on Tuesday, to arguably limited fanfare following its release. Whilst there were some notable policies, including the Triple Lock Plus and the pledge to build 1.6m homes, many commitments appeared to be a continuation of current party policies or Bills that the Conservatives did not manage to get into legislation. In response to the launch of the Conservative manifesto, Keir Starmer accused them of “building a sort-of Jeremy Corbyn style manifesto where anything you want can go in it, and none of it is costed.”

Labour launched their Children’s Health Plan on Tuesday, which seeks to address waiting lists for children’s health services, children’s dentistry, and breakfast clubs to name a few of the commitments made in this plan. The ten-point plan aims to create the healthiest generation of children ever.  

Nigel Farage, Leader of Reform UK, again had objects thrown at him when he was out campaigning on Tuesday. South Yorkshire Police have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of public order offences following this incident.

Wednesday saw the launch of the Green Party’s manifesto. The Greens took a similar tack to the Liberal Democrats in their ambitions for the NHS, but the Greens surpassed the Lib Dem’s funding commitments in this area. The Greens stated they would increase the NHS budget in England by £8bn, and by 2030 there would be £28bn more funding. The Lib Dems promised £8bn a year more for health funding by the end of the parliament, and the Tories promised to maintain funding above inflation for the NHS. In this manifesto, the Greens also laid out their plans to scrap university tuition fees and dismantle Trident.  

Sky News ‘Leaders’ Special Event’ took place on Wednesday evening. According to a YouGov snap poll, 64 percent of those questioned said Starmer came out on top in this debate, compared to 36 percent who thought Sunak performed better. Both Sunak and Starmer faced grilling questions. On leaving D-Day celebrations early, Sunak said it was a mistake and that he was upset that he had hurt people. Starmer, after being accused of being a “political robot”, first laughed and then responded that he had a constant theme in his life of trying to “serve the public”.  

On Thursday, Labour launched their 136-page manifesto – titled ‘Change’, a buzzword Labour have used consistently in media appearances and promotional material over the last few weeks. One particularly bold commitment from Labour was their pledge to reform the House of Lords by abolishing hereditary peers and introduce a mandatory retirement age for Peers. Labour’s promise to build 1.5m homes and use ‘grey belt’ land to achieve this were announced prior to the manifesto’s publication, but additional information on compulsory purchase compensation rules, reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, as well as details on reviewing the increased right to buy discounts will be appreciated by stakeholders.

Plaid Cymru also launched their manifesto on Thursday. The manifesto saw commitments to secure £4bn of funding for Wales from the HS2 project, rejoin the single market, and launch a consultation on ‘the path to independence’.  

Thursday also saw Parliamentary Private Secretary Craig Williams, who is standing in the general election for the Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr seat, being reported to have placed a £100 bet on a July election before Sunak announced the date officially. Williams has admitted to placing a “flutter” on the general election, and inquiries are ongoing with the Gambling Commission.

To round off Thursday’s election campaigning, 'The ITV Election Debate 2024' saw Penny Mordaunt for the Conservatives, Deputy Leader of Labour Angela Rayner, SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper, Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Green Party Co-Leader Carla Denyer, and Reform UK’s Leader Nigel Farage go head-to-head in this televised debate.

News outlets reported early on Friday morning that Reform had taken the lead above the Conservatives in a voting intention poll undertaken by YouGov. The poll revealed that support for Reform had increased by two points to 19 percent whilst the Conservative Party remained at 18 percent. This is the first time this has happened which is likely to be a source of satisfaction for Farage, however Labour comfortably led in this poll at 37 percent. Whilst this poll is notable, it is important to note that that the Reform and Conservative polling figures are within the margin of error of one another, as emphasised by YouGov.

According to the Financial Times on Friday, Starmer is considering proposals for five new “mission boards” to aid cross-department work if Labour win the general election. It is being reported that this overhaul of Whitehall would eradicate silo working between departments. It is being suggested that Starmer may also chair an overarching committee to sit above the five mission-specific boards.

Starmer will appear on a BBC Panorama special interview on Friday evening. Nick Robinson will host the interview as part of the BBC’s Panorama specials in the run-up to the general election.