Conservative manifesto: Rishi Sunak pins election hopes on tax cuts and lower migration

Plan to overturn Labour poll lead amid 'frustration' with Tories also sets out position on Israel-Palestine and promises closer ties with Gulf partners

Conservative leader Rishi Sunak speaks at party campaign event at the National Army Museum in London on Wednesday, July 3. AP Photo

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer addresses supporters during a visit to the West Regwm Farm events venue in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the final day of election campaigning. PA

Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey drives a tractor during a visit to Owl Lodge in Lacock, Wiltshire. PA

Satirical political character Count Binface in London before challenging Conservative leader RishiSunak for the parliamentary seat of Richmond and Northallerton. Reuters

Boris Johnson, former UK prime minister, campaigns for the Conservatives in London. Bloomberg

Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right Reform UK Party, with heavyweight boxer Derek Chisora during a campaign visit to Clacton-on-Sea in eastern England. Reuters

Mr Sunak holds a speech during his visit to Well Healthcare Supplies as he campaigns in Stoke. Getty Images

Mr Starmer laughs as he speaks to supporters near Milton Keynes. AP

Mr Davey bungee jumps during a visit to Eastbourne Borough Football Club in East Sussex. AP

Mr Sunak bowls during his visit to Nuneaton Cricket Club. AFP

Mr Starmer addresses an audience of Labour Party members and supporters during a rally at the Royal Horticultural Halls in central London. AP

Mr Davey rides a towable inflatable during a visit to Lakeside Ski & Wake, in the Cotswolds. Reuters

Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty visit the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London. AFP

Mr Starmer during a visit to the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in Kingsbury, London. PA

Mr Davey participates in a Zumba class with supporters in Wokingham. Reuters

Mr Starmer speaking during a visit to Northampton Town Football Club at Sixfields Stadium. PA

Mr Sunak delivers a speech in central London. AFP

Mr Davey jet-washes an ambulance in London. Getty Images

Mr Starmer rests his hand on the shoulder of Idris Elba as they meet families of knife crime victims, in west London. PA

Mr Sunak turns on the power in the training centre control room during a tour of the Sizewell B nuclear power plant. AFP

Mr Davey plays a game of Frisbee on a visit to a farm in Hampshire. AP

Mr Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves visit a supermarket in Swindon. PA

Mr Sunak speaks to journalists on the campaign bus following the launch of the Welsh Conservatives General Election manifesto near Rhyl. Reuters

Mr Davey taking part in wheelbarrow racing at Huish Park, home of Yeovil Town football club in Somerset. PA

Mr Farage speaks to the press in Clacton-on-Sea. Bloomberg

Mr Starmer speaks at the launch of the Labour party's 2024 general election manifesto in Manchester. AP

Mr Sunak answers questions from the audience in Grimsby. Getty Images

Mr Davey toasts a marshmallow as he visits Willow Forest School in Surrey. EPA

Mr Farage attends the launch of the Reform UK manifesto in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Reuters

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar launches Scottish Labour’s battle bus campaign on June 17 in South Queensferry, Scotland. Getty Images

Britain's Labour Party politician and Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting speaks to a television crew outside the BBC in London. AFP

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, on the BBC 1 current affairs programme, Sunday, with Laura Kuenssberg. BBC

Mr Sunak meets pupils in a maths class during a visit to the John Whitgift Academy, in Grimsby. AP

Mr Starmer during a visit to Grimsby Institute, a technical training college in Grimsby. PA

Mr Davey during a general election campaign visit to the Aqua Jungle Spot in Stratford-upon-Avon. Bloomberg

Mr Sunak and Akshata Murty take centre stage at the Conservative Party's general election manifesto launch in Towcester. Getty Images

Mr Starmer passes a toothbrush to a child during his visits to the Whale Hill Primary School in Middlesbrough. AP

Mr Davey meets Steve Darling, Liberal Democrat candidate for Torbay and his guide dog Jennie at Torquay Harbour. Getty Images

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reacts after something is thrown towards him on the campaign bus in Cawthorne, Barnsley. AP

Mr Sunak attends a neighbourhood watch meeting in Horsham, West Sussex. PA

Mr Starmer helps volunteers pot plants during a visit to Harlesden Town Garden in north-west London. PA

Mr Davey on the 'Rush' ride during a Liberal Democrats general election campaign event at Thorpe Park. Reuters

Mr Sunak, during a visit to Imagination Childcare, in Swindon, Wiltshire, while on the election campaign trail. PA

Mr Starmer visits Brent Cross town's visitor pavilion for a housing launch in London. Getty Images

Mr Davey grills burgers in a garden, during campaigning in Wiltshire. PA

Mr Sunak during a visit to Leander Club, in Henley-on-Thames, as a boat carrying Liberal Democrat supporters passes behind him. Reuters

Mr Starmer meets pensioners to talk about the impact of the energy crisis and the cost of living, in a cafe in Bolton. PA

Mr Sunak and Mr Starmer lock horns the first televised general election debate of the campaign, at MediaCity in Salford. PA

Mr Davey plays Jenga using symbolic 'blue wall' blocks in Stockport. EPA

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn poses outside Islington Town Hall, north London, after handing in his nomination papers for the general election, taking place on July 4. PA

Mr Farage has a milkshake hurled at him during a campaign event in Clacton-on-Sea. EPA

Mr Sunak launches the Conservative Party's campaign bus at Redcar Racecourse in north-east England. PA

Labour launch their election campaign bus, with Mr Starmer, his deputy Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor, in Uxbridge. Getty Images

Mr Davey holds a balloon with a figure that represents the amount of votes the Liberal Democrat party lost by in Wimbledon. PA

Mr Sunak feeds lambs as he visits Rowlinson's Farm during a Conservative general election campaign event in Gawsworth. Reuters

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Mr Starmer, shadow secretary of state for energy security and net zero Ed Miliband and local candidate Martin McCluskey in Greenock. PA

Mr Sunak holds a question and answer session during a visit to Niftylift in Milton Keynes. EPA

Mr Starmer serves ice cream to day trippers on Barry seafront in South Wales. PA

Mr Davey takes part in a baking lesson with pupils from High Beeches Primary School during a half-term holiday camp in Hertfordshire. PA

Mr Sunak speaks with a cafe worker as he picks up breakfast for the media at a cafe in Cornwall. PA

Mr Starmer speaks at the launch of Labour's six steps for change in Wales at the Priory Centre in Abergavenny. PA

Mr Davey and Anna Sabine, parliamentary candidate for Frome and East Somerset, ride the Ultimate Slip 'n' Slide at Eastcote Farm in Beckington. Bloomberg

Scottish National Party Leader John Swinney speaks during a visit to The Dower House Cafe in Edinburgh. AP

Rishi Sunak examines Jackal armoured vehicles during his visit to defence vehicle manufacturer Supacat in Exeter. PA

Keir Starmer with a baby at Worcester City Football Club. PA

Ed Davey rides a bike during a visit to Knighton, Wales. PA

Nigel Farage at the cliffs in Dover after speaking at a Reform UK event. Getty Images

Akshata Murty, wife of Mr Sunak, meets with residents during a visit to a Royal British Legion care home in Ripon. Getty Images

Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves during a visit to Rolls Royce’s educational training complex in Derby. PA

Ed Davey falls into the water while paddle boarding on Lake Windermere. PA

Rishi Sunak campaigning in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. EPA

Mr Starmer addresses party members and media in Lancing Parish Hall, West Sussex. Getty Images

Mr Davey launches his party's general election campaign battle bus in Cambridge. PA

Mr Sunak on the ball during a visit to Chesham United Football Club. PA

Mr Starmer speaks to party supporters after making his first keynote speech of the campaign in Lancing. PA

Mr Davey join supporters for a dog walk near Winchester. PA

Mr Sunak visits a maritime technology centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as he campaigns for the general election on July 4. Reuters

Mr Starmer and his Scottish counterpart, Anas Sarwar, greet supporters at the launch of the Scottish Labour general election campaign at Caledonia House in Glasgow. Getty Images

Mr Davey, right, eats ice cream with his party's local candidate, Josh Babarinde, on the promenade in Eastbourne. PA

Mr Sunak arrives at Inverness Airport, in Scotland, on the general election campaign trail. PA

Mr Starmer during a visit to Gillingham Football Club in Kent. PA

Mr Sunak speaks with members of staff at the Global Energy Group facility at the Port of Nigg in north-east Scotland. AFP

Mr Davey during a visit to the town centre in Cheltenham. PA

Richard Tice, the leader of Reform UK, attends an election campaign launch in London. AP

Mr Sunak holds a Q&A with staff of a West Transport distribution centre in Ilkeston in the East Midlands. AP

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner and Mr Starmer arrive at Gillingham FC. Getty Images

Mr Sunak takes questions from workers at West Transport. Getty Images

Mr Starmer holds a piece of campaign branding at Gillingham. PA

Mr Sunak poses for a selfie in Ilkeston. AFP

Rishi Sunak put the promise of a major tax giveaway for workers and drastically lower immigration at the heart of the Conservative Party manifesto, in a bid to gain some traction with voters.

He admitted that people are “frustrated” with him and that the Tories “have not got everything right” over 14 years of government.

The Prime Minister’s mea culpa came as he set out a policy platform he hopes can overturn Labour’s yawning poll lead before July 4.

The 80-page document launched on Tuesday also sets out the party’s position on Israel, stating the country had a right to defend itself while also recognising a Palestinian state “at a time that is most conducive to the peace process”. Labour is expected to say later this week it would recognise Palestine “at the right time”.

The Conservatives further promised closer ties with its partners in the Gulf “based on an appreciation of regional perspectives and shared interests” and said it intends to complete a free trade agreement with the GCC.

It also targeted Iran as an “authoritarian state” that would now be included in the “enhanced tier” along with Russia and China on the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme that seeks greater transparency on the influence of foreign powers in British politics.

Tax giveaway

In a launch ceremony at the Silverstone Formula One racing track, the British Prime Minister made a series of pledges that would reward workers with tax breaks in a multibillion-pound gamble to get the Conservatives' campaign back on track.

Speaking in front of his cabinet, party workers and the media, Mr Sunak gave a fluent performance announcing a 2 per cent tax cut to National Insurance with a pledge to scrap it entirely for the self-employed to “encourage more people to become entrepreneurs”.

His party would also “end double taxation on work” by halving it to 6 per cent by 2027.

There was also a promise to introduce a two-year temporary capital gains tax relief for landlords who sell to existing tenants.

In all, Mr Sunak announced more than £30 billion in tax cuts over the next five years, creating a clear dividing line with the Labour opposition that he again accused of raising taxes by £2,000 per household if elected.

Immigration

Mr Sunak said the Conservatives would halve migration “then reduce it every single year”.

In May, the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford said net migration “remained at unusually high levels”, despite official estimates suggesting a 10 per cent drop in numbers last year.

Mr Sunak pledged, if elected, to remove illegal small boat arrivals in Britain by instigating his Rwanda deportation scheme with the first flights in July.

“The government decides who comes to our county and not criminal gangs,” he said in reference to the cross-Chanel people smugglers. He declined to put a figure on how many people will be sent to Rwanda.

With net migration running at around 650,000, the Conservatives promised to introduce a “binding, legal cap on migration” at a level that “explicitly takes into account the costs and the benefits of migration”.

The cap would fall every year and parliament would be given an annual vote on its level.

It also promised to work with other countries “to rewrite asylum treaties” and Mr Sunak threatened to exit the European Convention on Human Rights to ensure the Rwanda scheme worked.

Palestine commitment

On Israel, the Conservatives said they “staunchly stand behind Israel’s right to defend itself” and would continue “to support access to aid” for those in affected by the conflict, although did not mention Gaza.

It added: “We will push for a two-state solution in the Middle East – our long-standing position has been that we will recognise a Palestinian State at a time that is most conducive to the peace process.”

Defence increase

The Conservatives promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 because “security is essential for success” in what would be the biggest increase since the Cold War.

Mr Sunak derided Labour leader Keir Starmer for refusing to match the commitment by wanting to keep a “bloated civil service” rather than giving the armed forces the equipment they needed.

“We will fire up our defence industrial base,” he said in order to “deter our enemies and defend our values – only Conservatives can be trusted to keep Britain safe.”

The manifesto also committed to all 18-year-olds doing national service either in the military or a civic role for a “more unified and cohesive society”.

'Frustrated with me'

Following the debacle over his early departure from the D-Day commemorations last week, Mr Sunak adopted a more conciliatory tone, taking in Tory debacles that have seen five prime ministers in eight years.

Mr Sunak conceded it has not all been plain sailing as he highlighted the Conservatives’ record from 14 years in government.

He said: “I’m not blind to the fact that people are frustrated with our party and frustrated with me.

“Things have not always been easy. And we have not got everything right.”

But, he insisted, “we are the only party in this election with the big ideas to make our country a better place to live”.

Asked if the Conservative manifesto was a “last-chance saloon” as the party remains 20 points behind Labour in the polls, Mr Sunak said the election was “about the future”.

He criticised Labour for giving “no solution to our problems” and warned that if Mr Starmer became prime minister his party “will change the rules so that they are in power for a very long time”.

The Labour leader said the money is not there to pay for Mr Sunak’s pledges, warning they are a “recipe for five more years of chaos” under the Conservatives.

Almost half the public think the Conservatives' campaign is not going well, a new poll has found.

The survey from Ipsos UK found 48 per cent of people thought the Tory campaign was going badly, up from 41 per cent after the first week of the election period.

Only 17 per cent said they thought the party's campaign was going well, giving the Conservatives similar numbers to those achieved by Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party in 2019, when 48 per cent said Labour was doing badly and 23 per cent said the party was doing well.

What else is in the manifesto?

Stamp duty

The Conservatives have pledged to “abolish stamp duty entirely” for first-time buyers on homes up to £425,000.

Mr Sunak said: “We'll also introduce a new Help to Buy scheme to get the new generation on to the property ladder, all part of our plan to build an ownership society, where more and more people have the security and pride that comes from owning your own home.”

The Conservative Party manifesto also pledges to “deliver 1.6 million homes in England in the next Parliament” and commits to push on with delayed reforms to the rental market, including an end to section 21 no-fault evictions.

Net zero

The Conservatives would “cut the cost of net zero for consumers by taking a more pragmatic approach, guaranteeing no new green levies or charges while accelerating the rollout of renewables”.

The party’s manifesto recommits to legislation for annual licensing rounds of oil and gas production in the North Sea – which failed to get through the last parliament before it was dissolved – and new gas power plants, prompting an angry response from environmental campaigners.

There are also promises to treble offshore wind capacity, build the first two carbon capture and storage clusters and invest £1.1 billion in helping green industries grow.

Within the first 100 days of the next parliament, the Tories say they will approve two new fleets of small modular reactors, while there are also plans to halve the time it takes for new nuclear plants to be approved and to deliver a new gigawatt power plant at Wylfa, in North Wales.

Pensions

The Conservatives have pledged to protect pensioners from having to pay tax on their state pensions.

Billed as the “triple lock-plus”, the policy would see the threshold at which pensioners have to pay income tax rise so that state pension increases will never rise above the income tax threshold.

National service

The manifesto outlines the party’s plans for mandatory national service, funding 100,000 “high-quality” apprenticeships” and protecting children by “requiring schools to ban the use of mobile phones during the school day”.

Mr Sunak said national service would help young people “feel a sense of community, belonging and national purpose”.

Borrowing and debt

The manifesto says: “In the next Parliament, we will continue to meet our fiscal rules of having public sector net debt falling and for public sector net borrowing to be below 3 per cent of GDP in the fifth year of the forecast.

“The measures in this manifesto are fully funded and would result in lower borrowing in 2029-30, which will be the target year for our fiscal rules in the first fiscal event of the new Parliament.”

Transport

The manifesto details a series of transport pledges, including £8.3 billion to “fill potholes and resurface roads” and boosting Midlands rail connectivity with £1.75 billion to fund the “Midlands Rail hub in full”.

Railway upgrades in the South West, including the line through Dawlish, the energy coastline in Cumbria and the Ely Junction scheme in East Anglia are also among the measures listed.

Public spending on research and development would be increased to £22 billion a year in the next Parliament, the Conservatives said.

Trade and Co-operation

The Conservative Party manifesto notes the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) is the “most comprehensive” free trade agreement the EU has “ever agreed”, adding: “We will build on it, but will not agree to anything in the forthcoming review of the TCA that would infringe our legal sovereignty or involve submission to the CJEU (Court of Justice of the European Union) or dynamic alignment.

“We will take a tough approach on ensuring that the EU are meeting their commitments under the TCA and not discriminating against our exporters.

“We have always been clear the NHS and the services it provides are not on the table in trade negotiations.”

Civil service

The manifesto states the party wants to return the civil service to its pre-pandemic size to “pay for our commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP”.

It adds the party also wants to halve the amount of taxpayers' money spent on external consultants and “introduce controls on all 'equality, diversity and inclusion' initiatives and spending”.

A further 25,000 civil servants would be moved outside London, it adds.

National Living Wage

The Conservatives say they will “maintain” it in “each year of the next parliament at two-thirds of median earnings” before noting: “On current forecasts, that would mean it rising to around £13 per hour, up from a minimum wage of £5.80 under Labour in 2010.”

Benefits

The party would “address the unsustainable rise” in benefit claims for people of working age with a disability or health condition. Child tax benefit will now be given to higher earners, doubling the threshold to incomes of £120,000 as well as giving 30 hours of free toddler care, worth £6,900 a year.

Police

The Tories have pledged to get 8,000 more “bobbies on the beat”, with a focus on community policing.

Education

The Conservatives have pledged to boost apprenticeships numbers, creating a further 100,000 by 2029.

At the same time they have taken aim at “rip-off” degrees which offer poor value to students, and say scrapping these will help pay for their apprenticeship programme.

Leadership and the world

The manifesto states: “Our highest priority remains protecting the British homeland, Crown dependencies and overseas territories from risks and threats.

“As part of that, we continue to ensure the democratic rights of people in Gibraltar, the Falklands and all our overseas territories are protected.”

Martyn’s Law

The manifesto states: “We will urgently introduce Martyn's Law, in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was tragically killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017.

“This will ensure premises are better prepared for terrorist attacks by requiring them to take proportionate steps to mitigate risks.”

Backing Drivers Bill

The manifesto says this will “stop road pricing”, adding: “A Conservative government will not introduce pay-per-mile road pricing and will ban mayors and local councils from doing so.”

It also pledges to reverse the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) in London and “rule out top-down blanket low-traffic neighbourhoods and 20mph zones”.