What to expect from a Labour government
1) Labour will increase the minimum wage. Labour has committed itself to raising the minimum wage to at least £8 an hour by 2019. This has been brought forward a year – the party announced at conference last year that the minimum wage would hit £8 by 2020. “Labour is renewing our traditions as the party of work family and community,” said Ed Miliband at the launch. “We are also the party of equality.”
2) Labour will abide by a ‘Budget Responsibility Lock’. According to business secretary Chuka Umunna, “there are no spending commitments…that entail additional borrowing, capital or otherwise”. This is quite a big deal. Labour says that every policy in the manifesto is costed and will require no additional borrowing. The pledge not to borrow for capital spending (roads, housing, infrastructure) will disappoint many on the left, however. As will the refusal to rule out further cuts beyond 2016 – especially when the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says Labour could meet its spending targets without more cuts after 2016.
3) Labour will introduce comprehensive childcare. Under a Labour government all primary schools would need to provide wrap-around childcare from 8am to 6pm in the form of breakfast clubs and other after-school activities. The manifesto says:
“We will introduce a legal guarantee for parents of primary school children to access wraparound childcare from 8am to 6pm through their local primary school.
“As well as helping parents, this will provide children with before and after-school clubs and activities, helping to raise their aspirations and attainment.”
4) Labour will introduce a ‘fully-funded rail fare freeze’. Commuters have been fleeced in recent years by rapidly rising ticket prices. On Friday the Conservatives announced a rail fare price freeze, the details of which we are yet to hear, and today Labour announced a “strict cap on every route for any future fare rises, and a new legal right for passengers will be created to access the cheapest ticket for their journey”.
The plan is expected to cost just over £200 million and will be funded by delaying road projects on the A27 and A358, according to Labour.
5) Labour will protect tax credits. Under Labour plans tax credits will rise in line with inflation from next year. Last year the chancellor George Osborne pledged a two-year freeze on benefits and tax credits if the Conservatives were re-elected.
James Bloodworth is the editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter
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30 Responses to “Five things we learned from the Labour manifesto launch”
SonOfTheIsles
1) £8 by 2020 – Under current year on year minimum wage growth the mimimum wage will be over £8 anyway.
2) Saying and doing are two different things in the labour party. HIstorically a party that says one things and does another. When things start going tits-up they raid the treasury to pay off their friends before they get kicked out of No 10.
3) A manifesto for another unrestrained baby boom. I guess that is why there is a green party for lefties who do understand over-population and sustainability.
4) Mess with price discovery at your peril.
5) Unaffordable.
labour will last as long Hollande and probably as little as Syriza.
Left Foot in Mouth.
Jim Bennett
Rather than make the cheap political points I usually do, could I ask a question? Miliband said he wouldn’t raise either the lower or higher personal tax rate. Does this mean no 50 pence tax rate for high earners or did I miss something?
treborc1
No Ball said and you have to smile at this one.
I will not raise the top end of the tax, or the lower, no tax rises, well of course I will put it up to 50p .
is that not then a tax rise.
treborc1
The Living wage has now gone dropped because well business did not like it, so Miliband says when firms can afford it, one day in the future.so Instead of rising the min wage to the level of the Living wage he offers us a rise of £8 in five years time I would say the Tories would meet that in three.
No words for those unlucky to be unemployed because of the biggest bust in living memory, but that is labour for you.
Jim Bennett
I think I should go back to making cheap political points then!