Liberal Democrats will stop Brexit, and invest in our mental health services, give free childcare to working parents, put 20,000 more teachers into classrooms, and take ambitious action to tackle the climate emergency.
The Liberal Democrats have officially launched our 2019 General Election Manifesto!
In it, we have outlined a clear plan to build a brighter future, where every person, every community and our planet can thrive.
Don’t have time to read the full manifesto right now? Here, we explain our top 5 steps:
1. Stop Brexit
Labour and the Conservatives can’t offer the country a brighter future because they both want Brexit.
The national humiliation of Brexit puts so much at risk; we know that it would be bad for our economy, bad for our NHS and bad for our environment.
Jo Swinson is the only candidate for Prime Minister who unequivocally believes that the UK is stronger as part of the EU.
By keeping the UK in the EU, we can get on with tackling the real issues facing our country, and we can do this by investing the £50 billion Remain Bonus in public services and tackling inequality.
2. Tackle the climate emergency
We are the first generation to know we are destroying the environment, and the last generation with a chance to do something about it before it’s too late.
Liberal Democrats offer a new plan to innovate our way out of crisis. To mobilise every community in the country, and the resources of both the public and private sector to achieve it. To turn the birthplace of the industrial revolution into the home of the new Green Revolution.
This starts by generating 80% of our electricity from renewables by 2030 and insulating all low-income homes by 2025.
3. Give every child the best start in life
Our schools should be world class, helping every child make the most of the challenges ahead. But instead, they are trailing behind.
The Conservatives have cut school funding to the bone and children have paid the price, especially those with the most complex needs.
Liberal Democrats will build a brighter future for every child. By stopping Brexit, we can spend £10 billion of our Remain Bonus on reversing school cuts and hiring 20,000 more teachers – so that pupils can leave school happy, healthy and with the skills they need to succeed in life.
This is an investment in our children’s future.
4. Build a fairer economy
In an ever changing workplace people often need to develop new skills, but the cost of courses and qualifications shuts too many people out.
Liberal Democrats will create a new era of learning throughout adult life with Skills Wallets for every individual, providing them with £10,000 to spend on education and training at various stages of their lives.
With Skills Wallets, we will empower people to develop new skills so that they can thrive in the technologies and industries that are key to the UK’s economic future and prosperity.
Another key factor in building a fairer economy is by providing free, high-quality childcare for every child aged two to four, for 35 hours a week, 48 weeks a year. This offer is extended to children aged between 9 and 24 months where their parents are in work.
This offering will finally give parents more choice about when they return to work and unlock their untapped potential for our economy.
5. Transform our mental health services
Approximately one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. But for too many, treatment is a postcode lottery.
No one should be forced to travel unreasonable distances away from home, and that’s why Liberal Democrats will invest £11bn into mental health to provide parity of urgency with physical health.
We want to break down the barriers of stigma and shame, which leave those suffering, alienated and isolated, and we want to make the UK a world leader in keeping our nation well with our push for greater emphasis on wellbeing.
Only Jo Swinson and the Liberal Democrats have a plan to stop Brexit and build a brighter future for everyone.