The Conservative Party have launched their manifesto ahead of the General Election, pledging to ‘unleash Britain’s potential’ after leaving the European Union.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched the manifesto at an event in the West Midlands on Sunday afternoon, guaranteeing that he would get the current Brexit deal through Parliament if the General Election returned a Conservative majority.
Some of the headline policies and commitments made in the manifesto that could affect local shops include:
Employment
- Affirming a commitment to increase the National Living Wage to two thirds of median earnings (currently forecast at £10.50 an hour) and extending the NLW to everyone aged 21 and over (currently 25 and over)
- Promising not raise the rates of income tax, National Insurance or VAT, as well as raising the National Insurance threshold to £9,500 next year with an ultimate ambition to raise the threshold to £12,500 in the future
Crime
- Introducing tougher sentencing for the worst offenders and ending automatic halfway release from prison for serious crimes
- Strengthening the accountability of Police and Crime Commissioners and expanding their role
High Streets / Small Business
- A new deal for towns which includes cutting business rates for small retail businesses, a new Safer Streets Fund to invest in measures like CCTV, and extending business rates relief for local and regional newspapers
- Remaining committed to devolving power across England, with an English Devolution White Paper planned in 2020
- A fundamental review of the business rates system
Environment
- Extending the producer responsibility scheme and increasing the proportion of recyclable plastics in packaging
- Introducing a deposit return scheme to incentivise people to recycle plastic and glass
The full manifesto is available here: https://vote.conservatives.com/our-plan
