UK General Elections: Which are the Main Parties, and What are their Major Plans?

(VORNews) – The United Kingdom will hold elections on July 4 following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of emergency elections on May 22.

The parties running for the 650 seats in the lower chamber of the UK Parliament, the chamber of Commons, have all produced manifestos outlining their positions on various topics, including immigration, the NHS, the economy, and the UK’s relationship with the EU.

In December 2019, Boris Johnson guided the reigning Conservative Party back to power in the UK’s most recent general election. Following Sunak’s declaration, the country entered a period known as “purdah,” during which time local governments and civil servants were prohibited from announcing any new projects or plans that might be perceived as favoring a specific political party. The parliament was dissolved on May 30.

However, Purdah does not prohibit political candidates from doing voter outreach events. In the run-up to the general election, these are the major political parties and the pledges they have made:

UK General Elections: Which are the Main Parties?

Conservatives

Alternatively referred to as the Tory Party or the Tories colloquially, or the Conservative and Unionist Party

Political alignment: center-right to right

Formed in: 1834

Manifesto: Reduce borrowing, debt, and taxes by 17.2 billion pounds ($22 billion) annually by 2029-30. Increase NHS funding above inflation and hire 92,000 more nurses and 28,000 new physicians. Increase defense expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP. Develop post-Brexit partnerships throughout Europe. Impose a binding limit for legal migration and expel asylum seekers who arrive in Rwanda via illegal methods.

Current leader: Rishi Sunak

Prime Minister David Cameron has been in power since 2010 (first five years in partnership with Liberal Democrats), followed by Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.

Seats in House of Commons in outgoing parliament: 344

Support in recent polls: According to YouGov, the British public opinion and data monitoring organization, 20% of those questioned expect to vote Conservative on June 18. The Conservative Party got 43% of the popular vote in 2019.

Labour

Political alignment: center-left

Formed in: 1900

Manifesto: Instead of increasing taxes, create wealth and implement a new industrial strategy. Reduce waiting times in the NHS by doubling the number of cancer scanners and adding 40,000 extra medical appointments every week. Instead of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, the government should strengthen border security and strengthen ties with Europe.

Current leader: Keir Starmer

Last in power: Gordon Brown and Tony Blair from 1997 to 2010.

Seats in House of Commons in outgoing parliament: 205

Support in latest polls: 36 percent. The party won 32 percent of the vote in 2019.

Liberal Democrats

Political alignment: center to center-left

Formed in 1988 by the merging of the Liberal Party, formed in 1859 and a major force during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the Social Democratic Party.

Manifesto: Improve the relationship with the European Union. Concentrate on renewables. Increase the number of physicians and pay for caregivers. Increase defense expenditure to at least 2.5 percent of GDP annually. Scrap the Rwanda plan and end the bar on asylum seekers working. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, and hire a mental health expert in every school.

Current leader: Ed Davey

In power from 2010 until 2015 in a coalition with the Conservatives led by David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats’ then-leader.

Seats in House of Commons in outgoing parliament: 15

Support in latest polls: 14 percent. In 2019, the party won 12 percent of the vote.

Greens

Political alignment: left-wing eco-politics

Formed in: 1990

Manifesto: Increase taxes on the affluent. Place railway, water, and energy industries under governmental administration. Increase the NHS funding. Cancel Trident, the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrence program. Assist migrants in “putting down roots” by eliminating the minimum income criteria for spouses of work visa holders. Re-join the EU. Stop all new fossil fuel extraction and switch to wind and solar electricity. Remove university undergraduate fees.

Current leaders: Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay

Seats in the House of Commons in the outgoing parliament: one

Support in latest polls: 7 percent — a historic high. The party won 1 percent of the vote in 2019.

Reform UK’s

Political orientation: right-wing.

Formed in 2019 (as the Brexit Party).

Manifesto [or a pact with voters, as the party describes it]: Accelerate infrastructure initiatives. Remove bureaucracy by repealing employment rules that make it difficult for businesses to recruit and terminate employees. Reduce property taxes, lower taxes for frontline NHS and social care workers, and provide tax breaks for private healthcare. Recruit 30,000 more army personnel and boost defense expenditures. Detain and deport unauthorized immigrants. Remove the more than 6,700 EU rules that the UK kept after Brexit. Ban “transgender ideology” in classrooms.

Current leader: Nigel Farage.

Outgoing parliament has one seat in the House of Commons.

According to the most recent surveys, support is 18 percent. The Brexit Party received 2% of the vote in 2019.

Scottish National Party’s

Political orientation: center-left.

Formed in 1934.

Manifesto: Achieve Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. Protect the NHS against commercialization and austerity by increasing investment in hospitals, schools, train, and road infrastructure. Scrap Trident. Increase maternity pay. Re-join the EU. Scrap the Rwanda scheme. Demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

Current leader: John Swinney.

In the previous session, the House of Commons had 43 seats.

In the most recent surveys, support is around 3 percent. It received 4% of the vote in 2019.

Plaid Cymru’s

Political allegiance: center-left to left wing.

Formed in 1925.

Manifesto: Gain independence for Wales. Establish equitable financing for Wales. Recruit 500 more general doctors. Increase child benefit payments by £20 ($25) each week. Rejoin the EU and the single market.

Current leader: Rhun ap Iorwerth.

In the previous session, the House of Commons had three seats.

The latest surveys show that support is 1 percent. It received 0.5% of the votes in 2019.

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