- 03/05/2015
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: News
1. Because we will stand up for everyone, not just the privileged few.
2. We’ll raise the minimum wage to more than £8 by October 2019 and promote the living wage.
3. We’ll ban exploitative zero-hours contracts so that anyone working regular hours for more than 12 weeks can get a regular contract. David Cameron said he couldn’t live on one. If he can’t, then no one should have to.
4. We won’t give tax breaks to millionaires (the Tories did in 2013, and they’re likely to do it again if they win). We’ll cut tax for millions of people on low and middle incomes instead.
5. We’ll clamp down on tax avoidance and ban ‘non-dom’ status (which was created in 1799 and a lot has changed since then…).
6. We will cut the deficit every year and balance the books, sensibly and fairly, without the extreme spending cuts the Tories are planning to make.
7. We will scrap the Bedroom Tax (from day one) that hits the disabled and most vulnerable in society.
8. We will control immigration with fair rules and make it illegal for employers to undercut wages by exploiting workers.
9. Because we are the party that will save the NHS.
10. Labour founded the NHS in 1948, it is one of our party’s proudest achievements, and we have saved it from crisis before.
11. In five years of Tory-led government we’ve seen rising waiting times, increasing privatisation and falling standards.
12. We will train and recruit 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 more doctors by 2020, paid for by tackling tax avoidance, a levy on tobacco companies and a tax on the most expensive properties worth over £2 million.
13. We will guarantee a GP appointment within 48 hours – and on the same day for those who need it.
14. We will radically improve mental health provision, especially for young people, by prioritising investment in under-18s and making sure teachers are trained to spot problems early.
15. We will stop Tory privatisation of the NHS and cap the profits private companies can make from the NHS to ensure resources are spent on patient care.
16. Because we are the party that cares about creating opportunities for all young people.
17. We will cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 (which will help students but is also good for our economy).
18. We will make sure that there is an apprenticeship for any school leaver that gets the grades.
19. We will improve technical education and careers advice in schools to help students prepare for jobs.
20. Because we will end rip-off prices on services that people rely on.
21. We’ll freeze energy bills until 2017 so they can fall but not rise, and give the regulator the power to cut bills when wholesale prices fall. No-one should have to choose between heating and eating.
22. We will get a fairer deal for renters by banning rip-off letting fees and capping rents so they cannot rise by more than the rate of inflation during secure three-year tenancies.
23. We will freeze rail fares in the first year of a Labour Government while we reform the railways.
24. Because we are determined to tackle climate change and create a million green jobs.
25. Because the choice at this election is between a Labour government or five more years of the Tories.