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Labour party manifesto pledges to end tuition fees and nationalise railways Labour party manifesto pledges to renationalise energy, rail and Royal Mail
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The Labour party’s election manifesto will promise a series of spending commitments including the phased abolition of tuition fees, boosting finance for childcare, and scrapping the bedroom tax, the Guardian has learned. Jeremy Corbyn will lay out plans to take parts of Britain’s energy industry back into public ownership alongside the railways and Royal Mail in a radical manifesto that will also promise an annual injection of £6bn for the NHS and £1.6bn for social care.
The Guardian understands that Jeremy Corbyn wants to promise a transformational programme with a package covering the NHS, education, housing and jobs as well as industrial intervention and the promise to renationalise the railways. A draft document drawn up by the leadership will also pledge a phased abolition of tuition fees, a dramatic boost in finance for childcare, and scrapping the bedroom tax, the Guardian has learned.
Insiders said the policies would be fully costed by reversing cuts to corporation and inheritance tax, but with some saying a rise in national insurance contributions for the better off had also been floated. Sources say that Corbyn wants to promise a “transformational programme” with a package covering the NHS, education, housing and jobs as well as industrial intervention and sweeping nationalisation.
The draft manifesto sets out plans to borrow £250bn to invest in infrastructure. One central promise will be to build 100,000 new council houses a year and alongside a policy to ban fracking.
Meanwhile there will be a promise to “review” other government cuts, with a view to reversing them. Among those in line to be considered are the plans for a £3.4bn cut to the Conservative’s flagship welfare policy of universal credit. The manifesto claims that the policies will be fully costed with tax rises for those earning over £80,000 – although full details are not included. There will also be a reversal of corporation and inheritance tax cuts.
The draft manifesto will be sent to members of Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) and shadow cabinet at 10am on Thursday, just two hours before they meet for the party’s “Clause V” meeting. Excerpts seen by the Guardian says the party will “take energy back into public ownership to deliver renewable energy, affordability for consumers and democratic control”. It includes plans for a public owned energy company in every region of the UK. The manifesto will include a 20:1 pay cap for businesses that have public contracts.
There is also a promise to review decisions on welfare cuts, although not necessarily reverse them. A ministry of labour will oversee a new raft of reforms on workers’ rights and planned hikes in the pension age beyond 66 will not go ahead.
The draft manifesto also sets out plans to borrow £250bn to invest in infrastructure.
Meanwhile, there will be a promise to “review” other government decisions, with a view to reversing them. Among those in line to be considered are the plans for a £3.4bn cut to the Conservative’s flagship welfare policy of universal credit.
The draft manifesto will be scrutinised by Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) and shadow cabinet from midday on Thursday at what is known as the Clause V meeting.
The session, which also involves the heads of the national policy forums, will hammer down a final document that will be published next week.The session, which also involves the heads of the national policy forums, will hammer down a final document that will be published next week.
The leader hinted on Wednesday that he would make good on a previous commitment to scrap tuition fees for higher education and restore maintenance grants for the poorest students. Corbyn hinted on Wednesday that he would make good on a previous commitment to scrap tuition fees for higher education and restore maintenance grants for the poorest students.
Speaking at Leeds community college alongside the shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, Corbyn said: “You’ll have to wait for the manifesto. I know you’re desperate for it and I’ve got some stuff in my pocket, but, sorry, I’m not allowed to give it to you. Is that alright? Do you mind? Can you cope with the excitement?”Speaking at Leeds community college alongside the shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, Corbyn said: “You’ll have to wait for the manifesto. I know you’re desperate for it and I’ve got some stuff in my pocket, but, sorry, I’m not allowed to give it to you. Is that alright? Do you mind? Can you cope with the excitement?”
However, his comments came as a recording emerged of the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, telling an audience in Mansfield that Labour would abolish university tuition fees. “[We] want to introduce – just as the Attlee government with Nye Bevan introduced the National Health Service – we want to introduce a national education service,” McDonnell said. However, his comments came as a recording emerged of John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, telling an audience in Mansfield that Labour would abolish university tuition fees. “[We] want to introduce – just as the Attlee government with Nye Bevan introduced the National Health Service – we want to introduce a national education service,” McDonnell said.
“Free at the point of need throughout life. And that means ending the cuts in the schools at primary and secondary level. It means free childcare. It means free school training when you need it throughout life. And yes it means scrapping tuition fees once and for all so we don’t burden our kids with debt for the future.”“Free at the point of need throughout life. And that means ending the cuts in the schools at primary and secondary level. It means free childcare. It means free school training when you need it throughout life. And yes it means scrapping tuition fees once and for all so we don’t burden our kids with debt for the future.”
The Guardian understands that the party is likely to set out a policy of a phased abolition of tuition fees.
Sources have revealed that a draft of the manifesto also pledges to get rid of the bedroom tax and end employment tribunal fees that were introduced by the coalition government in 2013.
Theresa May softened the blow for recipients of cuts to universal credit last year by changing the “taper rate”, but Labour would review the Tory cuts, and look at ploughing money back into the “work allowance” – the threshold at which the benefit is removed.Theresa May softened the blow for recipients of cuts to universal credit last year by changing the “taper rate”, but Labour would review the Tory cuts, and look at ploughing money back into the “work allowance” – the threshold at which the benefit is removed.
The decision to limit tax credit and universal credit payments to the first two children in the family is also expected to be placed under review, while the so-called “rape clause” will be ended immediately.The decision to limit tax credit and universal credit payments to the first two children in the family is also expected to be placed under review, while the so-called “rape clause” will be ended immediately.
There is also a suggestion that legal aid cuts will be reviewed, but without a guarantee to reverse them.There is also a suggestion that legal aid cuts will be reviewed, but without a guarantee to reverse them.
A Conservative spokesman said: “Jeremy Corbyn appears to be on a spending spree paid for by the biggest tax rises in 30 years to somehow fund his nonsensical policies.A Conservative spokesman said: “Jeremy Corbyn appears to be on a spending spree paid for by the biggest tax rises in 30 years to somehow fund his nonsensical policies.
“So many of these policies are being paid for by the same tax rises over and over again, they lack any credibility.”“So many of these policies are being paid for by the same tax rises over and over again, they lack any credibility.”
Theresa May said she would not make similar reforms to higher education, suggesting it was unaffordable.Theresa May said she would not make similar reforms to higher education, suggesting it was unaffordable.
“Tuition fees will remain but the question you have to ask the Labour party is how do they actually pay for all of this they are proposing,” she said. May also said she did not agree with Labour’s policy of four new bank holidays, claiming employers “might have some views” on the cost of it.“Tuition fees will remain but the question you have to ask the Labour party is how do they actually pay for all of this they are proposing,” she said. May also said she did not agree with Labour’s policy of four new bank holidays, claiming employers “might have some views” on the cost of it.
In Labour’s 2015 general election manifesto, the party pledged to cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 a year. In the subsequent Labour leadership campaign, Corbyn pledged to abolish tuition fees by either increasing national insurance for higher earners or raising corporation tax.In Labour’s 2015 general election manifesto, the party pledged to cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 a year. In the subsequent Labour leadership campaign, Corbyn pledged to abolish tuition fees by either increasing national insurance for higher earners or raising corporation tax.
His hint to make good on a promise, which could cost up to £10bn, came as he and Rayner announced a series of other education promises. She said that she had deliberately tried not to say too much on university funding because she wanted the focus to be on further education that was “often neglected by politicians”.
“I’ve talked about my personal story [in further education] because many politicians have talked about parity of esteem, but they’ve not touched FE. Because they’ve not felt the transformative effect that FE has,” she said.
“When I was a mum at 16, I was made to feel that that’s it. There was nothing left for me. I’d failed at secondary school and there was no option for me to go back and to be good at anything. Whereas FE gave me the opportunity to get a vocational qualification in care and get back into the workforce.”
By reversing repeated cuts to the corporation tax rate made by the Tories since 2010, Labour believes it could fund a series of ambitious pledges, including restoring maintenance grants for the poorest students, guaranteeing that five-, six- and seven-year-olds will not be taught in classes of more than 30, and restoring the educational maintenance allowance, paid to 16- to 18-year-olds in full-time study.By reversing repeated cuts to the corporation tax rate made by the Tories since 2010, Labour believes it could fund a series of ambitious pledges, including restoring maintenance grants for the poorest students, guaranteeing that five-, six- and seven-year-olds will not be taught in classes of more than 30, and restoring the educational maintenance allowance, paid to 16- to 18-year-olds in full-time study.
In total, Labour claims the package of education measures, including school funding and increasing the adult skills budget would cost £6.7bn a year by the end of parliament in 2020/21. The party calculates this would leave revenue from the corporation tax rise to spend on other manifesto measures.In total, Labour claims the package of education measures, including school funding and increasing the adult skills budget would cost £6.7bn a year by the end of parliament in 2020/21. The party calculates this would leave revenue from the corporation tax rise to spend on other manifesto measures.
But Rayner’s biggest passion is early years education, with sources suggesting that Labour is planning a major drive on childcare.But Rayner’s biggest passion is early years education, with sources suggesting that Labour is planning a major drive on childcare.
The package offered by Corbyn will be built around the party’s “10 pledges” from last year’s annual conference. That focused on infrastructure to help create “a million good quality jobs”, a promise to build half a million council homes, getting rid of zero hours contracts, ending privatisation in the NHS and funding social care, the national education service, more focus on climate change, renationalisation of the railways and a more progressive tax system.The package offered by Corbyn will be built around the party’s “10 pledges” from last year’s annual conference. That focused on infrastructure to help create “a million good quality jobs”, a promise to build half a million council homes, getting rid of zero hours contracts, ending privatisation in the NHS and funding social care, the national education service, more focus on climate change, renationalisation of the railways and a more progressive tax system.
There was also a commitment around placing “peace and justice at the heart of foreign policy”, which Corbyn is expected to expand on later this week.There was also a commitment around placing “peace and justice at the heart of foreign policy”, which Corbyn is expected to expand on later this week.