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Tories pledge to empower voters Conservatives unveiling manifesto
(about 5 hours later)
The Conservatives will launch their election manifesto on Tuesday by saying they will enable people to take greater control of their own lives. The Conservatives are launching their election manifesto, promising to give people more power over their own lives and reduce the role of the state.
The 130-page document with a plain blue cover is entitled "Invitation to join the government of Britain". David Cameron and senior Tories are at Battersea power station in south London ahead of the Tory leader's speech.
Pledges include enabling voters to sack MPs, cutting stamp duty for first-time house buyers and the creation of directly-elected police chiefs. Pledges include helping people to set up their own schools, sack MPs and veto high council tax increases.
Labour has pledged to "renew" Britain; the Lib Dems to reform the tax system. Labour says it is a throwback to old Tory policies while the Lib Dems say the Tories want a "DIY society".
In his foreword to the manifesto, Conservative leader David Cameron said the country must "pull together" to solve its problems. In other election developments on Tuesday:
"Real change comes not from government alone. Real change comes when the people are inspired and mobilised, when millions of us are fired up to play a part in the nation's future," he says.
"Yes this is ambitious. Yes it is optimistic. But in the end all the acts of Parliament, all the new measures, all the new policy initiatives, are just politicians' words without you and your involvement. In his foreword to the 130-page manifesto, Mr Cameron said the country must "pull together" to solve its problems.
"So my invitation today is this: join us, to form a new kind of government for Britain." Shadow foreign secretary William Hague told the BBC they were offering a "big change" from Labour's "top heavy" government.
Lower interest rates He said: "Now it is time to have faith in a big society instead of in a big government and to change fundamentally the way we think about running the country."
The Conservatives' manifesto also confirms the party's plans to block the bulk of Labour's 1% planned rise in National Insurance from April 2011. Spending reviews
On the economy, the Tories promise to eliminate the bulk of the structural deficit over the parliament, have a fiscal policy that would help "keep interest rates lower for longer", reduce youth unemployment, and cut the number of children in workless households. BBC political correspondent Norman Smith said the message was a clear divide with Labour - who have positioned themselves on the side of "active government".
The Tories also promise to "raise productivity growth" in the public sector. The Conservative manifesto confirms the party's plans to block the bulk of Labour's 1% planned rise in National Insurance from April 2011.
Regarding welfare, the Tories confirm their promise to create a single work programme for everyone who is unemployed, reassessing all existing incapacity benefit claimants. The invitation's in the post but will you accept? David Cameron is inviting you "to join the government of Britain". Nick RobinsonBBC political editor class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2010/04/wil_you_accept.html">Read Nick Robinson's blog class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2010/04/remember_bevanite_ellie.html">dot.Rory: Bevanite Ellie
Those found fit for work would be transferred to Job Seekers' Allowance. The issue dominated the first few days of the election campaign - with the Tories backed by 81 business leaders and Labour accusing them of funding the policy with "fantasy" savings.
Other policies put forward include allowing parents and charities to set up new academy schools, and the right for people to veto council tax rises through local referendums. All parties are facing questions about where they would make cuts to bring down the budget deficit - Mr Hague said: "All public spending programmes will have to be reviewed for value for money... to try to get the most out of the resources available."
In addition, the Conservatives want to give communities the right to buy their local pub or post office. But pressed on whether the Tories would rule out raising VAT - something none of the main parties has definitively done - he said: "The plans we have don't involve raising VAT. We are not looking for tax rises. People feel over-taxed."
They also confirm their promise to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £1m and freeze council tax for two years. Part of the party's "big society" plans involves allowing parents and charities to set up new academy schools, giving people the power to veto council tax rises through local referendums and communities the right to buy their local pub or post office.
Knife crime They will also pledge to cut stamp duty for first-time house buyers and let people elect police commissioners.
On health, the Tories pledge to increase spending in real terms every year, while giving patients greater choice of health care provider that meets NHS standards within NHS prices. Inheritance tax
The Conservatives also propose to give greater freedoms to local authorities, ending the ring-fencing of their spending, so that cash can be spent on local priorities. Mr Hague said it was not an "abdication of government responsibility" to ask people to set up their own schools - rather than providing good ones.
On crime, they promise prison sentences for anyone convicted of knife offences, as well as more mobile scanners on streets and public transport. He said governments could not know how best to run services in every area of the country - as evidenced by "the wide range of failures that we have across our public services" after 13 years of Labour's "big government". It was about having "faith" in people, he added.
When offenders leave prison, private and voluntary sector providers will be paid by results for training and rehabilitating. With the Conservatives you are on your own, they talk about a big society, in fact what they want is a DIY society Nick Clegg
On immigration, the Tories promise to set an annual limit for the number of non-European Union migrants allowed in to live and work in the UK. The Tories pledge to eliminate the bulk of the structural deficit over the parliament and say the long term unemployed who refuse a job would have to do community work to receive benefits.
For older people, the Tories promise to "protect" the winter fuel payment, free bus passes, free TV licenses, disability living allowance and attendance allowance, and the pension credit. They also a promise to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £1m and freeze council tax for two years and to increase NHS spending in real terms every year.
And they pledge to set an annual limit for the number of non-European Union migrants allowed in to live and work in the UK.
'Retread from 2005'
Meanwhile UKIP has launched its own manifesto, called "empowering the people" and pledged not to field candidates against any "committed Eurosceptic" from other parties.
As well as six Conservatives - the party says it will not run against Labour's David Drew in Stroud, Gloucestershire and will actively campaign on their behalf including, in some cases, putting up posters backing them.
Labour launched its manifesto on Monday pledging a "fair future". Home Secretary Alan Johnson told the BBC that while Labour were "coming from behind" in the polls they believed people were now concentrating on policies - which he said was the Conservatives' "weakest" area.
He said the Tory plan to empower people "looks to me like they are going to abandon people" and was a "retread from 2005".
At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said: "With the Conservatives you are on your own, they talk about a big society, in fact what they want is a DIY society, where if you are a banker, you get off scot free and you only get tax breaks if you are a millionaire."
The party will launch its manifesto on Wednesday.