General Election 2019: Manifesto summaries

This is a summary of the key constitutional pledges in the 2019 party

manifestos.

This list does not include the more well-known policies pertaining to
Brexit, and it does not include the pledges made in the manifestos of
the Northern-Irish parties.

Conservatives
Labour
Liberal Democrats
SNP
Plaid Cymru
Green Party
Brexit Party

Conservatives:
‘Local people will continue to have the final say on council tax,
being able to veto excessive rises’ (p. 28)
‘We remain committed to devolving power to people and places
across the UK. Our ambition is for full devolution across
England, building on the successful devolution of powers to city
region mayors, Police and Crime Commissioners and others, so
that every part of our country has the power to shape its own
destiny. We will publish an English Devolution White Paper
setting out our plans next year’ (p. 29)
‘We will continue to work with all sides to re-establish the
Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly so that the people of
Northern Ireland can enjoy the full advantages of devolved
government for the benefit of the whole community.’ (p. 44)
‘We are opposed to a second independence referendum and
stand with the majority of people in Scotland, who do not want
to return to division and uncertainty.’ (p. 45)
‘We will get rid of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act – it has led to
paralysis at a time the country needed decisive action.’ (p. 48)
‘We will ensure we have updated and equal Parliamentary
boundaries, making sure that every vote counts the same – a
cornerstone of democracy.’ (p. 48)
‘We will maintain the voting age at 18 – the age at which one
gains full citizenship rights.’ (p. 48)
‘We will continue to support the First Past the Post system of
voting, as it allows voters to kick out politicians who don’t
deliver, both locally and nationally.’ (p. 48)
‘We will protect the integrity of our democracy, by introducing
identification to vote at polling stations, stopping postal vote
harvesting and measures to prevent any foreign interference in
elections.’ (p. 48)
‘After Brexit we also need to look at the broader aspects of our
constitution: the relationship between the Government,
Parliament and the courts; the functioning of the Royal
Prerogative; the role of the House of Lords; and access to justice
for ordinary people.’ (p. 48)
 ‘We will update the Human Rights Act and administrative law to
ensure that there is a proper balance between the rights of
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Labour:
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‘For many people, politics doesn’t work. The Westminster
bubble is a world away from their daily lives’ (p. 81)
‘We want our political institutions to be connected fully to the
wider electorate, and will take urgent steps to refresh our
democracy.’ (p. 81)
‘We will act immediately to end the hereditary principle in the
House of Lords, and work to abolish the House of Lords in
favour of Labour’s preferred option of an elected Senate of the
Nations and Regions, but we also believe that the people must
be central to historic political changes.’ (p. 81)
‘The renewal of our Parliament will be subject to
recommendations made by a UK-wide Constitutional
Convention, led by a citizens’ assembly. This Convention will
answer crucial questions on how power is distributed in the UK
today, how nations and regions can best relate to each other and
how a Labour government can best put power in the hands of the
people.’ (p. 81)
‘Only a Labour government will safeguard the future of a
devolved UK, reforming the way in which it works to make it fit
for the future.’ (p. 82)
‘Britain is one of the most centralised countries in Europe.
Labour will decentralise decision-making and strengthen local
democracy. We reiterate our commitment to One Yorkshire, and
will make directly elected mayors more accountable to local
councillors and elected representatives. We will re-establish
regional Government Offices to make central government more
attuned to our English regions, to support our regional
investments, and to enable the shift of political power away
from Westminster.’ (p. 82)
‘A Labour government will repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments
Act 2011, which has stifled democracy and propped up weak
governments.’ (p. 82)
‘We will oversee the largest extension of the franchise in
generations, reducing the voting age to 16, giving full voting
rights to all UK residents, making sure everyone who is entitled
to vote can do so by introducing a system of automatic voter
registration, and abandoning plans to introduce voter ID which
has been shown to harm democratic rights.’ (p. 82)
‘Labour will change how politics is funded, banning donations
from tax avoiders and tax evaders, and closing loopholes that
allow the use of shell companies to funnel dark money into
politics. We will free the voices of civil society by repealing the
Lobbying Act 2014 and overhauling the rules that govern
corporate lobbying. We will introduce a lobbying register
covering both in-house lobbyists and think tanks and extending
to contacts made with all senior government employees, not just
 ministers. We will also increase the financial penalties available
to the Electoral Commission and require imprints for digital
political adverts. We will stop MPs from taking paid second
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committee, with a sufficiently resourced and
empowered new body, governed by a diverse and representative
board and established in law. We will also overhaul the system
of ministerial appointments to public office. We will bring
greater transparency by extending Freedom of Information rules
to cover private providers of public services, setting new
standards of consistent disclosure practice and ending the six-
month time limit in which the Information Commissioner can
prosecute the deliberate destruction of public records.’ (p. 82)
‘Labour will work quickly and tirelessly to secure the return of a
genuine powersharing government in Northern Ireland.’ (p. 83)
‘Labour’s constitutional convention will include the Welsh
Government’s 20-point plan for the future of the UK to better
recognise the realities of a devolved UK.’ (p. 83)
‘Labour believes that Scottish independence would be
economically devastating and it would be the many not the few
who would pay the price. Scotland needs the transformative
investment coming from a Labour government, not another
referendum and not independence.’ ‘…in the early years of a UK
Labour government we will not agree to a Section 30 order
request if it comes from the Scottish Government.’ (p. 85)
Scottish Labour manifesto: ‘Labour will also consider how
intergovernmental and interparliamentary relations work inside
the UK. The Brexit process has shown the current haphazard
arrangements are unfit for purpose. They are both hierarchical
and unbalanced.’ ‘A federal system could be built on a principle
of co-determination, of shared powers based on partnership, not
hierarchy. It would allow both subsidiarity and solidarity. Based
on a charter of rights with minimum standards below which no
part of the UK could fall.’ (p. 99)

Liberal Democrats:
‘Liberal Democrats have a plan to radically transform our
political system so that it works for a modern democracy. A plan
that will mend our broken politics so that we can get on with
building a fairer society that protects our planet.’ (p. 79)

‘Our priorities in the next parliament will be:

Giving people a voice with a fair voting system so that

everyone’s vote counts equally, letting people vote at the first
election or referendum after they turn 16 and giving votes to all
British citizens abroad and to EU citizens who have made the
UK their long-term home.
Embarking on a radical redistribution of power away from
Westminster to the nations, regions and local authorities, giving
power to communities to hold local services to account and
decide how their taxes are raised and spent.
Introducing a written constitution for a federal United
Kingdom.’ (p. 79)
‘The current voting system is not working: it means that too many
people do not have their voices heard. Liberal Democrats are the only
party that realises that the system is broken and will change it so that it
works for Our website
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Labour and Conservatives will not change the
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understand that British politics needs to be reformed to make it more
representative and empower citizens. We will:

Put an end to wasted votes, by introducing proportional

representation through the Single Transferable Vote for electing
MPs, and local councillors in England.
Give 16- and 17-year olds the right to vote in elections and
referendums.
Scrap the plans to require voters to bring identification with
them to vote.
Reform the House of Lords with a proper democratic mandate.
Enabling Parliament, rather than the Queen-in-Council, to
approve when parliament is prorogued and for how long.
Ensure that a new Prime Minister, and their programme for
government, must win a confidence vote of MPs.’ (p. 80)

‘Communities should be empowered to have maximum control over

their local services. Liberal Democrats are the only party with a vision
for the future: Labour’s instinct is towards centralisation and taking
power from communities; the Conservatives’ cuts to local government
budgets have led to a huge reduction in services. We will drive a
devolution revolution to give power to people and communities and
help fund the services that people need. We will:

Decentralise decision-making from Whitehall and Westminster,

by inviting local areas to take control of the services that matter
to them most.
Give democratic local government enhanced powers to call on
new income sources appropriate to their area to support local
services and investment.
Devolve further revenue-raising powers away from Westminster,
to regions from Cornwall to North East England. We will
legislate to empower groups of authorities to come together to
establish devolved governance and ensure that any powers
devolved are matched by the funding to deliver on the needs of
local people.
Devolve more decision-making power over key levers of
economic development including transport, energy, housing and
skills.’ (p. 82)

‘A well-functioning democracy should have a high standard of public

debate in which: citizens are supported, educated and empowered to
distinguish between facts and lies; there is a pluralistic media
environment where journalists have the resources they need to fnd the
truth and to hold the powerful to account; civility in public discourse is
protected; election procedures and rules are upheld robustly and
quickly. However, these foundations of our democratic way of life are
under threat. Liberal Democrats are the only party forward-looking
enough to do what it takes to foster high quality public debate. We
will:

Establish UK and local citizens’ assemblies to ensure that the

public are fully engaged in fnding solutions to the greatest
 challenges we face, such as tackling the climate emergency and
the use of artifcial intelligence and algorithms by the state.
Work towards radical real-time transparency for political
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Make algorithms used by the data companies available for close
inspection by regulators acting for democratically elected
governments, along with access for regulators to the
programmers responsible for designing and operating them.
Review the need for any election safeguarding legislation that is
needed to respond to emerging challenges of the internet age,
such as foreign interference in elections.’ (pp. 82-3)

‘Liberal Democrats want home rule for each of the nations of a strong,
federal and united United Kingdom. We have a proud record of
leading the way on giving greater powers to Scotland and Wales. We
will not allow Brexit to reverse devolution and will oppose attempts to
use Brexit to go back to the past when powers were hoarded at
Westminster. We will champion a federal future for the UK.

Our plans for a written, federal constitution will include a permanent

Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales and we will take
forward practical steps to ensure that Scotland and Wales both have
strong voices in the future of the family of nations. We will:

Extend the involvement of the Scottish Government and Welsh

Government in the development of UK-wide policy frameworks.
Establish a dispute resolution process to resolve differences
between the administrations.’ (83-4)

‘In addition to the steps to ensure Scotland has a strong voice within
the UK, we will:

Work hard to ensure that Scotland remains a part of the United

Kingdom. We will oppose a second independence referendum
and oppose independence.
Allocate to the Scottish Parliament all of the powers set out in
the Scotland Act 2016, many of which have already been used
by the Scottish Parliament, with others awaiting the request of
the Scottish Government.’ (p. 84)

‘For Wales, a federal UK will mean a truly equal family of nations,

ensuring that every part of this union has a voice, backed up by real,
meaningful devolution. We will work to create a Wales that is able to
shape its own destiny as part of a strong United Kingdom playing a
leading role within the EU.’ (p. 85)

‘We wish to see a permanently peaceful Northern Ireland, with stable

devolved government and a truly shared society. Northern Ireland and
its institutions rely on sharing and interdependence, but Brexit has
already increased tensions and risks new divisions, barriers and
friction. We will:

Work constructively with the political parties in Northern

Ireland and the Irish Government to urgently restore the
devolved institutions.’ (p. 86)

‘Devolution of power to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has

implications for the UK parliament and its dual role in legislating for
England as well as the federal UK. Liberal Democrats support an
English-only stage in legislation affecting England, so that English
MPs can have a separate say on laws that only affect England.
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In some areas of England there is a greater appetite for powers, but not
every part of the country wants to move at the same speed and there
cannot be a one-size fts-all approach. All areas should however have
access to the same opportunities and mayoral authorities should not be
ranked higher in terms of the powers with which they can be granted.
We will enact permissive legislation to empower groups of authorities
to come together to establish devolved governance – for example to a
Cornish Assembly or a Yorkshire Parliament, building on the One
Yorkshire campaign. We will proceed by consensus as far as possible
but will not allow one local authority to veto a coherent proposal.’ (p.
86)

SNP:
‘There is a clear mandate to hold a referendum on independence
during the current term of the Scottish Parliament. Scotland has
already voted for it but Westminster has so far refused to respect
that mandate.’ (p. 10)
‘The people of Scotland have the right to choose their own
future in a new referendum on becoming an independent
country.’
‘It must be for the Scottish Parliament not Westminster to decide
when a independence referendum should be held - and the SNP
intends that it will be in 2020.’ (p. 10)
‘We will back the replacement of the first-past-the post system
with the Single Transferable Vote, a system that makes sure
every vote and every part of the country counts.’ (p. 43).
‘SNP MPs will continue to oppose the undemocratic House of
Lords and vote for its abolition.’ (p. 43)
‘We trust our young people. That’s why we have extended the
franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds in Scottish Parliament and local
government elections. We believe that these young citizens have
the right to have their voice heard at Westminster too and will
back giving 16 and 17-year-olds a vote in all elections.’ (p. 43)
‘While Scotland is enfranchising EU citizens, the UK still
refuses to do so. SNP MPs will work to extend the franchise for
Westminster elections to include EU citizens and all those with a
right to remain in the UK – as we are doing in Scotland.’ (p. 43)

Plaid Cymru:
‘Plaid Cymru believes that Wales should become an independent
member of the European Union. We want to forge a new
relationship with the other countries of these islands based on
equality. This will be made all the more urgent in the event of
the UK leaving the EU. Our aim is to achieve these objectives
by 2030, and before then if circumstances allow.’ (p. 54)
‘…we will press for the devolution of financial powers to the
Senedd, plus the transfer of justice, economic development,
 welfare and culture powers that are currently reserved to
Westminster.’ (p. 54)
‘The Brexit crisis has demonstrated that Westminster is broken,
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inclusive and more representative than Westminster.’ (p. 80)
‘Plaid Cymru is committed to overhauling the Westminster
voting system, getting rid of First-Past-the-Post and turning it
into a parliament elected under the Single Transferable Vote
proportional system, in which all votes count equally.’ (p. 80)
‘Plaid Cymru supports reform of the House of Lords so that it
becomes a directly elected upper chamber representing the
regions of England, and so long as they remain part of the UK
state, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.’ (p. 80)
‘We will lead efforts to extend the right to vote to sixteen and
seventeen-year-olds for Westminster elections, and we will
campaign to give EU citizens and all those with permanent
residency the right to vote in all elections.’ (p. 80)
‘Plaid Cymru believes that, with the exception of binding
international treaties, the decision to go to war should require
the support of all four nations and we demand that a vote is held
in the Senedd prior to any UK-supported military intervention in
foreign affairs.’ (p. 84)

Green Party:
‘Brexit laid bare the extent to which our governance structures
are derelict, but our democracy has been broken for a long time.
The First Past the Post voting system means that often more than
half of all votes cast simply don’t count. The House of Lords
gives power to people who have never been elected and our
political representation doesn’t reflect the diversity and reality of
the modern UK. We are one of the most centralised countries in
Europe, with disproportionate power held at Westminster, and
far too little in our regions and local authorities.’ (p. 35)
‘We want an active democracy in which we can all believe and
trust. We think it’s time for every vote to always count and for
citizens’ assemblies to develop a written People’s Constitution
and explore how as a country we can ensure the fair
redistribution of power.’ (p. 35)

We will:

‘Replace the First Past the Post system for parliamentary

elections with a fair and proportional voting system.’ (p. 35)
‘Replace the First Past the Post system for local government
with a fair and proportional voting system. Voters will be asked
to elect half the Council every two years to ensure that fast
changing local concerns and priorities can be expressed at the
ballot box on a regular basis.’ (p. 35)
‘Create a fully elected House of Lords. Members will be elected
for a maximum of ten years with half of the house being elected
every 5 years.’ (p. 35)
‘Give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote and have a say on
their future. We will also allow people to stand for Parliament
and all other elected offices from the age of 16, offering support
 to elected young people so that they can combine their duties
with studying.’ (p. 35)
‘Remove the cap on fines that can be imposed by the Electoral
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‘Introduce FindBill
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leading voice on standards for the rule of law and democracy in
digital spaces and ensure independent regulation of social media
providers. This legislation will safeguard elections by
responding to the challenges of foreign interference, social
media and declining confidence in democracy.’ (p. 36)
‘Back a Citizens Convention and citizens assemblies to examine
further ways to strengthen democracy, including developing a
written People’s Constitution and Bill of Rights, and ensure the
proposals come before Parliament. This will enshrine genuine
democracy at the core of our political system, making sure that
ultimate power will always rest with the people.’ (p. 37)
‘Give fuller voice to regional and national identities, holding a
referendum on a Cornish Assembly and increasing the powers of
the current National Assembly for Wales.’ (p. 37)
‘Transform how Parliament works with electronic voting,
measures to protect against filibustering, steps to promote cross-
party and cooperative working, and a systematic overhaul of
parliamentary language to make it self-explanatory.’ (p. 39)
‘We will choose to devolve real power from central to local
government, giving councils the tools needed to deliver public
services.’ (p. 40)

Brexit Party:
‘The way the political Establishment has conspired to frustrate
democracy over Brexit has highlighted the need for fundamental
political reform. The Brexit Party can deliver real democratic change
because we are not part of the Westminster status quo. It is now time
for a debate on a written constitution. We pledge to:

Reform the voting system to make it more representative.

Abolish the unelected House of Lords.
Make MPs who switch parties subject to recall petitions.
Overhaul the postal voting system to combat fraud and abuse.
Reform the Supreme Court – judges who play a role in politics
must be subject to political scrutiny. Ensure political balance by
broadening participation in the Selection Commission or
conduct interviews by Parliamentary Committee.
Make the Civil Service more accountable to the public – we
would require civil servants to sign an oath to act with political
neutrality.
Phase out the BBC licence fee.
Require Universities to incorporate an obligation to protect legal
free speech.

Introduce Citizens’ Initiatives to allow people to call referendums,

subject to a 5m threshold of registered voter signatures and time
limitations on repeat votes.’
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