11 June, 2024
Open access
Election 2024 Manifesto round-up | Conservatives: Employment
Commitments include progressing the reform of fit notes, and maintaining the National Living Wage
The Conservative Party has today launched its manifesto ahead of the General Election on 4 July 2024.
Employment-related commitments contained in Clear Plan, Bold Action, Secure Future include to -
- Support working people and secure a stronger economy by -
- maintaining the National Living Wage in each year of the next Parliament at two-thirds of median earnings;
- cutting tax for workers by taking another 2p off employee National Insurance so that it will be halved from 12 per cent at the beginning of this year to 6 per cent by April 2027;
- cutting taxes to support the self-employed by abolishing the main rate of self-employed National Insurance entirely by the end of the Parliament; and
- giving working parents 30 hours of free childcare a week from when their child is nine months old to when they start school;
- Overhaul the fit note process so that people are not being signed off sick as default by -
- designing a new system which moves responsibility for issuing fit notes away from GPs towards specialist work and health professionals; and
- testing the integration of the new fit note system with the new WorkWell service.
- Provide young people with a secure future by -
- giving them the skills and opportunities they deserve by introducing mandatory National Service for all school leavers at 18, with the choice between a competitive placement in the military or civic service roles;
- funding 100,000 high-quality apprenticeships, paid for by curbing the number of poor-quality university degrees that leave young people worse off.
- Continue 'our world leading programmes' including the Invest in Women Task Force and the Lilac Review to encourage more female and disabled entrepreneurs.
For more information, see Clear Plan, Bold Action, Secure Future from conservatives.com
See also the Conservative Party's commitments in relation to: Welfare Rights; Housing; and Community Care.
NB - manifestos from the range of main parties include: Conservative: Clear Plan, Bold Action, Secure Future | Green: Real hope, real change | Labour: Change | Liberal Democrat: For a Fair Deal | Scotland: Alba: Yes to Scottish Independence | Scottish Conservative and Unionist: Focused on your priorities | Scottish Labour: Our National Recovery Plan | Scottish National Party: A future made in Scotland | Wales: Plaid Cymru: For fairness, for ambition, for Wales | Welsh Labour: Change | Northern Ireland: Alliance: Leading Change | Democratic Unionist Party: Making Northern Ireland Work | Sinn Fein: Strong Leadership, Positive Change | Social Democratic and Labour Party: An Election for Change
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