Slowly but surely, each party are announcing their policy pledges ahead of the General Election. The Lib Dems are leading the pack having released the front page of their manifesto ahead of its publication, Labour have announced three of their main five promises through pledge cards and the Conservatives are feeding theirs in bit-by-bit.
So, what will be the main focus from each party?
Rob Comba spoke to Stephen Tall, Paul Walter and Nick Thornsby from the blog, the Liberal Democrat Voice; Conor Pope from LabourList; and PLMR’s James Ford.
The three main parties’ top election priorities:
– Conservative: economy
– Labour: NHS
– Lib Dem: education
What are the top five election priorities on the front page of the Lib Dem manifesto?
Paul says they cover: prosperity for all, fairer taxes, opportunity for every child, quality healthcare, and protecting the environment.
Is it difficult for Nick Clegg to make promises about education?
Stephen says it’s risky reminding people about their tuition fees pledge but the party wants to show they’ve learnt their lessons.
Are these the issues the Lib Dems would negotiate as part of a coalition?
According to Nick, these policies take on an added importance and you can see that they may form the basis of negotiations. This happened in 2010 when the front page policies of the Lib Dem manifesto were the crucial sticking points in Lib Dem negotiations.
What is the Labour Party’s election priority?
Conor says the NHS is the key priority for Labour. It is the issue that polls well, alongside the economy and immigration.
So what will the Tories focus on?
James says they will focus on the economy and deficit reduction. He cites polls which show people trust the Tories more on economics than any other party.
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