Following UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision on 22 May to call an election for 4 July, the two main political parties – Labour and Conservative – have made several key policy announcements.
Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party has put forward a plan for national service that could potentially reshape the lives of those turning 18.
They would have the option to serve a year in the army for which they would be paid, or one day a week for 25 weeks volunteering for organisations like the NHS, the fire service, or search and rescue.
The Conservatives also announced a new ‘triple-lock-plus’ regime for the state pension, ensuring any money received by the state pension will not be taxed
Under current plans, the state pension, known as the ‘triple-lock’ increases by average earnings increase, the inflation rate or 2.5% – whichever is highest.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party has proposed that the voting age be lowered to include 16 and 17 year-olds.
This policy – already in place in Scotland and Wales – would extend the franchise to people of those age groups in Northern Ireland and England, marking a significant shift in the political landscape.
In Scotland, newly installed First Minister John Swinney’s SNP faces a resurgent Scottish Labour Party. Some polls indicate Labour will win more seats than the SNP, which would be the first time the SNP has not won the most seats in Scotland since 2015.
The Liberal Democrats, under Ed Davey, hope to become the third-largest party by winning seats from the Conservatives in Southern England.
Davey has performed a series of stunts that have garnered attention. One involved him falling off a paddleboard in Lake Windermere, and another involved him going down a water slide.
“Scottish Labour General Election campaigning, Glasgow, United Kingdom – 24 May 2024” by keir.starmer.mp is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.