Evaluate the view that the Labour and Conservative Parties are the only parties

that matter in the UK [30 marks]

Liberal Democrats
1. Economy
- Individuals who work hard and contribute to society should have
good, fulfilling and well-paid jobs, while businesses and
entrepreneurs who are creative, invest in their workforce and
behave responsibly to their employees and to the environment
should be supported.
- Entered the 2019 Election with the toughest rules on government
borrowing in an attempt to position themselves as the strongest
party on public finances. It would run a 1% surplus on current
spending, meaning the money spent on public services would be
lower than the amount raised in tax.
- A 20% minimum wage boost for those on zero hours contracts
was proposed in order to make work pay and decrease the use of
these types of business practices.

2. Welfare
- Believe in delivering welfare that supports people in the hardest of
times and delivers equal opportunities.
- An extra 7 billions pound per year for health and social care that
would come from putting one penny in the pound on income tax
to enable every individual to lead a healthy life.
- Free childcare for all children aged between the ages of two and
four, paid for by a corporation tax rise, to give all children the
access to opportunities early in life.
3. Foreign policy
- Wish to ensure that the UK plays on active role in building a better
world by working with and through international institutions such
as the UN, EU and World Trade Organisation (WTO) to tackle
global issues like climate change and human rights.
- The 2019 manifesto commitment to reverse brexit and stop the
UK’s departure was the centrepiece of their election campaign.
However, the new leader of the party in 2020 looked to move the
party beyond the EU issue, claiming it will now campaign for closer
ties with the EU in a Brexit deal rather than campaign to rejoin the
EU.
Scottish National Party (SNP)

1. Economy
- Must reverse the spending cuts that began in 2020 and would also
like to see power over employment rights moved from
Westminster to the Scottish Parliament.
- In 2019, the SNP argued for the scrapping of the Trident nuclear
armed submarine system, which would free up tens of billions of
pounds to be spent on public services and conventional armed
forces.

2. Welfare
- More powers over welfare moved to the Scottish Parliament and
would like to scrap the roll-out of universal credit and reverse
many of the benefit cuts introduced since 2010.
- Increase in healthcare spending and introduce a bill to protect the
NHS from further privatisation.

3. Foreign policy
- Stopping Brexit.
- Supported in 2019 a second Brexit referendum with Remain on
the ballot paper.
- Believes that Brexit is such a huge change to the nature of the UK
that it should trigger a second vote on Scottish Independence,
believing that the referendum (IndyRef2) should take place within
the 2019-2024, but the SNP would like to secure the right to hold
the referendum with the support of the UK Government.
Conservatives

1. Economy
- Modern Party remains wedded to the power of the market and
private property to drive wealth creation.
- Fiscal responsibility: the 2019 manifesto commitment to not
borrowing to fund day-to-day spending, and limiting
infrastructure spending to no more than 3% of GDP with the aim
of reducing the debt.
- Boris Johnson remains committed to further tax cuts for higher
earners, as was seen during his leadership campaign where he
pledged to raise the threshold for paying the 40p tax rate from
50,000 pounds to 80,000 pounds per year.
- Approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the introduction of
furlough scheme and in the 2021 Budget, the Party committed to
increasing corporation tax from 19% to 25% commencing in 2023.
The tax rise was to help offset the costs incurred from Covid-19
between 2019 and 2022.

2. Welfare
- Remains united in its commitment to make sure that it pays to
work, to support those who cannot and to provide opportunities to
all.
- 2019 manifesto pledged to strengthen the NHS by building 40
more hospitals, hiring 17,000 more doctors and 17,000 nurses and
increasing spending by 3.4%. This was matched by a commitment
to increase funding in schools to 4,000 pounds per year for each
primary pupil and 5,000 pounds per year for each secondary pupil
to increase equality of opportunity.
- In light of the pandemic and growing debt, the 2021 Budget
showed that public spending as a share of GDP would only be
 2.1% higher than pre pandemic levels in 2025-2026, suggesting
very limited room for further investment in public services.

3. Foreign policy
- Believing in a Britain that should be at the forefront of tackling
glocal challenges and strongly committed to the union of nations.
- The party is united by its commitment to investing in the armed
forces, maintaining the Trident nuclear treatment and continuing
to be a leader partner within NATO.
- However, UK’s relationship with Europe remains deeply
controversial within the Party. The 2019 election campaign was to
‘Get Brexit Done’, which has been widespread support in the party,
the debate over the type of Brexit remains divisive.
- There are the hard Bresiteers, who had formed the European
Reform Group (ERG) to push for a complete break with Europe to
focus on a turn towards America, free trad deals with the wider
world and a popular nationalism of returning power to the UK to
make its own deals.
Labour Party

1. Economy
- Remains united around the idea of economic justice.
- Party’s commitment to increasing income tax for the top 5% of
earners, reversing the Tories’ cuts in corporation tax from the
Cameron years and clamping down on tax avoidance particularly
of large corporations as well as tackling insecure work and low
pay.
- Tying together of climate justice with economic justice has its
roots in New Labour. Labour wishes to put a green new deal at the
heart of its policy and pass a Clean Air Act to tackle pollution
locally.
- Recognises the importance of the market and the individual in
generating wealth. The proposed top rate of tax falls below the
progressive tax rates of the 1970s when it stood at 86%, while the
Party wishes to return corporation tax to the levels under New
Labour. In 2021, the party opposed any immediate tax hikes on
businesses due to a fear it would restrict economic recovery.

2. Welfare
- Comes together around the principle of social justice.
- Desire of the Party to abolish Universal Credit and replace it with
an alternative that is designed to end poverty by delivering a
minimum standard of living. The Party is committed to the idea
that equality of opportunity relies on certain level of social justice.
3. Foreign policy
- Should be based on a more internationalist, rather than nationalist,
approach, with the aim of making foreign policy about
international peace and justice.
- The Party has settled on a position of implementing an
immigration system that it says will be based on compassion and
dignity.
- Pledges no more illegal wars, seeking to introduce a Prevention of
Military Act that will make war only possible when certain legal
steps have been achieved and it has been approved by a vote in
Parliament.
- Historically more anti-EU due to what is perceived to be the lack of
democracy and accountability within EU institutions, Jeremy
Corbyn fell into the camp, making him a very reluctant Remainer.
- Sir Keir Starmer, has argued that the UK should continue to accept
the freedom of movement of people with the EU after Brexit.
- Party under Starmer has adopted a more open commitment at
home to a sense of patriotism, with a more wholehearted support
for investment in defense, the nuclear deterrent and NATO.