The Labour Party has won a significant majority in the 2024 UK general election, granting it the capacity to implement the policies outlined in its published manifesto. A manifesto is a formal document detailing the party's pledges and intended actions should it form a government. The Labour Party's 2024 manifesto, a 136-page document, was launched on 13 June. It outlines the party's plans across a range of policy areas, including the economy, health, energy, crime, and education. The document is structured around five core missions designed to "rebuild Britain" and a series of "first steps" the party intends to take immediately upon entering government.
The manifesto's release has prompted analysis and fact-checking of its various claims. For instance, Full Fact has examined statements regarding the tax burden, knife crime, child poverty, and the armed forces. The Labour Party's plans are also subject to the constraints of devolution, meaning that over issues like health policy, the UK parliament's powers are limited in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
This article summarises the key pledges and first steps as presented in the provided source material, focusing on the information relevant to understanding the party's proposed direction for government.
The Labour Party's Five Missions
The Labour Party's 2024 manifesto is built around five central missions that form the foundation of its programme for government. These missions are presented as long-term goals to guide the party's work.
Kickstart economic growth: The first mission is to secure the highest sustained growth in the G7. The aim is to achieve this through good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country, with the stated goal of making everyone, not just a few, better off.
Make Britain a clean energy superpower: The second mission focuses on energy policy. It aims to cut bills, create jobs, and deliver security by achieving cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030. This mission also includes an acceleration towards net zero.
Take back our streets: The third mission is to halve serious violent crime. It also aims to raise standards in policing and the criminal justice system.
Build an NHS fit for the future: Although not fully detailed in the provided chunks, the fourth mission is centred on the National Health Service. The context indicates a focus on reducing waiting times and improving the overall service.
Break down barriers to opportunity: The final mission is focused on education and life chances. It aims to break down barriers for children and young people to ensure they are set up for life, work, and the future.
First Steps in Government
Alongside its long-term missions, the Labour Party has outlined a series of "first steps" it intends to take immediately upon forming a government. These steps are designed to deliver immediate, tangible outcomes and are often linked to specific funding mechanisms.
Economic Stability and Growth: The party's first step is to deliver economic stability with tough spending rules. The objective is to grow the economy and keep taxes, inflation, and mortgages as low as possible. To address the tax system, Labour plans to abolish non-dom status, end the use of offshore trusts to avoid inheritance tax, and close a loophole related to private equity performance pay. The manifesto claims the Conservatives raised the tax burden to a 70-year high, and Labour has stated it will not increase taxes on working people, meaning no rises to National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT. HMRC will be modernised, and laws will be changed to tackle tax avoidance.
NHS Waiting Times: To cut NHS waiting times, Labour plans to deliver 40,000 more appointments each week during evenings and weekends. This initiative will be funded by "cracking down on tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes," directly linking the funding to the tax reforms mentioned above.
Border Security: The party will launch a new Border Security Command. This command will be staffed by hundreds of new specialist investigators and will utilise counter-terror powers to combat criminal boat gangs.
Energy and Bills: A key pledge is the establishment of Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean power company. The stated goals are to cut bills for good and boost energy security. This new company will be funded by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants.
Antisocial Behaviour and Crime: Labour plans to crack down on antisocial behaviour by increasing the number of neighbourhood police. This will be paid for by ending what it describes as wasteful contracts. The party also intends to introduce tough new penalties for offenders and establish a new network of youth hubs.
Education: To support children's futures, Labour will recruit 6,500 new teachers in key subjects. This policy will be funded by ending tax breaks for private schools. Additionally, the party will introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school as part of its efforts to support families with children.
Supporting Families and Reducing Living Costs
The Labour manifesto identifies a cost of living crisis and outlines several measures aimed at reducing costs for families. These policies are interconnected with the party's broader economic and social goals.
Energy and Food Costs: The party will take action to bring down the cost of energy. It will also work to reduce food prices by removing barriers to businesses trading.
Housing and Childcare: Labour plans to make housing more affordable and expand access to childcare.
Making Work Pay: A general aim is to make work pay, ensuring that employment provides a sufficient income.
Mortgage Rates: The party has committed to keeping mortgage rates as low as possible. It plans to achieve this by maintaining a strong, independent Bank of England, which will continue to target stable inflation of 2 per cent.
Fact-Checking and Analysis
The release of the Labour Party's 2024 manifesto has led to scrutiny from fact-checking organisations. Full Fact has examined several specific claims within the document.
One key area of analysis is the tax burden. The Labour manifesto claims that the Conservatives have raised the tax burden to "a 70-year high." According to the fact-checking analysis, this statement was true for the 2022/23 financial year. This verification provides a factual basis for the party's criticism of the previous government's tax policies and supports its pledge to keep taxes on working people low.
Other claims in the manifesto, including those related to knife crime, child poverty, and the armed forces, have also been subject to fact-checking. However, the specific details of these checks are not provided in the available source material. The fact-checking process involves combing through the 136-page document, sometimes with the aid of AI tools, to verify the accuracy of the statements made by the Labour Party.
Sources of Information and Public Access
The Labour Party's 2024 manifesto is publicly available. One source indicates that a link to the full Labour Party Manifesto can be found on a specific page. Furthermore, the document has been uploaded to platforms like Scribd, where it has been viewed tens of thousands of times, indicating a high level of public interest.
For those interested in comparing the 2024 manifesto with previous Labour Party manifestos, historical records are available. For example, the Sutton and Cheam Constituency Labour Party (CLP) has maintained records of Labour manifestos from 1997 to 2019, providing a resource for examining the party's policy evolution over time.
Conclusion
The Labour Party's 2024 manifesto outlines a comprehensive programme for government, centred on five missions: economic growth, clean energy, reducing serious crime, improving the NHS, and breaking down barriers to opportunity. Its immediate "first steps" focus on economic stability, reducing NHS waiting times, enhancing border security, establishing a public clean energy company, tackling antisocial behaviour, and recruiting teachers. These steps are explicitly linked to funding mechanisms, primarily through tax reforms and the windfall tax on energy giants. The party also outlines measures to address the cost of living, including reducing energy and food costs, improving housing affordability, and expanding childcare. The accuracy of the manifesto's claims is being independently verified by organisations such as Full Fact, with at least one key claim about the tax burden having been confirmed as true for the 2022/23 period.