At-a-glance: Scottish Lib Dems manifesto
- Published
The Scottish Lib Dems set out their vision for Scotland ahead of the general election on 8 June. Here are the key points from the manifesto, external, which they hailed as "the chance to change the direction of the country".
Key points:
The Lib Dems would strongly oppose "another divisive referendum" on independence
But the party wants a referendum on the final terms of the Brexit deal
Propose adding a penny on income tax in Scotland in order to invest additional money in education and mental health
Pledge to keep the triple-lock on the state pension
Pledge to scrap the two-child rule for tax credits - including the controversial "rape clause"
Future of the UK
The Lib Dems would strongly oppose "another divisive referendum" on independence
Create a better democracy with a fair voting system in local government and Westminster
Introduce votes at 16 for all elections and referendums across the UK
Introduce the Single Transferable Vote for electing MPs across the UK
Reform the House of Lords with a proper democratic mandate
Introduce trials of weekend voting to help raise turnouts in elections
Retain the Barnett Formula as the basis for future spending allocations for Scotland
Deliver on promises to Scotland in full, devolve more powers to Wales, and secure the political stability of the Northern Ireland
Assembly
Develop federalism by beginning to meet the needs of England with Devolution on Demand, letting local areas take control of the services that matter most to them
Brexit
The party wants a referendum on the final terms of the Brexit deal, with the alternative option of staying in the EU on the ballot paper
Press for the UK to unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU nationals in the UK
The UK must maintain membership of the European Single Market
Any deal negotiated for the UK outside the EU must protect the right to work, travel, study and retire across the EU
Fight to ensure that the priorities and long-term interests of the nations of the UK are fully taken into account by the UK government during negotiations
Vote against any attempts to scrap the Human Rights Act or withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights
Economy and taxation
Propose adding a penny on income tax in Scotland in order to invest additional money in education and mental health
End the 1% pay cap in the public sector to enable the lifting of the pay for 540,000 public sector workers in Scotland
Exempt Police Scotland and the fire service from VAT, which will give them £35m to spend on services. (VAT is a reserved matter)
Initiate a major £100bn programme of capital spending across the UK, that will have a share spent in Scotland.
This will be done by rejecting the "extreme" Conservative approach of insisting on a surplus of both revenue and capital.
The power over some areas of taxation, including council, land and building tax, is in the hands of MSPs at Holyrood and not MPs at Westminster.
Welfare
Pledge to scrap the two-child rule for tax credits - including the controversial "rape clause"
Extend free childcare and encourage new fathers to take time off with an additional month's paid paternity leave
Uprate working-age benefits at least in line with inflation
Withdraw eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment from pensioners who pay tax at the higher rate (40%)
Reverse cuts to housing benefit for 18-21-year-olds
Increase the rates of Job Seeker's Allowance and Universal Credit for those aged 18-24 at the same rate as minimum wages
Scrap the 'bedroom tax' across the UK
More welfare powers have been handed to the Scottish government at Holyrood, including winter fuel payments.
Pensions
Maintain the 'triple lock' of increasing the State Pension each year by the highest of earnings growth, prices growth or 2.5% for the next parliament
Education
Make the case for a "Penny for Education", putting 1p on the income tax rate to generate £500m for education
Work to secure the extension of early education and childcare to three and four-year-olds, all two-year-olds and the most vulnerable families with children of an earlier age
Support the establishment of a properly funded Pupil Premium
Continue to lead the opposition to the introduction of "Thatcherite" national testing in schools
Protect universities from the impact of a hard Brexit and ensure that they are open to all
Repair colleges, giving everybody lifelong opportunities to learn
The power over education is in the hands of MSPs at Holyrood and not MPs at Westminster.
Health and social care
Guaranteeing the rights of all NHS and social care service staff who are EU nationals to stay in the UK after Brexit
Using the extra resources from a 1p increase in dividend taxation to help deliver a step change in mental health in Scotland
Introducing new preventative health measures across the UK, helping people keep healthy
End the public sector pay freeze for NHS workers and social care staff
Urge the Scottish government to produce a national workforce strategy, to ensure that we never again experience a shortage in the numbers of GPs,
hospital doctors, nurses and other professionals that the NHS needs
Protect NHS whistleblowers
The power over health is in the hands of MSPs at Holyrood and not MPs at Westminster. However, some budgetary decisions made by the UK government can have a knock-on effect in Scotland. This is often referred to as the Barnett consequentials.
Housing and planning
£5bn of initial capital for a new British Housing and Infrastructure Development Bank, using public money to attract private investment for these priorities
Help young people in need by reversing cuts to housing benefit for 18-21-year-olds
Scrap the 'bedroom tax' across the UK, while seeking to achieve the aim of making best use of the housing supply through incentivising local authorities to help tenants 'downsize
Improve the quality of service housing by bringing the MoD into line with other landlords
New direct spending on house-building to help build 300,000 homes a year across the UK by 2022
The power over housing and planning is in the hands of MSPs at Holyrood and not MPs at Westminster.
Immigration
Make the positive case for immigration and reducing hate crimes by targeting the people who commit them .
Offer safe and legal routes to the UK for refugees, expanding the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to offer sanctuary to 50,000 over the lifetime of the next parliament
Reopening the Dubs scheme to take 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children from Europe
Continue to allow high-skilled immigration to support key sectors of the economy
Reinstate post-study work visas for graduates in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects who find suitable employment within six months of graduating.
End indefinite immigration detention by introducing a 28-day limit
Foreign and Defence
Protect, promote, and defend the open and co-operative rules-based international order, including multilateral organisations like the UN and NATO which are increasingly under threat
Spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on aid
Control arms exports to countries listed as human rights priority countries and suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia
Commit to spending 2% of GDP on defence
Maintain a minimum nuclear deterrent. Propose three submarines with nuclear missiles instead of four, and moving to a medium-readiness responsive posture
Transport and environment infrastructure
An Air Quality Plan to prevent deaths by reducing air pollution
Ensuring British farming remains competitive and doesn't lose out in the event of Britain leaving the EU
A diesel scrappage scheme, and a ban on the sale of diesel cars and small vans in the UK by 2025
All private hire vehicles and diesel buses licensed to operate in urban areas to run on ultra-low emission or zero emission fuels within five years
Ensure that new rail franchises include a stronger focus on customers
Encourage the swift take-up of electric and driverless vehicles
Power over transport is in the hands of MSPs at Holyrood.
- Published31 May 2017
