Revealed: Full final policy platform set to shape next Labour manifesto

NOTE: LabourList is also keeping a tracker updated here of every further policy announced since the below National Policy Forum package of policies was signed off and this piece was published in early October 2023.

Labour delegates will be asked to sign off the party’s wide-ranging current policy programme at annual conference, after years of work thrashing out positions on many issues.

The latest document was finalised and distributed internally within the party last month, setting out the most up-to-date and comprehensive statement yet of Labour’s current policy stances.

The 116-page document – seen by LabourList and summarised below – has taken years to compile as part of Labour’s National Policy Forum (NPF) process and builds on the draft programme created by party officials earlier this year.

The latest version has been updated following a crunch final NPF meeting of representatives from across the party in Nottingham in July. Once voted on at Labour’s conference in Liverpool this October, the platform will inform how the party’s next general election manifesto is written.

NPF chair Anneliese Dodds has described the final document as a “serious, credible and ambitious policy programme to enact the change that people are crying out for”.

A party source said Labour’s “overriding priority” during the NPF process was to develop a programme that “serves the British people”, arguing that the final document “shows that we have delivered upon that”.

They said the document contains no new commitments that increase spending or raise tax beyond what has already been set out by the shadow cabinet.

It is far from clear how much of the document will make the campaign manifesto, however. Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently said there will be a “high bar” for existing Labour policies to reach the manifesto, suggesting they must be credible, deliverable and make a “real difference to people’s lives”.

Click to jump to the report’s six sections: a green and digital future, better jobs and better work, safe and secure communities, public services that work from the start, a future where families come first, and Britain in the world.

1. A green and digital future

Deliver a Green Prosperity Plan

Support the creation of over a million jobs across our cities, towns and villages
Cut energy bills for good, saving each UK household hundreds of pounds a year
Ramp up public capital investment into the green economy to £28bn a year in the second half of the parliament at the latest, alongside an active industrial strategy, with strategic public investment attracting private sector investment, bringing high-quality, unionised, sustainable jobs to all parts of the country and protecting existing jobs as industries evolve and decarbonise
Invest in both mitigating the climate crisis but also adapting to the effects of a warming world, for example by rapidly improving flood defences, the resilience of our national infrastructure to extreme weather, and other measures
Develop policies to ensure the workers most affected by the transition play a central role in shaping, implementing and benefitting from it through an ‘energy transition working group’ with relevant trade unions
Work with offshore communities and sector trade unions to build opportunities for workers, in renewables like offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and decommissioning. Ensure effective safeguards to protect working people on the path to net zero in respect of pay, quality and conditions
Deliver clean electricity by 2030, slashing energy bills for good, creating well-paid jobs and making the UK energy independent
Grow apprenticeship opportunities in green industries and across our economy, ensuring these are available for young people
More than double onshore wind capacity, triple solar capacity and quadruple offshore wind capacity
Set ambitious targets on delivering hydrogen and nuclear power
Expand renewable energy capacity through creating a new generation of community energy owners
Ensure that investment in low carbon power generation delivers more good jobs in the UK, particularly in communities with an energy production legacy, through Labour’s ‘British Jobs Bonus’
Ensure the long-term security of nuclear power, extending the lifetime of existing plants and backing new nuclear plants and Small Modular Reactors. Ensure a comprehensive and safe process for the disposal of radioactive waste as plants are decommissioned
Support the development of new energy technologies such as floating offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, marine power and hydrogen
Tackle planning barriers to renewable energy projects, getting planning decision timelines down from years to just months and remove the obstacles that are currently preventing businesses from investing in the UK
Unlock the energy potential of our spaces, including appropriate priority to the role of brownfield sites and rooftops for solar energy
Ensure continued investment in our offshore infrastructure and workforce as the North Sea becomes home to new forms of energy production. Commit to not revoke oil and gas licences and will partner with business and workers to manage existing fields for the entirety of their lifespan
Commit to not handing out new licences to explore new oil and gas fields
Make sure there are clean energy alternatives to coal
Endorses and supports calls for the reform of the Mineworkers’ Pensions. Commit to a review of the 50-50 surplus sharing arrangement and the reserve fund
Opposes fracking and committed to banning in England

Reform the energy market

Fundamentally reform our system of energy supply, generation and transmission and distribution so that it delivers cheaper bills for consumers and businesses, clean energy and energy security
Deliver and enforce a ban on energy companies forcibly installing prepayment meters in vulnerable homes and end the prepayment penalty
Examine the circumstances facing energy customers without online access to ensure they do not face a financial penalty compared to online customers
Create GB Energy: a new home-grown, publicly-owned national champion in clean power generation

An accelerated transition to net zero

Accelerate the just transition to net zero and, by doing so, unleash the benefits of the transition sooner while limiting the worst effects of climate change
Support the creation of over a million good jobs for people of all regions, ages, ethnicities, genders and socioeconomic groups
Set out a clear roadmap for decarbonisation so businesses and workers can plan ahead
Develop robust sectoral plans with trade unions and industry, to protect and create good quality and secure jobs across the whole of the economy
Learn from local government leadership on net zero and work in partnership with local government to harness the power of local leadership in reaching net zero
Ensure a just transition that addresses regional imbalances and ensures that no workers or communities are left behind
Develop the path to decarbonisation in sectors with workers, businesses and trade union
Develop plans which will see existing workers upskilled and trained and give young people the knowledge and skills to thrive in the transition to a net zero society
Integrate learning about climate change and sustainability throughout the curriculum in schools and on vocational courses and provide training and support for teachers
Align policy with our obligations under the Paris agreements to aim for 1.5°C and cooperate with likeminded countries pushing for action
Cooperate with relevant partners, including in Europe, on energy security and continue to work with the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NESC)
Take co-ordinated action with other likeminded nations so the outdated Energy Charter Treaty does not obstruct the delivery of our climate commitments
Ensure the responsibility of the fire and rescue service to respond to extreme weather events is properly recognised and supported

Launch a National Wealth Fund

Create a National Wealth Fund that will invest alongside the private sector in gigafactories, clean steel plants, renewable-ready ports, green hydrogen and carbon capture along with supporting service industries, as well as in at least four industrial clusters in Scotland, Wales and England
Develop a net-zero industrial cluster at Grangemouth
Invest in offshore wind clusters across the country and ensure that the manufacturing supply chain jobs are located and maintained here in the UK
Support the steel industry to meet net zero targets and protect good British jobs by co-investing in clean steelmaking through our National Wealth Fund
Tackle the UK’s sky-high industrial energy costs
Deliver a strategic long-term plan for green steel to achieve near zero emission steel production by 2035
Match funding for both full and pilot-scale innovation activity and follow-up demonstration projects for the development of clean steelmaking
Examine the best way to mitigate the risk of carbon leakage to ensure that energy-intensive sectors like steel remain competitive and consider the conclusion of the government’s consultation on a carbon border adjustment mechanism, among other approaches
Make it fundamental to direct British defence investment first to British business, with a higher bar set for any decisions to buy abroad

Deliver a national Warm Homes Plan

Upgrade every home that needs it to EPC standard C within a decade by installing energy-saving measures such as loft insulation, going street by street in locally-delivered programmes
Give devolved governments and local authorities the power and the resources to bring every home in their area up to standard within a decade, with particular urgency for those in fuel poverty

Improve green public transport

Build transport infrastructure and a safe, efficient, integrated, accessible and affordable transport system
Work with devolved governments and local authorities to deliver good public transport
Ensure a rolling programme of electrification to improve services and decarbonise our transport system, while also promoting the development and use of other low or zero-carbon fuels such as hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel and biogas in transport
Promote the use of rail freight to lower carbon emissions
Build on our successes in Labour-led local government in delivering zero-emission bus and rail fleets
Turbocharge the just transition to cheaper electric vehicles, making them affordable and accessible by helping families manage the higher up-front cost
Accelerate the roll-out of charging points in areas currently being left behind
Work in partnership with devolved nations on shared objectives as they take forward transport plans across our nations

Support the environment and act on sewage

Break down the barriers to opportunity that countryside and coastal communities face. Address the challenges, disconnection and disparities communities face through improved cross-government working
Improve people’s access to both urban and rural green space
Consider expanding national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and creating new ones, where there is a robust, objective case upon thorough assessment of the social, economic and environmental benefits
Support better management and enhancement of the countryside around our villages, towns and cities
Ensure that there are sufficient responsibilities and protections to manage and conserve our natural environment for all
Protect and improve the UK’s biodiversity with a considered approach to land use
Pass a Clean Air Act establishing a legal right to breathe clean air and placing tough new duties on ministers to ensure air quality guidelines are met
Write standards for safe air developed by the World Health Organization into UK law, working with employers to appropriately protect workers who are at high-risk of breathing in polluted air, such as roadside workers
Use regulatory powers to keep consumer bills down, and ensure that water companies – rather than the public – pay for any failures
Ensure that the water industry’s workforce see decent conditions and security at work
Give customers, workers and their trade unions a strong voice and participation in the governance of the industry through a new regulatory approach
Strike off company directors who continually breach and ignore their responsibilities, ensure illegal activity is punished and ensure payments of dividends are linked to key performance metrics
Address the issue of water companies taking on spiralling and unsustainable debts, which impacts consumer bills. Look to increase the accountability of the industry to bill payers
Set mandatory targets to halve water leaks
Ensure that our water infrastructure, supplies and quality are secure for future generations
Introduce mandatory monitoring of sewage outlets and automatic fines for sewage discharges, with a penalty for outlets that do not have monitoring in place
Set ambitious targets to cut sewage outflows and clean up our rivers, streams, and seas
Ensure regulators can take on these new roles and tackle polluters whatever the source
Work with colleagues across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure water infrastructure is better managed in the public interest

Support sustainable UK farming and animal welfare

Deliver a land-use framework in England that supports sustainable farming, enables the country to reach our climate goals and improves our national biodiversity
Ensure that our support for British farming always recognises the diversity of farming models across the UK
Maintain our world-leading animal welfare standards
Ensure more home- grown sustainable food is bought, made and sold, supporting farmers across the country through public procurement targets
Support agricultural cooperatives, including new entrants
Ensure that 50% of all food purchased by the public sector is locally produced or certified to higher environmental production standards
Protect British standards in trade deals, rather than watering them down.
Close loopholes in the fox hunting ban, outlaw trophy hunting, including imports from overseas and ensure animal welfare in the UK is of the highest standard

Harness technology to boost the economy

Enable world-class digital technology companies, creating well-paid and secure jobs both within the sector and across the wider economy, while simultaneously improving
our productivity through digital transformation across the economy
Modernise and build the capacity of the state to be a more active, capable and reliable partner
Work with businesses, workers, and universities to grow the high-tech, competitive industries of the future
Work with emerging businesses and start-ups to nurture their talents. Unlock the supply of patient capital for fast growing digital businesses
Reform the British Business Bank, and give it a more ambitious remit, as well as the ability to attract additional external funds
Ensure the UK capitalises on its world-leading universities and research base to grow the number of spinouts
Turbocharge gigabit broadband and develop UK supply chains in 5G technology
Ensure our world-class researchers and businesses have the data and computing infrastructure they need to compete internationally
Ensure our intellectual property system is fit for the digital age and strikes the right balance between the interests of creators, businesses and consumers
Ensure that workers have new rights, protections and access to training to keep pace with the changing nature of work and technological advancements
Support the BBC to change with the times and adapt whilst supporting jobs and British content. Protect and promote British broadcasting and UK radio in the streaming age
Support and promote growth in this important sector and ensure that it translates into jobs and opportunities for a diverse workforce through our reform of the schools curriculum and growth and skills levy. Work with trade unions to achieve this
Harness data for the public good and introduce robust regulation that opens up data while enshrining consumer rights
Maintain Britain’s data adequacy status meaning our data protection rules
are deemed equivalent to those in the EU
Make it easier for public services to adopt innovative technologies by removing barriers to data-sharing and smart procurement.
Use new capabilities in data analysis and AI to deliver better public services and improve people’s quality of life, and ensure society is fairly rewarded for the data it generates, built on frameworks and institutions that build public trust and uphold the privacy and security rights of UK citizens, including in the workplace
Ensure we have cyber resilience and security against rogue states and other hostile actors
Look at ways to close the digital divide. Improve digital education in schools and upskill the workforce
Support regulation that is fair to businesses and consumers, to encourage investment in broadband infrastructure while keeping prices stable and affordable, supporting jobs and protecting decent labour standards
Direct Ofcom to strengthen consumer protections in the broadband market, and ensure there is an industry-wide social tariff for low-income families
Ensure there is robust legislation backed by effective enforcement that protects people from online harms – including algorithms that promote legal but harmful content – and hold social media and technology companies accountable for them, including a focus on making sure children are protected from grooming, harmful content, bullying and online abuse
Harness technology for public good, ensuring the UK is the best place in the world for safe and responsible technology, building the world’s most competent regulatory environment for AI and automation and supporting a thriving and effective AI and automation assurance ecosystem
Ensure that the regulatory environment appropriately and proportionally mitigates the potential harms that AI could cause by taking a principles-based approach to tech and AI
Explore whether the companies developing the underlying ‘foundation models’ that power specific AI tools and applications should also be subject to regulation
Act quickly to set the standards for safe and responsible AI
Ensure that workers have new rights, protections and access to training to keep pace with the changing nature of work and technological advancements

Protect Royal Mail

Commit to the Universal Service Obligation (USO) as the company’s central mission. and guarantee that the USO is secure for the future and will continue to be provided by Royal Mail in a way that is affordable and accessible to all users and financially sustainable for the long term, including a comprehensive regulatory review to improve quality of service and labour standards across the wider sector
Stand against the break-up of Royal Mail and oppose any attempt to turn this vital service into a “gig economy” employer
Support Royal Mail and unions in the development of plans to expand the role of postal workers, adding social value to our communities and innovative products and services
Explore different approaches to corporate governance for Royal Mail

2. Better jobs and better work

Ensure economic stability

Provide a clear and consistent policy framework that businesses can trust and within which they can prosper
Have iron-clad fiscal rules
Reaffirm the role of independent institutions like the OBR and Bank of England and establish an Office for Value for Money

Reform the UK tax system

Always make fair choices, such as closing unfair and inefficient tax loopholes for private schools and private equity fund managers and ending the non-domiciled tax loophole
Make sure that multinational tech companies pay their fair share of tax
Support implementation of the OECD global minimum rate of corporate taxation and back an international agreement on the fairer taxation of large multinationals including the global tech giants
Scrap and replace the current system of business rates in England and Wales with a fully costed and funded system of business property taxation
End tax breaks for private equity bosses
Remove the non-domiciled tax loophole, putting in place a system for genuinely temporary residents
Close the loopholes in the windfall tax on oil and gas companies
Remove the tax loopholes that private schools enjoy
Crack down on tax evasion, tax avoidance, and the use of offshore tax havens, ensuring people and businesses can no longer avoid paying their fair share

Introduce an industrial strategy and support firms

Introduce an industrial strategy based on a genuine partnership with businesses, workers, unions and universities to deliver our growth mission, with four central goals: delivering clean power by 2030, caring for the future, harnessing data for the public good and building a resilient economy
Ensure the structures for input in government follow best practice, including establishing a Council for Economic Growth, which will be placed on a statutory footing and bring together experts, unions and business leaders, co-chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Business
Focus in industrial strategy on areas where there is clear evidence of existing or potential comparative advantage. Recognise the importance of these sectors and work with businesses and unions to support good, secure jobs in the everyday economy
Recognise in industrial strategy the importance of maintaining and building back a strong, domestic industrial base, supported by public procurement. Set up a supply chain taskforce to review potential supply chain needs and support the development of sector strategies
Ensure overarching regulatory structures support sovereign capabilities and resilience, starting with our commitment to strengthen the public interest test on takeovers
Ensure that Labour works with representatives of businesses large and small to enable high street businesses to be profitable and secure so earnings and wages can rise and enable our high streets to become vibrant and prosperous once more
Aim for at least 3% of GDP across the public and private sectors to be invested in research and development
Establish an ambitious long-term strategy for science that offers predictability of funding necessary for discovery-led science, but is agile and able to respond to emerging technologies and seize opportunities for the UK to lead in future industries
Ensure our science and technology investment underpins Labour’s industrial strategy objectives
Increase access to start-up and scale-up finance
Reform the British Business Bank, and give it a more ambitious remit, as well as the ability to attract additional external funds
Ensure the UK capitalises on its world-leading universities and research base to grow the number of spinouts
Leverage more institutional and patient capital into the high-growth enterprises and scale-ups which will provide new opportunities and high-quality jobs in emerging sectors
Legislate to tighten rules on late payments and tackle the late payments crisis which is particularly acute for small businesses. Consider further action to ensure a fair playing field for small business as well as ensuring firms have equal access to public procurement
Replace business rates with a fairer system that shifts the burden of business tax, levelling the playing field so that our high streets can thrive
Act to promote a positive work-life balance for all workers, protecting the current compromise around Sunday trading hours
Take action to support greater cooperation between retailers and landlords
Protect vital in-person banking services, guarantee free access to cash and monitor the use and acceptance of cash, while supporting innovation in payment and banking systems
Assess what measures could strengthen the whole Post Office network, including in rural communities. Work with the Post Office on developing new products and services, such as banking hubs, that will help reinvigorate the high street

Reform competition and corporate governance regimes

Ensure our competition regime remains robust and fit for the modern economy, promoting innovation while protecting consumers
Ensure overarching regulatory structures support sovereign capabilities and resilience, starting with our commitment to strengthen the public interest test on takeovers
Ensure corporate governance frameworks embed long-termism, enable investment and ensure greater action in the interests of their workers, customers, communities and the environment
Work with business and relevant trade unions on the best approach to embed environmental, social and governance objectives, engage the workforce and improve transparency
Aim to double the size of the co-operative sector in the UK. Work with the sector to ensure that co-operatives can reach their full potential, removing barriers as we stand up to challenges and embracing opportunities in new ways

Protect and improve UK finance

Give financial services across the UK the certainty they need to invest in the jobs and businesses of the future through Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan and its pledge to make the UK the post-Brexit, home-grown start-up hub of the world
Unlock the £3trn of capital stored in UK pension funds to invest more in innovative British businesses, jobs and infrastructure
Protect the UK’s competitiveness and status as a global financial centre, through a commitment to high standards
Bring forward long overdue consumer protection regulation in areas like buy-now-pay-later
Encourage private finance to align its investments with the goals of the Paris agreement
Support fair financial service initiatives, including supporting the growth of credit unions

In-source public services

Bring about the biggest wave of insourcing of public services in a generation
End the Tories’ ideological drive to privatise our public services and extend the Freedom of Information Act to apply to private companies that hold contracts to provide public services, exclusively with regard to information relevant to those contracts, to ensure any outsourced contracts are transparent and accountable for delivery
Extend the Freedom of Information Act to publicly-funded employers associations, where not already covered
Examine public services that have been outsourced as part of a drive to improve quality, design better services to meet changing needs, ensure greater stability and longer-term investment in the workforce and deliver better value for money
Where relevant, work with local government to build on their experience and expertise around procurement, drawing on best practice
In most cases, the best time to achieve value for money for publicly-run provision will be when existing contracts expire or are broken through a failure to deliver
Require public bodies to carry out a quick and proportionate public interest test before any service is contracted out, to understand whether work could not be more effectively done in-house
Reinstate and strengthen the last Labour government’s two-tier code to end unfair two-tiered workforces.

Overhaul government contracts

Use government procurement to support local businesses, cutting red tape and streamlining the bidding process to level the playing field for small businesses
Labour’s plan to buy, make and sell more in Britain is a commitment to use strategic procurement for industrial strategy
Help British businesses win more government contracts, using stretching social, environmental and labour clauses in contract design
Ensure that the economic and security benefits of British ownership are adequately reflected by regulatory structures, starting with our commitment to strengthen the public interest test for takeovers
Set up a supply chain taskforce to review potential supply chain needs across critical sectors
A new National Procurement Plan will ensure social value is mandatory in contract design
Introduce a new Fair Work Standard that will ensure the best employers get the recognition they deserve, which will be created and upheld by our new Social Value Council made up of public, employer and trade union representatives. The Council will also be tasked with reviewing how social value can be better strengthened and delivered in public contracts
Ensure the UK Infrastructure Bank operates to new criteria so that recipients of public money through the Bank must be committed to creating good jobs with decent and enforceable conditions
Ensure the UK Infrastructure Bank includes trade union representatives on its board, publishes an annual report on the geographical spread and impact of its investments and is given an additional objective to support supply chain resilience and our industrial strategy
Ensure that government contracts support our national ambition to boost Britain’s skills and create new apprenticeship and learning opportunities
Lead a culture change with a focus on how we can help industries grow locally and nationally and ensure our Green Prosperity Plan supports good jobs and the supply chain here in the UK

Provide a New Deal for Working People

Introduce a range of measures to help improve the world of work and tackle job insecurity, stagnant pay and the growth of in-work poverty. Bring forward legislation to implement it, including an employment rights bill, within 100 days of entering office
Start by establishing a new fair pay agreement in the adult social care sector. Consult widely on the design of the FPA and monitor the implementation, ensuring it delivers for workers and employers in the sector. Publish a full and transparent review of the agreement
Assess how and to what extent FPAs could benefit other sectors and tackle labour market challenges
Look to support and build on existing arrangements in other sectors, with other forms of collective bargaining being most appropriate in many areas
Introduce basic individual rights from day one for all workers
Act to promote a positive work-life balance for all workers
Not prevent fair dismissal, which includes dismissal for reasons of capability, conduct or redundancy, or probationary periods with fair and transparent rules and processes
Strengthen statutory sick pay, remove the lower earnings limit to make it available to all workers and remove the waiting period
Move towards a single status of worker and transition towards a simpler two-part framework for employment status
Consult in detail on how a simpler framework that differentiates between workers and the genuinely self-employed could properly capture the breadth of employment relationships in the UK, adapt to changing forms of employment and guard against a minority of employers using novel contractual forms to avoid legal obligations, while ensuring that workers can benefit from flexible working where they choose to do so
Evaluate the way flexibility of ‘worker’ status is used and understood across the workforce and the way it interacts with and is incorporated into collective agreements
Consider measures to provide accessible and authoritative information for people on their employment status and what rights they are owed
Strengthen rights and protections to help self-employed workers thrive in good quality self-employment, including the right to a written contract, action to tackle late payments and by extending health and safety and blacklisting protections to self-employed workers
End ‘one sided’ flexibility and ensure all jobs provide a baseline level of security and predictability, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and ensuring everyone has the right to a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work, based on a 12-week reference period
Ongoing commitment to protecting the integrity of these policies, and will put in place anti-avoidance measures where necessary
Ensure all workers get reasonable notice of any change in shifts or working time, with compensation that is proportionate to the notice given for any shifts cancelled or curtailed
Strengthen the law to ensure hospitality workers receive their tips in full and workers decide how tips are allocated
Commit to tackling the gender pay gap
Put in place measures to ensure that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay
Strengthen equality impact assessments for public sector bodies
Implement a regulatory and enforcement unit for equal pay with involvement from trade unions
Restore the ability to draw on equal pay comparators where workers’ terms and conditions can be attributed to a single source
Require large firms to develop, publish and implement action plans to close their gender pay gaps and ensure outsourced workers are included in their gender pay gap and pay ratio reporting
Make the publication of ethnicity and disability pay gaps mandatory for employers with more than 250 staff
Require employers to create and maintain workplaces and working conditions free from harassment, including by third parties
Make flexible working the default from day one for all workers, except where it is not reasonably feasible
Work with workers and their trade unions, employers and experts to examine what AI and new technologies mean for work, jobs and skills and how to promote best practice in safeguarding against the invasion of privacy through surveillance technology, spyware and discriminatory algorithmic decision-making
At a minimum, ensure that proposals to introduce surveillance technologies would be subject to consultation and agreement of trade unions or elected staff representatives where there is no trade union
Commit to modernising health and safety guidance with reference to extreme temperatures, preventative action and steps to ensure safety at work
End the scourges of ‘fire and rehire’ and ‘fire and replace’, replace the inadequate statutory code and reform the law to provide effective remedies against abuse
Establish a single enforcement body, with trade union and TUC representation, to ensure greater coordination in the face of complex enforcement challenges
Strengthen redundancy rights and protections, to protect workers’ individual and collective rights
Improve and strengthen enforcement through employment tribunals to provide quicker and more effective resolutions
Increase the time limit within which employees are able to make an employment claim from three months to six months
Make sure the minimum wage is a real living wage by changing the Low Pay Commission’s remit so that alongside median wages and economic conditions, the minimum wage will for the first time reflect the need for pay to take into account the cost of living
Remove the discriminatory age bands to ensure every adult worker benefits. Work with the single enforcement body and HMRC and ensure they have the powers necessary to make sure our genuine living wage is properly enforced, including penalties for non-compliance
Work with the single enforcement body and HMRC to ensure the national minimum wage regulations on travel time in sectors with multiple working sites is enforced and that workers’ contracts reflect the law
Work with the Low Pay Commission, trade unions, employers, the Council for Economic Growth and more to address the ongoing issue of low pay

Support trade unions

Repeal the Trade Union Act 2016, the minimum service levels (strikes) bill and the conduct of employment agencies and employment businesses (amendment) regulations 2022
Update trade union legislation, so it is fit for a modern economy, removing unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity and ensuring industrial relations are based around good faith negotiation and bargaining
Allow modern, secure, electronic balloting and workplace ballots, while ensuring high standards of engagement and participation are maintained
Act to ensure that union members and workers are able to access a union at work through a regulated and responsible route where there is support within the workforce
Introduce rights for trade unions to access workplaces in a regulated and responsible manner, for recruitment and organising purposes
Ensure reasonable access within workplaces by introducing a transparent framework and clear rules, designed in consultation with unions and business, that allow unions officials to meet, represent, recruit and organise members, provided they give appropriate notice and comply with reasonable requests of the employer
Formally monitor these reasonable and regulated new rules, to ensure trade union officials and workplaces are complying with their responsibilities and obligations and that rules allowing access are used proportionately and effectively
Simplify the process of union recognition and the law around statutory recognition threshold
Ensure workers in precarious and gig-economy sectors have a meaningful right to organise through trade unions, modernising rules to ensure they are fit for an economy with growing platform sectors and a rise in remote and home working
Review the process for statutory recognition claims
Create new rights and protections for trade unions reps to undertake their work, strengthening protections for trade union representatives against unfair dismissal and union members from intimidation, harassment, threats and blacklisting
Encourage employers and trade unions to negotiate signing up to the Dying To Work Charter. Work with trade unions and others to ensure that workers diagnosed with a terminal illness are treated with respect, dignity and supported at work
Ensure there is sufficient facilities time for all trade union reps so that they have capacity to represent and defend workers, negotiate with employers and train as well as create fairer workplaces and tackle gender and other equality pay gaps
Introduce statutory rights for trade union equality reps in order to strengthen equality at work for all

Expand economic devolution

Oversee a significant expansion of economic devolution in England by the end of first term. Introduce a Take Back Control Act in first King’s Speech, which will give English towns and cities the tools they need to develop credible, long-term growth plans
Establish clear frameworks for local leaders to request and take on powers over economic policymaking, establishing a presumption towards moving power out of Westminster and ensure local areas can bid for any powers that have already been devolved elsewhere
Force central government to respond to requests, with an inbuilt assumption that local areas know what powers they need from those that are available. If ministers are unable to agree the devolution of some powers, they will have to set out the conditions that would need to be met to do so
Work with leaders and trade unions to build up local analytic and operational capacity in areas covered by the Take Back Control Act, exploring the potential to move existing civil service capacity outside of Whitehall
Establish new structures for decision-making, accountability, evaluation and implementation, with a phased handover of powers after initial periods of intensive oversight, support and mutual learning
Treat local government and their workers as an essential partner in delivering Labour’s missions in government. Ensure that councils are enabled to achieve the best for their communities and provide good jobs in order to deliver key services
Bring an end to competitive pots of funding and ensure long-term stability in funding settlements for local government. Enhanced devolution settlements will guarantee that local government leaders will be able to plan ahead on key services
Replace the government’s current ‘deal-making’ approach with a more strategic, sectoral approach. Enable local leaders who demonstrate consistent and exemplary capacities and accountability frameworks for managing public money to negotiate for longer-term, integrated departmental-style funding settlements from central government
Consider steps that strengthen Scotland’s economic levers in line with the recommendations set out in the Commission on the UK’s Future, encouraging cooperation at all stages between UK government and the Scottish government to grow the Scottish economy
Recognises the ongoing review of the Scottish Fiscal Framework and will take account of its final recommendations

Deliver landmark shift in skills provision

Remodel the apprenticeship levy system, ensuring that we increase the quality as well as quantity of training opportunities. Focus on successful and timely completion rate. Reform the apprenticeship levy into a ‘growth and skills levy’ that works across all nations and regions
Deliver a landmark shift in skills provision and give people the tools they need in the workplaces of the future
Help to maintain good working conditions and high living standards through a clear strategy of supporting lifelong learning, from improved careers guidance at school right throughout our lives and reforming the National Careers Service
Supports the introduction of T-levels. Will ensure all students are able to complete their qualifications and will review the diversity of options at Level 3 before making changes
Devolve adult education and skills budgets to metro mayors and combined authorities. Work through Skills England to avoid unintended consequences of devolving funding creating additional barriers for some adult learners
Work with individuals, employers and unions to tackle challenges for people wanting to take on apprenticeships and learning opportunities created by the cost-of-living crisis
Explore lessons learned from Welsh Labour’s responsive skills and employability initiatives
Work with small businesses to ensure the skills system is supportive and responsive to their needs
Establish a new expert body – Skills England – to oversee the English national skills effort of the coming decade, which will pull together the expertise of trade associations, employers from large and small companies, representatives of trade unions, central and local government, and further and higher education
Skills England will also work with trade unions and the TUC to help ensure that union learning reps are supported and enabled to identify and deliver workforce training needs

Support people into work

Reform employment support, including by devolving powers down to local government across the UK. Boost locally delivered partnerships, giving them the freedom to decide how best to design scheme
Allow self-referrals to employment services and enable GPs, housing associations and community groups in England to direct people more easily to employment support
Reform Jobcentre Plus to ensure it becomes more responsive to local economic needs and more actively engaged with the needs of people looking for work
Commit to providing tailored support in every local area for those who need it, such as people with mental ill health or addiction. Build on targeted programmes, including those that join up with the NHS, to provide better specialist support and break the link between inactivity and ill health
Fix the access to work scheme, with improved targets for assessment waiting times at reasonable time scales and by giving people who are looking for work ‘in principle’ indicative awards
Work in cross-departmental collaboration to provide targeted help for the over-50s and offer all those who have previously worked but recently left the labour market back-to-work support and guidance
Ensure people nearing retirement are better able to make informed decisions for themselves about work, savings and retirement through access to quality mid-life MOTs
Introduce further reform of employment support, devolving it to local areas, with a commitment to provide tailored support in every local area for harder-to-help groups
Provide a reliable safety net for people who lose their jobs or who cannot work due to ill health or disability and help people on their journey back into work by allowing people to try paid work without reassessments if it does not work out
Replace the current system of work capability assessments with a system that supports people to live with security
Work with employers, trade unions and other stakeholders to support the wellbeing of workers and their long-term physical and mental health
Break down barriers for disabled people at work including by introducing disability pay gap reporting for large employers. Take action to make it simpler to secure reasonable adjustments in a timely manner including when changing jobs or when circumstances change

Back a points-based immigration system

Have no return to freedom of movement
Sort out the points-based immigration system so that it ensures the economy has the skills it needs and that prolonged vacancies do not hold back growth in key sectors
Reform and strengthen the Migration Advisory Committee with appropriate input from across the UK so that it can review shortages more often, take account of shortages specific to the nations and regions and inform training decisions, as well as working with Skills England and skills bodies in other devolved nations to project the workforce needs of the future
Scrap rules that allow overseas workers coming to the UK to be paid 20% less than the going rate for that job
Any movement in Labour’s points-based migration system will come alongside new conditions to boost skills and more training, provide better pay and conditions and invest in new technology. When a sector is already heavily reliant on immigration, it will be required to develop these plans through dialogue and negotiation involving employers and trade unions
Ensure that all employers able to are meeting decent standards of pay and conditions
Ensure there is strong action to prevent exploitation in the immigration system including tackling abuse and exploitation of domestic workers
If the Conservative Home Office continues to fail the Windrush generation, the next Labour government will be willing to overhaul the Windrush Compensation Scheme and put it outside of Home Office control. Restart and improve community engagement and outreach work to encourage applications to the scheme and speed up compensation payments
Implement the recommendations of the Williams ‘Lessons Learned’ review of the Windrush scandal, including conducting a full review of the “hostile environment” that led to the Windrush scandal to make sure it cannot be repeated
3. Safe and secure communities

Tackle crime

Halve the level of violence against women and girls, halve incidents of knife crime, raise confidence in every police force to its highest levels and reverse the collapse in the proportion of crimes solved within the decade
Support 999 call handlers during peak times by providing trained domestic abuse specialists to work alongside them
Raise standards in policing by overhauling training, misconduct and vetting procedures and introduce mandatory national standards
Work to restore public faith in our criminal justice system, including breaking the cycle of reoffending
Take a whole-society approach, working with local leaders, to tackle violence against women and girls, looking beyond just reform of policing and criminal justice, to our education system, our online regulation, our media and our community services
Work with police and crime commissioners and the National Business Crime Centre to deliver consistent reporting of business and workplace crime, including greater standardisation, to make sure people feel safe at work
Halve serious violent crime, drive down anti-social behaviour and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest level
Put 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs back on Britain’s streets – paid for with the clear and tangible savings that can be delivered from a shared procurement and efficiencies plan for all police forces
Work with the rail industry to support their efforts to improve safety on the railways via the British Transport Police
Recognise the need to develop IT systems that better share data within and across different police forces and with partner forces including the British Transport Police
Work with fire and rescue services, trade unions and other stakeholders on a national structure to inform policy and establish national standards
Ensure that governance arrangements respect the different and distinct roles and responsibilities of police and fire services
Work with the fire and rescue service and trade unions to record the incidence of cancer amongst firefighters and support health monitoring
Take a prevention-first approach to crime, including access to mental health support workers in schools and providing mentors for children who are excluded or sent to pupil referral units to help them get back on track
Put youth workers into A&Es and custody suites to reach young people already involved in gangs
Introduce Respect Orders: a new criminal offence to target persistent adult repeat offenders who are ruining lives with their anti-social behaviour
Take tough action against drug dealing with powers for police to shut down premises used by drug dealers and data-driven hotspot policing targeted at common drug dealing sites, complemented by local neighbourhood police patrols of town centres
Continue support for, and ensure that all retail workers are protected by, the measures outlined in the draft assaults on retail workers (offences) bill and the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021
Support the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act and ensure it is properly enforced
Tackle websites selling knives through tougher online regulation
Introduce a new child exploitation register, for those convicted of modern slavery offences linked to county lines drug dealing
Learn from best practice across the UK on rehabilitation so that individuals have every opportunity to turn their lives around

Improve policing

Accept in full the findings of Baroness Casey’s independent review into the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service
Raise standards in every police force in England and Wales. Introduce mandatory national vetting, training and misconduct standards. Automatically ban any potential applicants to the police service who have a history of domestic abuse, indecent exposure or sexual assault and mandate specialist training for every officer on countering racial bias and tackling violence against women and girls
Ensure police officers who abuse their position to engage in sexual relationships with the victims of sexual or violent crimes are properly held to account
Establish a requirement for stop-and-search data to be recorded
Work with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to ensure confidence data is gathered and regularly published, including breakdowns by gender and ethnicity
Supports measures to put buffer zones around abortion clinics
Require all police forces to implement the National Police Chiefs’ Council race action plan, which involves improving the recruitment, retention and progression of Black people within policing and identifying and tackling racial disparities in the use of powers
Look closely at the conclusions and recommendations of Sir John Mittings’ undercover policing inquiry and consider the best ways to ensure vulnerable people and workers involved in undercover police operations are protected
Seek to change provisions of the Public Order Act, such as suspicionless stop and search and the offence of being equipped to lock on. Monitor and examine further the impact of the legislation and gather evidence to support change
Give the police better training, guidance, and resources to deal with dangerous and disruptive protests

Tackling violence against women and girls

Make tackling violence against women and girls a government-wide strategic commitment, including working with domestic violence, workforce and prevention services to ensure victims are supported
Put domestic abuse specialists in the control rooms of every police force, responding to 999 calls and supporting victims of abuse
Ensure there is a specialist rape unit in every police force
Seek to tackle misogyny as one of the root causes of violence against women and girls by preventing algorithms from promoting harmful content online and making tackling misogyny a key part of school accountability
Make misogyny a hate crime to make sure all police forces record the violence and harassment suffered by women

Tackle fraud

Make it easier to convict corporate fraudsters and overhaul Companies House
Delivering root-and-branch reform of the current approach to tackling fraud, from turning the tide on corporate fraud to taking stronger action to protect individuals against scammers
Ensure the UK is ahead of the curve when it comes to tackling new criminal threats, and seek to make emerging technologies part of the solution in the fight against crime

Fight extremism

Supports the need for the Prevent programme, but wants to see trust in the programme much higher and its work improved, updated and scrutinised
Update the Counter-Extremism Strategy

Improve the justice system

Commit to improving enforcement, ensuring victims’ rights are fully enshrined and that there are appropriate duties in place for agencies to work together and signpost victims to the service they need
Work with frontline organisations to ensure that victims are given the best possible protection
Ensure that families and those left with caring responsibilities following violent or sexual crimes are informed of their rights within our legal system and receive the support, respect and treatment they are entitled to
Speed up the justice system, tackling the courts backlog. Significantly increase the number of staff employed by the government to serve as crown prosecutors by lifting restrictions to allow more legal specialists to serve
Commit to improve access to justice
Introduce specialist rape courts to fast-track cases and ensure rape victims get the justice they deserve. Using existing, unused space at every crown court in England and Wales, cases would be fast-tracked by changes to priority listings
Bring in tougher sentences by introducing a minimum seven-year custodial sentence for rape and whole-life orders for any adult offender found guilty of rape, abduction and murder of a stranger
Commission a review into the effectiveness of current legislation and sentencing policy, focused particularly on increasing sentences for domestic homicide and abuse, but also examining other areas where there is concern about the current framework
Champion youth and community services to open opportunity for young people and transform mental health services including for children
Set up Community and Victim Payback Boards to strengthen community sentences, with victims able to choose the unpaid work to be done by the perpetrator
Introduce tougher penalties for fly-tippers, establishing clean-up squads so that offenders have to clear up litter and fly-tipped rubbish and clean up vandalism
Review the Dangerous Dogs Act
Introduce a new domestic abuse register to track offenders and help protect victims
Extend the use of Parenting Orders for parents whose children repeatedly engage in anti-social behaviour, requiring parents to attend parental classes
Encourage local councils to work in partnership with public agencies and third sector bodies on early intervention, stable housing and good education to address the cycle of anti-social behaviour
Consider a trauma-informed approach within the criminal justice system to strengthen diversionary practices and end the cycle of reoffending. Support families, local authorities and schools, intervening to tackle trauma at source where children are most at risk of offending
Work with the courts, youth offending institutions, prisons and probation to cut reoffending and tackle the deep-rooted trauma that often lies behind it
Ensure ex-offenders are supported post-release to help reduce offending and keep the public safe
Drive down reoffending by cutting drug use and violence on the prison estate and rehabilitating prisoners through reforming education and employment opportunities, reducing homelessness upon release from prison
Ensure that decisions taken about the running of prisons and probation services will be driven by keeping the public safe, working in partnership with those organisations that will secure positive outcomes
Ensure that all those working in the justice system are safe at work including prison officers. Support staff to be safe in their workplaces with better individual rights
Ensure that the probation service is run effectively in local areas so that probation staff can focus on rehabilitating people in their communities
Positively explore options for more locally delivered and responsive services and the devolution of powers over youth justice and the probation services to the Senedd and Welsh government

Act over historic injustices

Put a Hillsborough Law onto the statute book to help prevent future injustices where there is state involvement, including introducing a duty of candour to ensure that public authorities and officials proactively cooperate with official investigations as well as providing non-means tested legal aid for victims of disasters or state-related deaths
Establish an independent public advocate to act as a representative for bereaved families and to support those that have lost ones in a disaster
Explore ways to collate, analyse and follow up on recommendations arising from post-death processes of investigations, inquests, public inquiries and official reviews to provide better learning, prevention, transparency and accountability following state-related deaths
Supports a full investigation or inquiry into the events at Orgreave
Will release documents held by government relating to the historic Cammell Laird prosecutions and carry out a review into the jailing of those striking workers
Ensure that unlawful blacklisting of trade unionists is a practice never seen again in Britain with the law properly enforced and that anti-blacklisting laws and protections keep pace with the changing nature of work and technological advancements
Do right by the survivors of the Grenfell fire and give them the support they need, bring those culpable to justice and end the deregulation of building and fire safety to prevent a fire like Grenfell ever happening again. Supports the ongoing efforts of the victims, the bereaved and the wider Grenfell community and of firefighters to secure justice and a lasting legacy
Act decisively to improve standards in social housing and make sure that all dangerous buildings are identified, registered and made safe
Leaseholders should be protected from the costs of remediating cladding and non-cladding defects in all buildings irrespective of circumstance. We will support social landlords with remediation and we will take steps to accelerate the pace of remediation across the country
Deliver and maintain tough building safety standards that address the failings identified in the Grenfell Tower inquiry. Ensure the new regulator can perform all required tasks assigned to it and that it delivers effectively on enforcement with local authorities and fire and rescue authorities

Put equality and human rights at the heart of the justice system

Work with the relevant trade unions and employers to address the barriers the criminal justice system workforce faces, as the system remains deeply un-diverse
Ensure that our judiciary and prison service reflects the diversity of our nation and that fair outcomes are delivered for everyone in our criminal justice system
Strengthen and equalise the law on hate crime and extend the aggravated offences regime to all five protected characteristics recognised in law
Ensure LGBT+ hate crime is taken seriously by the police and public bodies
Continue to work with the police and community organisations to root out hatred and discrimination of any kind as part of its zero tolerance approach
Protect and promote the Human Rights Act

Deliver 21st century transport

Build transport infrastructure and a safe, efficient, integrated, accessible and affordable transport system fit for the century ahead. Upgrade our infrastructure, drawing on the strengths of UK manufacturers, so it is fit for the 21st century
Ensure public transport workers are better protected from assault and harassment
Ensure that the safety of passengers and staff, including on journeys to and from work, is at the heart of decisions when planning timetables, routes, facilities and services
Ensure there are national minimum licensing standards across local authorities, for taxi and private hire vehicles
Bring our railways into public ownership as contracts with existing operators expire or are broken through a failure to deliver, consistent with our fiscal rules
Ensure freight is part of the ongoing conversation about rail
Build on our successes in Labour-led local government in delivering a zero-emission bus and rail fleet, utilising local supply chains
Keep the promises made to the North and Midlands and deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail and High Speed 2 in full
Deliver a long-term strategy for rail, in consultation with trade unions, creating a stable foundation for long-term delivery of rail infrastructure across the country. Give communities a greater say in local rail services through the Take Back Control Act
Look at reducing the train driving licenses and certification regulations age to 18
Ensure we have the capacity and regulatory framework to build infrastructure faster, cheaper and greener
Reform our broken bus system. Hand power and control to local leaders through the Take Back Control Act. Give communities the ability to take on powers to franchise local bus services. Lift the ban on and promote municipal bus ownership
Encourage more people to walk and cycle wherever possible by supporting local authorities to provide safe, accessible walking routes and cycling infrastructure

Reform Westminster and devolve power

Build upon the recommendations of the Commission on the UK’s Future and deliver the biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the people of the UK and across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Ensure everyone in the UK has access to high quality public services wherever they live, ensuring consistent high standards across the country
Devolve decision-making away from Westminster to those with the experience, knowledge and expertise and put power directly in the hands of the people of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Work towards long-term, integrated funding settlements for local leaders to provide greater financial certainty for local areas, where they have the capacity and accountability to manage it
Strengthen the powers available to local communities to regenerate their high streets and town centres, through a strengthened Community Right to Buy
Support the high street through new laws to stamp out late payments; strong new powers for councils to bring empty shops on their high streets back into use; and tough new measures to crack down on anti-social behaviour
Establish a new independent Integrity and Ethics Commission, with the power to investigate misconduct and breaches of the ministerial code, including access to any evidence it needs
Ban second jobs for MPs, with only very limited exemptions for public service roles or to maintain professional qualifications. Ban former ministers from lobbying, consultancy or any paid work related to their former job for at least five years. Make it mandatory for former ministers to apply to the Integrity and Ethics Commission before accepting any job
Strengthen local government by giving local communities a greater say in their local area through the Take Back Control Act
Abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a second chamber that is smaller, offers the taxpayer better value for money and is reflective of the regions and nations with elected representatives rather than political appointees
Review the voting system for directly-elected mayors and police and crime commissioners
Review and respond to the evidence of the impact of photo voter ID in elections
Introduce votes for 16- and 17-year-olds
Stop Conservative plans to allow foreign money to pour into British politics and create strict rules about donations from shell companies
Return power over Wales’ economic destiny to Wales, restoring the decision-making role for the Welsh government on structural funds, as well as considering steps that strengthen Wales’ economic levers in line with the recommendations set out in the Commission on the UK’s Future. Extend this to the devolved governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Ensure that devolved authorities and towns, cities and regions across England are given the right powers and resources to drive growth and champion their areas
Ensure that new structures and institutions of shared government drive better cooperation, giving each part of the UK an equal and respected voice in decision-making and giving those responsible for delivery the freedom to innovate
Preserve our union by delivering a better, deeper devolution settlement for our devolved parliaments to spread power and opportunity more equally throughout the UK
Will not support a new referendum on Scottish independence. Instead focus on a new vision for a new politics, constitutional reform and delivering for the people of Scotland
Building on the recommendations set out in the Commission on the UK’s Future, the Scottish parliament and government should have greater powers to promote Scotland across the world, both to represent Scotland as a nation, and to promote its economic and social interests. The Scottish government should, with the approval of the Scottish parliament, be able to enter into agreements with international bodies, insofar as they relate exclusively to devolved matters only
Seek to work constructively with Scottish ministers in areas of shared interest
Ensure that elected MSPs are granted the same privileges and protections as MPs
Ensure the Sewel Convention is strengthened and properly respected by UK governments
Believe there is a need to reverse the trend of centralisation within Scotland and push power out of Holyrood into the regions and communities
Work with all parties in Northern Ireland to make the Windsor Framework work effectively, ease tensions and find an agreed way forward

4. Public services that work from the start

Protect the NHS and secure it for the future

Build an NHS fit for the future by transforming health and care services to reflect the fundamental principles of universalising the best care for all based on need, rather than ability to pay
Speed up treatment, harnessing life sciences and technology to reduce preventable illness, cut health inequalities and meet the health challenges of the 21st century
Always protect our NHS as a publicly-funded service, free at the point of use, and will secure healthcare for all
Ensure integrated care systems (ICSs) are empowered to act as a bulwark against privatisation alongside NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care
Make the NHS the preferred provider of commissioned healthcare services and will end the reliance on outsourcing and cronyism
End the two-tier system that currently sees patients paying to go private or waiting for years in pain for planned NHS treatment
Use spare capacity in the independent sector to treat NHS patients and bring waiting lists down

Tackle NHS staffing issues

Oversee one of the most ambitious expansions of the health workforce in history
Establish comprehensive long-term workforce planning for the NHS that focuses on retention as well as recruitment, including independent projections of the numbers of staff needed to ensure the NHS is fit for a future. Focus on ensuring we have the roles, trainees and senior professionals needed to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities
Work with health staff and their trade unions to review existing training pathways and explore new entry routes to a career in the NHS, including high-quality apprenticeships. Work with staff and their unions to ensure that there are high-quality training and continuing professional development opportunities for everyone in the health service
Coordinate an assessment of the causes of ambulance workers leaving the profession early and bring forward proposals for addressing the problem
Reverse the changes made by the government to pension allowances at the March Budget 2023, but will introduce a targeted scheme across the UK to address retention issues among doctors

Reform NHS services

Introduce a ten-year plan for change and modernisation of the NHS
Build on the existing integrated care system structure in England, which will mean delivering more joined-up services for patients and reducing avoidable and unjust variations in the quality of care
Make it easier to conduct life-saving research in the NHS with a quicker, more transparent and less variable process. Give everyone the opportunity to participate in research if they want to. Bring together existing clinical trials registries to create standing national registries, making sure signing up is easy and working towards more data-enabled recruitment, including through the NHS app
Improve data sharing and portability in health and care to join up services, deliver more personalised health and care and assist with collaborative NHS planning and research
Guarantee patients that their health data will be safeguarded and used ethically to improve health and care services for patients
Make the NHS App a one-stop shop for health information, with all health and care providers publishing into it but all the data owned by the patient
Set a clearer, centralised direction for future procurement of data systems so they are genuinely interoperable between providers and with wider public services
Train the workforce needed to do clinical trials with a culture in the NHS that values them
Use research to help to retain staff in the NHS. There is evidence that giving time for research to staff who are interested enhances recruitment and retention
Develop a comprehensive innovation and adoption strategy, working with industry, patients and ICSs
Ensure that the NHS has the accessible buildings, modern equipment and cutting-edge technology needed to reduce preventable illness, bring down waiting times and provide high-quality healthcare

Focus on community healthcare

Shift the focus of healthcare from the acute sector into the community to boost prevention, diagnose conditions earlier, and provide treatment closer to people’s homes
Bring back the family doctor by providing incentives for GP practices to improve their continuity of care offer
Work with the NHS to bring together services in the community, learning from sites where this is already happening and working well
Encourage ICSs to identify opportunities to join up services so that more patients have one point of contact for appointments
Work towards ensuring everyone with complex multimorbidities has a named care coordinator in the community
Expand the role of community pharmacy, accelerating the roll out of independent prescribing to establish a community pharmacist prescribing service covering a broad range of common conditions. Cut red tape to allow pharmacy technicians to step up to some roles
Enable patients to easily book appointments to see the doctor they want, in the manner they choose. Introduce improved routes for referral to specialist services in the community

Take a prevention-first approach

Give every child a healthy start in life with a children’s health plan, to include implementing the 9:00pm watershed for junk food advertising on television and banning paid-for advertising of less healthy foods on online media
Develop a roadmap to a smoke-free Britain. Legislate to require tobacco companies to include information in tobacco products that dispels the myth that smoking reduces stress and anxiety
Ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children. Work with local councils and the NHS to ensure they are being used as a stop smoking aid
Improve living standards and ensure that everyone can afford a healthy diet and has opportunities for exercise. Work to reduce the harm caused by tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption
Work across departments to tackle health problems related to poverty, including cold, damp, mouldy and overcrowded housing conditions
Ensure strong local public health services, including 0-19 health services and national public health initiatives
Address years of Conservative neglect of NHS dentistry and the problems with the NHS dental contract. Tackle the pressing access crisis, prioritise prevention of poor oral health and cut oral health inequalities
Put children and vulnerable adults at the heart of Labour’s plans and ensure that close links are established with primary care and community care, including GPs and health visitors

Tackle inequalities in health and access to care

Tackle health inequalities, ensuring that any approach is intersectional and recognises the particular experiences of groups such as disabled women and women from ethnic minority groups and the breadth of problems that inequality can cause such as exclusion, lack of access to care, delayed or mistaken diagnosis or lack of funding for particular conditions or treatments
Have a strategy to ensure that women and girls around the country have access to safe, high-quality healthcare that supports their wellbeing and will address ongoing systemic failures to meet their health and care needs, particularly in women’s sexual and reproductive healthcare
Act to end the Black maternal mortality gap and set a new target to do so
Provide parliamentary time for free votes on modernising abortion law to ensure women do not go to jail for getting an abortion at a vulnerable time
Ensure government and the public sector focus on delivering better outcomes for those on lower incomes and make narrowing and eliminating inequality through the health system – and all our public services – a priority
Seek to work in partnership with the many charitable and voluntary organisations that support and advocate for patients

Improve mental health services

Treat mental health as seriously as physical health and ensure genuine parity of esteem
Publish the first ever long-term, whole-government plan to improve mental health outcomes
Shift the focus of mental healthcare to prevention as well as cure
Ensure that the NHS plays an active role in the treatment and prevention of mental illness, with 8,500 more mental health professionals meaning that we can first work towards clearing this backlog, waiting lists can be reduced and the NHS can move towards providing access to care within a month of referral in the long-term
Work with the NHS to develop and implement new NHS targets for mental health services in England and ensure reporting standards improve
Ensure high standards in mental healthcare in every part of England, with clear national and local accountability for the quality, safety and availability of care
Ensure patients’ and families’ voices are central to any national assessment of the safety of mental health services
Put children at the heart of our mental health plan
Give every young person access to a specialist mental health professional at school
Ensure every community has an open access mental health hub for children and young people, providing early intervention through drop-in services
Work to spread best practice across universities to deliver better support for the mental health and wellbeing of their students and faculty

Reform social care

Deliver a long-term plan for reform of adult social care that will lead to a world-class National Care Service that makes people as proud as the NHS does
Seek to provide high-quality social care for all who require it, shaped by the involvement of care users and their families and consistent with the principle of supporting independent living
Promote public sector and non-profit delivery of care services. Not allow new contracts to be given to care providers who do not meet high standards. Not tolerate poor quality, extractive providers that have opaque and irresponsible financial practices and poor working conditions
Ensure consistent standards and transparent information, as well as clearer national leadership and accountability for the Secretary of State
Ensure that disabled people have choice and control over their support, prioritising the principle of independent living
Ensure that both paid and unpaid carers are valued and supported. Prioritise that care workers receive the pay, the conditions and the training they need to provide great care and to stay working in the sector
Establish a new partnership with families who care for their loved ones, to ensure they do not put themselves at risk simply by looking after people they love
Back national partnership working in social care, bringing together employers, unions and government to replicate the benefits this model has brought to other services
Establish a Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care to negotiate fair pay and conditions, terms and training
Move towards professionalising the social care workforce, to give this vital group the recognition and professional standing that they so clearly deserve
Ensure the social care workforce is well prepared for the care needs of today and the future, including through aligning adult care and NHS workforce planning functions nationally and through reviewing requirements for training and skills. Ensure relevant regulatory standards are adjusted to enable this shift
Require all care providers to demonstrate financial sustainability and responsible tax practices, to value their staff, ensure all social care workers are paid fairly for what they do and to deliver high-quality care for service users. Not allow new contracts to be given to care providers who do not meet these standards; not tolerate extractive firms in the care sector
Recognises the importance of continuity of care for children in the social care system and will address issues in the social care workforce as well as supporting the vital contribution of kinship carers
Work with local government to ensure that there are the right kind of care homes in the right places, including through strengthened regulation of standards
Work to reduce poverty, alleviate the pressures on families which are contributing to increasing numbers of children in the care system and provide effective early help. Support foster carers to increase the number of secure, loving homes for children, end profiteering from children’s care homes and work to provide coordinated support for care-experienced people to reduce the disadvantages they face and enable them to thrive
Ensure the children’s social care system is inclusive and culturally sensitive. Tackle the structural inequalities that mean children from ethnic minority groups and disabled children are more likely to be in care

Reform schooling

Roll out an ambitious school improvement plan that would see investment in a high-quality teaching and support staff workforce to deliver an excellent education for all
Prioritise investing in an excellent education for every child. Work to ensure every school is fit for purpose rather than a potential danger to students and staff
Invest money raised through ending tax breaks for private schools in recruiting thousands of new teachers to fill vacancies and skills gaps, mental health professionals and careers advisors
Value and recognise the professionalism of leaders, teachers and support staff including teaching assistants. Understands that school support staff must have a voice in our education system and deserve decent conditions and role profiles across all types of schools
Deliver ongoing teacher training so each teacher has the skills to support every child to thrive, create more training opportunities for support staff, and will equip all school leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to lead outstanding schools
Ensure schools can use these new teachers to provide every child with a broad curriculum. Launch an expert review of the current school curriculum and assessment for England. Make this new national curriculum compulsory for all state schools
Tackle the narrowing of the curriculum to ensure children can access and enjoy the creative arts as part of their education and recognise teachers supporting children to learn instruments and take advantage of creative opportunities as a valued part of the education workforce
Ensure young people are ready for the move from secondary education into work, further and higher education, ensuring a smooth transition for students
Ensure citizenship education is appropriately taught at every stage and updated to include practical life skills such as managing personal finances, and build an understanding of our democratic processes
Introduce two weeks’ worth of compulsory work experience for every young person, and provide professional careers advice in schools and colleges
Focus on ensuring high and rising standards everywhere. Ensure all teachers have qualified status. Reform inspections to ensure Ofsted provides true quality assurance for the government and the public and supports positive, proactive school improvement. Require Ofsted inspectors to be experts in the phase of education they are inspecting
Consult on creating a new annual review of safeguarding, health and safety, attendance and off-rolling
Make multi-academy trusts subject to Ofsted inspections
Implement a national strategy with clear targets to close the attainment gap, as part of our national mission to break down the barriers to opportunity at every life stage
Ensure that academies, multi-academy trusts, maintained schools and local authorities deliver high and rising standards for every child. Require all schools to cooperate with their local authority on admissions, SEND inclusion and place planning
Set national standards to require academies to follow a revised national curriculum and to recruit teachers who have or are working towards qualified teacher status
Demand collaboration and cooperation in the best interests of children, rather than focusing on imposing top-down structures
Value and recognise the professionalism of the entire school workforce and address recruitment and retention challenges by reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body
Put inclusion at the heart of the education system by working with all parents, carers and children with additional needs to deliver the system they have rightly been calling for over so many years
Identify children’s needs earlier so that intervention supports child development from a young age
Work to support inclusivity and expertise, to ensure children’s rights to receive their education and support in a mainstream school is upheld, if that is their family’s choice, while ensuring that specialist provision is available and that schools are well equipped to support children
Ensure teachers and support staff including teaching assistants have the training they need and recognition they deserve, including in specialist SEND and alternative provision settings and providing better consistency in conditions for staff and support for students
Work with families to end the battle for SEND support that so many families face and ensure schools are better equipped and designed to enable these children to thrive. Strengthen accountability arrangements to better support and empower parents, carers and children
Introduce fully-funded free breakfast clubs in every primary school, including making clubs accessible for children with SEND
Work to reduce child poverty, including involving child poverty experts in our cross-government mission taskforce
Strengthen the statutory guidance on school uniforms to help reduce the cost for families
Will work to ensure families can have stable household finances and are able to buy the food and supplies they need
Encourage school meals to be made to high nutritional levels in school kitchens from locally sourced ingredients, wherever possible

Give genuine choice in further and higher education

Ensure all learners have a genuine choice of first-class further and higher education, with brilliant vocational and academic courses
Encourage a thriving college and independent training sector that can provide high-quality vocational courses, including apprenticeships, fosters a love of learning, links students with exciting job opportunities through excellent careers advice and works with local government and businesses to meet local skills needs
Ensure fairness and sustainability in further education, address recruitment and retention challenges to tackle the current staffing crisis across our colleges
Work to ensure the cost-of-living crisis does not hold back students’ learning. Recognise the current financial pressures on students and will learn from the success of the last Labour government and Labour governments in Wales in getting disadvantaged young people into education and training
Champion further education as part of a thriving skills system that improves opportunity for all, boosts student outcomes in local job markets and meets the workforce needs of our changing economy
Ensure the university system provides excellent teaching, fosters cutting-edge research and supports researchers, prepares graduates for successful careers and is genuinely accessible to people of all backgrounds. Encourage these world-class academic institutions to play a role in their local communities, linking with local business to create thriving and dynamic regional economies
Work to grow the number of spinouts from universities and help to bring more of their research to market
Fix the current broken tuition fees and loans structure and ensure that people from every background and all parts of our country have the opportunity to study at Britain’s world-class universities. Ensure the repayment process is fairer. Reform the system to make it more progressive, reintroduce fairness and encourage people to pursue and stay in jobs that are facing serious vacancy crises

5. A future where families come first

Reform childcare

Reform childcare from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school
Review the parental leave system so that it best supports working families as part of Labour’s commitments in the New Deal for Working People. Ensure that parental leave is a day-one right
Deliver free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England as a first step, funded through the ending of the non-domiciled tax status
Drive an ambitious and coherent programme of childcare reform, with higher standards for early education, better availability for all parents, stronger regulation of the financial sustainability of providers to ensure the sustainability of the sector and a clear strategy for the childcare workforce. Ensure that childcare for working parents and carers is affordable, accessible and available, wherever you live
Remove the barriers that prevent local councils from opening more nurseries and childcare provision where parents need it
Recognise the importance of children’s first two years, learning from the programmes of the 1997-2010 government which reduced health and education inequalities, as well as the latest research, to ensure existing and planned Early Years Hubs benefit children and parents alike
Work to alleviate the pressures on families that are contributing to increasing numbers of children in the care system, to ensure high standards in children’s homes in order to deliver the right kind of homes for children, including through strengthened regulation of standards
Work with foster and kinship carers and local authorities to raise common standards and improve care for children
Ensure that information about the way foster carers are currently supported in different parts of England is available
Coordinate support for care-experienced people to reduce the disadvantages they face and enable them to thrive

Boost homeownership and housebuilding

Ensure a decent, secure and affordable home for everyone regardless of tenure. Aim to ensure housing adequacy in the long-term, exploring ways to meet housing need across government
Build more houses to meet local housing need, encourage more private investment, properly regulated, in new supply, reforming planning and spurring a new generation of locally-led development corporations
Put construction of social and genuinely affordable homes at the heart of our plans to fix the housing crisis, with development corporations providing capacity, support and expertise to councils
Work with partners in local government, the housing industry and investors to unlock the patient, private capital ready to be unleashed into housebuilding and the necessary wrap-around social infrastructure
Reprioritise government grant by reforming the underperforming Affordable Homes Programme
Where green belt is released, it will be done in a strategic way, prioritising poor-quality ex-industrial land and dilapidated, neglected areas to build more housing whilst protecting, enhancing and increasing access to genuine green spaces
Reform compulsory purchase orders to unlock land value in sites where there is clear public interest in doing so
Use development corporations as a delivery model that can deliver more supply and unlock institutional funding
Scrap the poorly designed infrastructure levy
Support the principle that people who have lived in their social home for years should have the opportunity to own it, if they wish. Believe a fair and sustainable balance between the expansion of assets to be held by individuals and families and assets to be held for the common good is not just desirable, but achievable
Introduce a better approach on right to buy to maintain the stock needed to support community-held assets
Seek to decrease the number of social homes being rapidly sold off through right to buy without like-for-like new social housing being built to replace them
Review the increased discounts introduced under the coalition government in 2012, as well as strengthening covenants, to protect new social homes built from being quickly sold off
Upgrade all the homes that need it through a Warm Homes Plan, led by local councils
Create a workable housing-led strategy to tackle homelessness, provide people with access to support before they arrive onto the streets and ensure everyone has a meaningful route out of rough sleeping, including an updated role for supported housing
Set the target of a homeownership rate of 70%
Help first-time buyers onto the ladder with a new, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme. Under this scheme, the state will act as guarantor for prospective homeowners who can afford mortgage repayments but struggle to save for a large deposit
Give first-time buyers first dibs on new developments in their area
Build more high-quality homes across the country and ensure more of these are genuinely affordable
End the current system of leasehold housing in England and Wales, overhauling it to the lasting benefit of leaseholders and reinvigorating commonhold to such an extent that it will become the default. Legislate to enact the recommendations of the Law Commission’s three 2020 reports
Accompany support for first-time buyers with measures to redistribute demand away from those looking to purely speculate on house prices
Raise stamp duty paid by foreign individuals, trusts and companies when they buy UK residential property
Reform planning and arcane land purchase rules to get Britain building, while fixing our broken development model
Spur the creation of a new generation of development corporations, spearheaded by and accountable to communities. These new bodies will allow local leaders, working with trade unions, to play a more active role in development in their areas
Learn from the estate regeneration ballot arrangements in London which has driven up resident engagement and consult on further pilots of the system out across England
Allow local authorities, metro mayors, combined authorities or groups of local authorities to pioneer new models of strategic development for larger sites
Work with local councils in rural communities to ensure their voice has traction in delivering what is needed for rural and coastal communities
Seek to improve the quality and safety of existing social homes
Support councils to start building homes where they do not currently have housing stock
Support new co-operative and community-led housing provision, including developing adequate tenure
Work with disabled people’s organisations and groups led by disabled people to ensure new builds are accessible and adaptable. Ensure new requirements are enforceable and empower local leaders to ensure new developments meet designated standards, enabling people to remain in their existing homes as their needs develop either by further disability or age

Reform the planning system

Revise national planning policy and guidance, and reform the planning system in England
Reform arcane purchasing rules to rebalance power between speculators and communities. Reformed compulsory purchase rules will also support strategic development on large sites, allowing local leaders and development corporations to play a more active role in land assembly
Actively work with local areas looking to spur development. Seek to repurpose and reform Homes England to better meet our emerging priorities around housing supply, mixed use placemaking and strategic regeneration
Believes meaningful public participation in the planning system is essential and helps to drive outcomes

Support private renters

Fundamentally reform the private rented sector, overhauling its regulation to markedly drive up standards and conditions and provide tenants with long-term security and better rights. Introduce a renters’ charter that will abolish ‘no fault’ Section 21 evictions, introduce a legally binding Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector, ban landlords from refusing to rent to those in receipt of benefits or with children, provide for longer notice periods, introduce a national landlord register and introduce a right to have pets
Seek to close loopholes that disreputable landlords might use to exploit tenants and jeopardise their security of tenure following the abolition of Section 21

Improve the welfare safety net

Provide a reliable safety net for people who lose their jobs, including through large-scale redundancies and insolvency or who cannot work due to ill health, disability or caring responsibilities. This safety net will continue to apply to those on legacy benefits too
Ensure that respect and dignity are once more at the heart of our social security system and that it works to tackle poverty and put an end to the soaring use of food banks
Work with campaigners and community groups to ensure food security for all
Reform and continually review the social security system to ensure that it tackles poverty and supports those hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis
Deliver fundamental reform of Universal Credit to tackle child poverty and offer a proper safety net. Ensure it makes work pay, supports people back to work, allows people to live their lives in dignity and addresses inequalities across society. Overhaul the current unfair and punitive system and end punitive sanctions
Examine whether the assessment period and payments are being delivered in a way that is responsive to changes in claimants pay, in recognition of the rise in zero-hours contracts. Consider whether split payments should be made the default to prevent domestic abuse and financial control
Recognise the importance of in-person appointments in supporting people to access the social security system, such as those without digital skills
Make the rights to financial and employment support for the unemployed conditional on, and balanced by, responsibilities to look for work and take it up. Offer tailored support, coaching and training opportunities
Make every stage of the social security system supportive and accessible
Fix the access to work scheme, with improved targets for assessment waiting times at reasonable timescales and by giving people who are looking for work ‘in principle’ indicative awards
A Labour Department for Work and Pensions would be committed to the social model of disability, not the medical model, and also incorporate principles of working with disabled people throughout policy processes, often referred to as coproduction

Tackle child poverty

Break down the barriers to opportunity for every child at every stage with a bold and ambitious strategy to tackle child poverty, as a focus of a cross-government effort to break the class ceiling. It will be the responsibility of all government departments to tackle the fundamental drivers of poverty and take action to address the big issues that hit those on the lowest incomes the most
Implement a strategy to tackle child poverty that will monitor and measure absolute and relative child poverty levels, child attainment, parental incomes and infant mortality. Target increasing the number of young people in education, employment or training, better health outcomes and more children living in safe, quality homes
Strengthen rights to representation at work, extend sick pay to those on low incomes and boost wages by removing minimum wage bands for all adults and expanding the remit of the Low Pay Commission to take account of the cost of living
Ensure there are free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England
Raise education standards and ensure that more children are hitting early learning targets
Turn the tide on parental income dictating children’s future earnings, boosting social mobility so your background does not dictate your future, and better support parents
Work with local government to deliver on Labour’s strategy to tackle poverty

Protect pensioners

Protect pensioners from the cost-of-living crisis and ensure that older people have security in retirement
Implement a strategy for ageing well, including covering those approaching pension age, that values older people’s voices, in close consultation with the groups affected
Work with industry to ensure that workplace pensions provide a secure income through retirement
Want further partnership between employers and workers, based on shared responsibilities to make pensions contributions and plan for retirement
Stand by increases to the state pension to protect pensioners from the cost-of-living crisis
Work in partnership with industry to ensure Defined Benefit schemes and Defined Contribution arrangements remain sustainable and provide a secure income throughout retirement
Encourage the creation of Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pensions and explore other policies that could encourage saving for retirement and better standard of living in old age, such as building on the success of the auto-enrolment scheme of the last Labour government
Back parliament’s current legislation that gives governments the power to lower the age criteria from 22 to 18 and remove the earning threshold
Continue to engage respectfully with women born in the 1950s recognising the hardship faced by those who were impacted by changes to their state pension age with insufficient notice

Enrich family life through culture, media and sport

Bolster the BBC’s independence and ensure that it can continue to be a universal, publicly-owned, publicly-funded public service broadcaster
Have set up an independent review panel ahead of the next charter period, to inform how we will ensure the long-term security of the BBC and a fair deal for licence fee payers
Protect and promote British broadcasting and UK radio in the streaming age, to ensure British made and produced content is easily available and accessible
Recognises the important role BBC Alba plays in supporting creative jobs in rural and inland communities and in promoting Scottish Gaelic as one of the UK’s living languages and continues to support this
News organisations should be held to the highest standards and are accountable for what they publish. Ensure publishers and journalists are fairly remunerated when their content is used online
Introduce a statutory regulator for English football, with a strong voice for fans, financial regulation to prevent more clubs going bust and distribution down the pyramid to support lower league clubs and communities
If the Conservatives continue to fail to update analogue gambling laws that are not designed for the digital age, the next Labour government will
Offer a ‘creative compact’ to deliver our mission on economic growth, while maintaining and enhancing the UK’s world-leading position as a global hub of creativity
Work with the Welsh government to build on the success of Creative Wales, and partner with other devolved governments to support creative industries across all four nations
Ensure the creative economy is open to everyone by breaking down barriers to opportunity and unlocking talent through offering flexible skills and training opportunities, with a commitment from industry to improve access and social mobility

Make equality central to policymaking

Ensure that equality is at the heart of all our policymaking as we look to build a more inclusive, more tolerant and more accessible society for all, including by implementing better ethnicity data and monitoring into the criminal justice system, introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, committing to ensure that international development policy tackles deep-rooted gender inequality and equalising the treatment of all protected groups under hate crime legislation
Establish a gender pay gap review that will engage with the women’s sector, trade unions, local government and business organisations to identify and eliminate inequalities in earnings and small business financing
Actively pursue global goals to achieve women’s equality and empower all women and girls as set out in section 5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Protect and uphold the Equality Act 2010, including the Public Sector Equality Duty and ensure its provisions cover all parties exercising public functions. Seek to build on that achievement for all groups with protected characteristics in the next Labour government
Enact the socioeconomic duty under Section 1 of the Equality Act, and a Labour government will take its responsibility to conduct equality impact assessments of major announcements seriously
Ensure that political parties can take the action necessary to deliver and maintain diverse elected representatives, including greater representation of women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, disabled people and LGBT+ people, through positive action measures
Introduce a New Deal for Working People containing a raft of reforms to transform women’s working lives including requiring large employers with more than 250 employees to produce menopause action plans. Publish guidance, including for small employers, on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence
Ensure health and safety reflects the diversity of the workforce
Labour’s violence against women and girls green paper sets out ambitions for a cross-government plan to end VAWG
Introduce a Race Equality Act through which Labour will focus on ending disparities in areas such as housing, employment, criminal justice and health. The Act will also introduce ethnicity pay gap reporting for large employers and include comprehensive action to tackle structural inequalities faced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in the workplace
Introduce a full, no-loopholes, trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy
Modernise, simplify and reform the gender recognition law to a new process, taking into account international evidence of what works effectively, while continuing to support the implementation of the 2010 Equality Act, including its provision for single-sex exemptions
Work to end discrimination against trans people, non-binary and gender diverse people and ensure they are treated with respect and dignity in society
Tackle health inequalities through Labour’s national health mission, taking account of the specific and intersectional disparities facing women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, disabled people and LGBT+ people so that everyone can access treatment without risk of discrimination
Ensure that the government and the public sector are working to close gaps in access to care, delayed or mistaken diagnosis and language barriers
Introduce reforms to care including a new target to close the Black maternal health gap
Treat disabled people with respect and dignity. Work with disabled people to create policies which remove barriers to equality and focus on their representation at all levels of government
Committed to the social model of disability, not the medical model, and also to the principle of working with disabled people throughout policy processes, often referred to as co-production
Honour our commitments to the United Nations’ Convention for the Rights of Disabled People and ensure its principles are reflected across government

6. Britain in the world

Make national security the first priority

Defend Article V as the cornerstone of our commitment to Britain’s security and ensure that the UK is the leading European nation in NATO
Apply a ‘NATO test’ to major defence programmes in government to ensure our NATO commitments are fulfilled in full
Never allow defence spending to fall below our NATO commitments
Conduct a strategic defence and security review to ensure that we fully understand the nature of emerging and interconnected threats around the world and future challenges and align defence and security spending accordingly. Ensure our armed forces and security services always have the capabilities necessary to defend the UK
Prioritise military strategic leadership and defence procurement reform to ensure our troops have the kit they need to fight and fulfil our NATO obligations
Commission a comprehensive audit of departmental waste at the Ministry of Defence
Ensure that the UK defence manufacturing base receives the investment it needs to grow and our armed forces have the equipment needed to defend the UK and provide long-term assistance to Ukraine
Ensure as much of our defence equipment as possible is designed and built here in the UK. Make it fundamental to direct British defence investment first to British business, with a higher bar set for any decisions to buy abroad
End the Conservatives’ policy of sending defence shipbuilding contracts overseas and work to secure a 30-year pipeline of orders that can deliver investment and high-quality apprenticeships in the UK’s shipyards
Guarantees continued long-term UK support for Ukraine and will work with allies to provide the assistance it needs to defend itself
Increase cooperation with our closest allies, including through a new EU-UK security pact and developing the new AUKUS partnership with Australia and the United States
Absolute support for nuclear deterrence. Also want to see Britain doing more to lead efforts to secure strategic arms limitation and multilateral disarmament and reduce nuclear risk

Support our armed forces

Ensure there is a strong voice – in parliament and outside Westminster – for our forces, veterans and their families
Provide better support as troops transition into civilian life, improved mental health services for veterans and fairer access to justice for personnel
Fully incorporate the Armed Forces Covenant into law. Tackle the poor state of service accommodation and ensure that former personnel have easy access to high quality, affordable homes
Scrap visa fees for non-UK veterans and their dependents if they have served four years or more in British forces
Recognises the outstanding contribution of Gurkha veterans as soldiers in the British Army. Will engage with them in government on all the issues that concern them

Reconnect Britain through foreign policy and build EU ties

Champion international law and universal human rights at home and abroad, as well as the multilateral treaties that uphold them
Repair the damage caused by 13 years of Conservative government and reconnect Britain with the world. Unite like-minded nations behind a new outward-looking, forward-thinking foreign policy
Continue to support the people of Ukraine in their efforts to defend their sovereign territory, including providing Ukrainian forces with the equipment and training they need to protect their homeland
Push for the international community to hold Vladimir Putin and his cronies to account, including the dictatorship in Belarus, where Labour will continue to support brave opposition leaders
Supports the International Criminal Court’s issuing of an arrest warrant for Putin and his associates and will push for the creation of a special tribunal to hold Russia to account for the crime of aggression
Pursue legal mechanisms in the UK to seize and repurpose frozen Russian assets so they can be used to pay for a socially-just reconstruction of Ukraine, including completing the Register of Overseas Entities at Companies House and closing loopholes in identifying frozen Russian assets
Seek to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with Europe while maintaining its new role outside of the single market and customs union
Seek to reduce trade barriers for British business and ensure better access for professionals providing services in EU markets, as part of the review of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in 2025. Aim to fix the problems with the current deal by strengthening mutual recognition of professional standards and qualifications and unblocking participation in the Horizon scheme. Improve links between our students and universities
Begin to develop long-term structures to ensure cooperation between the UK and EU in key areas such as the green just transition, energy, cultural exchange, tackling cross-border crime and protecting supply chains by removing trade barriers in food manufacturing and supply
Include a strong green agenda in Labour’s foreign policy, at the heart of which will be a new Clean Power Alliance, a coalition of nations committed to achieving 100% clean power by 2030
Push for climate action as a fourth pillar at the United Nations
Drive forward cooperation to protect democracies from hostile entities, tackle tax avoidance and ensure key infrastructure is resilient to outside threats
Deepen our relationship with countries in the Global South, building modern partnerships based on mutual respect
Make best use of the unique framework of the Commonwealth to address shared challenges
Connect development, trade and foreign policy into a new coherent strategy that aims to tackle the root causes of poverty and inequality
Take a strong, clear-eyed and consistent approach to China, standing firm in defence of national security, international law and human rights, while engaging on key areas of cooperation like climate change, trade and global health
Carry out a complete audit of UK-China relations to ensure the relationship reflects Britain’s long-term interests and value. Support dialogue and peaceful moves to address issues across the region
Supports and recognises UN resolutions on the rights of the Kashmiri people but maintains that a lasting settlement to end this conflict can only be achieved by India and Pakistan working together with the people of Kashmir. Will call for thorough and transparent investigations of allegations of human rights violations
Condemns the use of violence against civilians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Will work alongside international partners to recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel, as part of efforts to contribute to securing a negotiated two-state solution. Lead diplomatic efforts with international partners to support a just and lasting peace and uphold international law
Protect the role of the BBC World Service and the British Council

Make trade policy deliver for all parts of the UK

Seek to boost exports from, and investment into, every region and nation of the UK. Work closely with devolved governments, trade unions and local authorities, and introduce new binding responsibilities for trade negotiators to deliver for the whole of the UK
Establish structures that give business and trade unions guaranteed engagement with the government to inform our approach to future trade deals
Ensure that trade negotiators work meaningfully with devolved governments to help promote their visions for economic growth
Reform the Trade Remedies Authority, to safeguard industry from trade dumping practices and better take account of the UK regional impact of trade injuries and their impact on nationally important industries
Seek to secure a veterinary and phytosanitary agreement with the EU and mutual recognition of professional qualifications, as well as improving scientific collaboration through Horizon. Push for an EU visa waiver for UK touring artists and the reduction of other administrative burden
Work with businesses including creative industries to ensure they have the skills to allow business and research to grow, as well as working with European partners to ease travel disruption at the border
Work to address the lack of regard the Conservative government has given to our services sector and the barriers it now faces in trading with our nearest neighbours
Maintain high standards in areas such as workers’ rights, environmental protections and production standards
Use international trade to boost our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, working with international partners to coordinate our approach to green investment and ensure international trade can facilitate a global green transition
Ensure outside green investment will benefit all parts of our country. Establish climate export hubs in each nation and region of the UK, to take the innovation driven by our Green Prosperity Plan and export it to the world
Lead in international discussions to modernise trade rules to reflect the need for security in strategic supply chains, supporting domestic manufacturing
Strengthen domestic supply chains and encourage the re-shoring of jobs
Examine the best way to mitigate the risk of carbon leakage to ensure that energy-intensive sectors like steel remain competitive and consider the conclusion of the government’s consultation on a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, among other approaches
Restore our global reputation by abiding by international law and our treaty obligations including free trade agreements
Aim to strike trade deals that prioritise jobs, businesses and livelihoods while promoting Labour values around the world, including human rights, workers’ rights, trade union freedom, equality, protecting our environment and ensuring the highest standards for consumers
Ensure that our trade policy and negotiations protect and strengthen our public services and the supply chains that support them
Protect and embed workers’ rights in trade deals, including the use of human rights protection clauses to tackle the use of modern slavery in supply chains
Assess the best way to prevent environmental harms, modern slavery and human and labour rights abuses in both private and public sector supply chains including effective due diligence rules
Champion human rights in Labour’s trade strategy, promoting equality for people at home and abroad
Establish a new arms export regime that is truly transparent, free from arbitrary judgements and committed to upholding international law

Have a strong, humane asylum policy

Take strong action to tackle Channel crossings, reduce the asylum backlog and make sure Britain plays its part internationally through a fair and transparent asylum policy that does not discriminate. Ensure we have a fair, effective and properly managed asylum system and strong border security
Speed up asylum decisions and clear the backlog. Make processing more efficient, restore casework targets and introduce fast-track processing for safe countries where people can be returned
Redesign existing resettlement schemes, which are not working properly as safe legal routes, for example providing a clearer process for refugees with family connections in the UK to be considered for resettlement
Ensure that there is no return to the indefinite detention of child refugees
Negotiate a replacement for the Dublin Agreement that includes safe returns of those who arrive in the UK and safe family reunions
Crack down on the criminal gangs that are fuelling and facilitating small boat crossings. End the Rwanda deportation scheme, invest in the National Crime Agency and establish a new cross-border police unit with officers based throughout Europe
Work with partners in the EU, Northern Africa, Europol and elsewhere to address crises leading people to flee their homes and provide the leadership needed to tackle criminal gangs and prevent boat crossings

Restore UK leadership on international development

Committed to spending 0.7% of GNI on development as soon as the fiscal situation allows, implemented alongside the restoration of transparency and accountability to British aid spending
Put in place a new model for international development, with global leadership and the independence needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century
Restore Britain’s global leadership in tackling the build-up of unsustainable debt by actively exploring incentives, regulatory and legislative, for debt relief, including multilateral initiatives
Committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for rebuilding partnerships around the core principle of leaving no-one behind
Ensure international development policy tackles deep-rooted gender inequality and violence and harassment against women and girls globally. Honour the UK’s commitments under the United Nations’ Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and seek to ensure its principles are reflected across government
Help prepare for future pandemics by strengthening global health systems. Look to work with international health organisations, such as the World Health Organisation and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, focused on establishing a new international mechanism to rapidly produce and distribute vaccines, share technology, knowledge and skills and build the infrastructure needed to deliver it
Ensure climate is considered in every aspect of UK development policy. Recognise and support the UK’s role in providing climate finance for lower income countries

Note this article is a summary rather than the full NPF document, which has been shared internally within Labour.

Much of the text is published above as written by Labour, but some has been cropped or paraphrased by LabourList for space. The six sections are as headed by Labour; sub-heads within each section were added by LabourList.

Tags: Policy / General Election / NPF / Labour / manifesto / National Policy Forum / Labour Manifesto / Keir Starmer / election manifesto / Labour conference 2023 /

Katie Neame

Katie Neame is a LabourList reporter.

View all articles by Katie Neame

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