It's Manifesto Time!

 It’s manifesto time. As someone who has drafted and haggled over a few in my time, I enjoy this part of an election campaign while recognising that this makes me a less-than-typical voter.  

You might think in a snap election that manifestos are hastily put together. However, in practice, the core policies will have been written months ago and tested on focus groups and polling, leaving just some updating before putting them into whatever governance arrangement the political party has. In broad terms, the manifesto is the opportunity to set out the details of party policy, rare in an era of sound-bite campaigning. It also provides a script for candidates and supporters. Some are more detailed than others, but there is pressure to say something about every policy area to avoid the accusation that the party is ignoring an interest group. Issues that are controversial, at least internally, have to be fudged to get agreement. 

 

It is legitimate to question the purpose of a manifesto in a rapidly changing world. This has been even more noticeable since devolution when most UK policy areas don't apply other than the knock-on spending commitments. There is also a strong case for more independent scrutiny of manifestos to at least reduce the dafter claims and counter-claims for the benefit of voters.

 I am only going to look briefly at the Conservative and Labour manifestos. I'm sure there are lots of interesting ideas in the Lib-Dem, SNP, and Green manifestos, but they are not going to be the next UK government. They also know that, so don't worry too much about their policies adding up. They make daft claims like the SNP on NHS privatisation and oil jobs. Only if we get a hung parliament, do they get interesting.

 

This really is a topsy-turvy election when the Tory manifesto is attacked for rash, uncosted spending commitments. The Tory tax cuts will cost £17.2bn a year by 2029-30, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and slashing the welfare bill by as-yet uncertain means. IFS and other think tanks warned there was a big risk the sums would not add up. 

I suspect the Tories decided they won't have to implement it, so let's chuck in many policies that appeal to their core vote to minimise the defeat. Examples are the triple lock plus, which provides a tax cut for pensioners - even if they only need one because the Tories have frozen the tax threshold. An analysis of the tax changes by the Resolution Foundation said that while the 20% of the wealthiest households would gain £1,300 a year on average, someone who paid £30,000 would see their tax bill fall by just £170. It’s not hard to see the target demographic here.

 In contrast, Labour constantly repeats the mantra that all policies are costed and funded. However, they have yet to go as far as 1997, when the party committed to Tory spending plans, even if, as the IFS points out, they are not far off that. Even Ken Clarke admitted that he had no intention of keeping to them. Gordon Brown later opened the taps, but he had a more robust economy and fiscal position to play with. I suspect Rachel Reeves is going to find it more challenging. 

 

I'm afraid I have to disagree with Keir Starmer's comparison of the Tory and Corbyn 2019 manifestos. I worked on that manifesto, and it was fully costed, with John McDonnell's Grey Book going into more detail than I have ever seen in a manifesto supplement. Peston and others make this point well. 

 

The Labour manifesto reflects a cautious fiscal approach to the election. Given the state of the public finances, this is understandable, but it is storing up problems for an incoming government. Reform can do some of the work, but the heavy lifting of putting the country back on its feet requires investment. Plugging a few loopholes is fine, but the anomalies around Capital Gains Tax need to be addressed, as does a tax on wealth.

 

I like the focus on long-term solutions – the mission-driven government. Short-termism has plagued our country in politics and business, and a new emphasis on industrial and infrastructure strategies, working with employers and trade unions, is the right approach. The early focus on national security is good, even if I want to see more urgency in getting to 2.5% of GDP. Particularly as we are wasting too much of the equipment budget on Trident. However, there is a welcome commitment to reform defence procurement, if little detail. Bringing the railways into public ownership is the right transport policy, and there are ways of doing the same with other vital infrastructure without breaking the bank.

 

The New Deal for working people is an important way forward as is bringing the cost of living into the minimum wage calculation and ending age discrimination. Consulting on implementing the plans is normal government, and practical issues over zero-hours contracts, in particular, need to be addressed. There is plenty in the energy section to like, even if it could be bolder. I doubt the 'broken energy market' will be fixed through more robust regulation. The English public service proposals will bring Scotland £470m of additional resources to tackle some of our problems. There is at least an understanding of the need to reduce health inequalities and that requires cross-cutting action.

 

The offer on the constitution is limited, an opportunity missed given that they can be radical at minimal cost. The failure to grasp the opportunities of further devolution, particularly going back on employment law, risks rebounding on Scottish Labour in 2016. After 18 months of financially constrained government, those soft SNP voters may decide they have only lent their vote. The polling for the Scottish Parliament elections is much tighter than Westminster, and the dial hasn’t shifted on support for independence.

 

Re-setting our international relationships is absolutely vital. While I would like to see stronger commitments to rebuilding relationships with the EU, that section gives a few hints that a new approach is possible without reopening Brexit. Getting Britain back on the world stage on issues like climate change is crucial.

Under devolution, UK manifestos have a limited impact on the issues that matter most to voters in Scotland. However, there is plenty to like on reserved issues like employment rights, defence, and international relations. The weakness is fiscal caution and the constitution, both areas where Labour needs to be bolder. As the IFS says, ‘delivering genuine change will almost certainly also require putting actual resources on the table’. Stability is vital after the chaos of recent years, but we will need more than managerial competence to tackle the deep-seated problems facing the UK.