Labour+Party

LABOUR PARTY:



1.) General Principles-
~The Labour Party strives for the achievement of equality, social and economic justice, community solidarity and freedom. ~They are designed to encourage the maximum amount of debate and free open exchange of opinion within the Party. The organisation and procedures which they use reflect their socialist values and distinguish the Labour Party as a uniquely democratic organisation.

**~Labour is calling on the Tory-led Government to:**
-Halth this top-down NHS reorganization -Produce a Plan B on growth and jobs -Address the cost of living crisis -Protect the police so they can protect you -Support the next generation

2.) Economy-
~Labour insisted it would be relentless in getting value for money from the public for evry pound spent, finding efficiency savings, and eliminating waste. ~ Additionaly, the Labour Party knows that times are really tough for people at the moment. Millions of families across Britain now face a cost of living crisis because, as they stated, the reckless economic policies of the Tory-led Government. Labour stands side by side with families who are feeling the pressure right now and are calling on the Conservatives to... -Temporarily reverse the VAT rise which is costing families with children 450 pounds per year. - Repeat the bank bonus tax and use the funds to help get young people off the dole and into work. ~Taxes- Labour promised not to raise the basic, higher and new top rates of tax during the next Parliament, as part of a plan to keep to fair tax increases while tackling the deficit.

3.) The Environment- Global Warming
~Labour's energy and climate-change policies include: -Achieving around 40% low-carbon electricity by 2020 -Creating 400,000 new green jobs by 2015 -Making greener living easier and fairer through "pay as you save" home energy insulation -Banning recyclable and biodegradable materials from landfill



4.) Health Care and the NHS:
~Labour believes the NHS is its greatest achievement. ~Key health promises is Labour is re-elected are: -Preventive healthcare through routine check-ups for the over-40s -Legally bindin guarantees for patients, including the right to cancer test results within one week of referral and a maximum 18 weeks' wait for treatment or the offer of going private -A major expansion of diagnostic testing



5.) Education:
~Labour policies include: -An expansion of free nursery places 2-year-olds and 15 gours a week of free nursery education for 3 and 4-year-olds -Every child leaving primary school secure in the basics -Giving parents the power to bring in new school leadership teams -Every young person guaranteed education or training until 18 years of age



~Labour plans to control immigration through an "Australian -style points-based system" to stop unskilled migration from **outside the EU**.
~Additionally, all public sector employees who have contact with the public must possess "an appropriate level of English language competence".

7.) Foreign Policy:
~Labour plans to: -Use Britain's international reach to build security and stability - combating terroism, curbing proliferation, preventing and resolving conflict, and tackling climate change. -Re-energising the drive to achieve the **Millennium Development Goals**= supporting sustainable growth and combating poverty

~International: EU
-Labour plans to lead the agenda for a European Union that delivers jobs, prosperity, and global influence

8.) Democracy:
~Labour is for **devolution** referendums in Great Britain. -Labour has promised to restore trust in politics by giving voters the power to recall MPs found responsible for financial misconduct. ~Voting: -Under Labour plans, there would be a referendum on changing the electoral system from first past the post to "alternative vote" for the House of Commons, and on having a fully elected and renamed House of Lords. -Parliament would have a "free vote" on lowering the voting age to 16 and legislation would be passed to introduce fixed-term parliaments.