Conservative manifesto

Conservative Party's policies and manifesto for the general election 2010: key issues, the latest news and policy overview.

Economy

"A Conservative government will act now on debt to get the economy moving. We will deal with the deficit more quickly than Labour, so that mortgage rates stay lower for longer with the Conservatives."

Key economic policies include:

A one year public sector pay freeze in 2011 (excluding the one million lowest paid workers)
Bringing forward the date at which the state pension age starts to rise to 66, although it will not be sooner than 2016 for men and 2020 for women
Stopping tax credits to families with incomes over £50,000
Cutting spending on Child Trust Funds for all but the poorest third of families and families with disabled children
Capping the biggest public sector pensions above £50,000
A five per cent pay cut for Ministers followed by a five-year freeze, and a 10 per cent reduction in the number of MPs
Economic Policy in depth

Health

"We are the party of the NHS today because we not only back the values of the NHS, we back its funding and we have a vision for its future"

Specific health policies include:

Scrapping all politically-motivated targets
Putting more detailed NHS performance data online
Improving cancer and stroke survival rates
Enabling patients to rate hospitals and doctors
Giving anyone the power to choose any healthcare provider that meets NHS standards
Putting patients in charge of their own health records
Opening up the NHS to new independent and voluntary sector providers
Linking GPs' pay to the quality of results they deliver
Health Policy in depth

Education

The Conservatives say our schools system must be improved "to make opportunity more equal"

Specific education policies include:

Raising the entry requirement for taxpayer-funded primary teacher training
Requiring new graduates to have at least a 2:2 in their degree to get state-funded training
Paying the student loan repayments for top maths and science graduates while they remain teachers
Giving teachers the strongest possible protection from false accusations
Strengthening home-school behaviour contracts
Establishing a simple reading test at the age of six
Reforming the National Curriculum
Overhauling Key Stage 2 tests and league tables
Allowing all state schools to offer high quality international examinations
Extra funding for children from disadvantaged backgrounds
Education Policy in depth

Tax

The Conservatives' tax plans include:

Raising the Inheritance Tax threshold to £1 million
Raising the stamp duty threshold to £250,000 for first-time buyers
Cutting corporation tax
Cutting employer National Insurance contributions for first ten employees of new businesses
Floor under landfill tax until 2020
Europe
The Conservative party supports "an open, flexible Europe"

Specific European Union policies include:

A full opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights
Greater protection against EU encroachment
Restoring national control over social and employment legislation
Defence
The Conservatives say their top defence priority will be to "repair the broken Military Covenant"

Specific defence policies include:

Doubling the operational bonus for troops serving in Afghanistan
Ensuring that Forces' families and veterans are taken care of
Tracking and monitoring veterans' mental health after they leave the Armed Forces
Launching a Strategic Defence Review
Maximising efficiency in the Ministry of Defence
Streamlining the procurement process
Environment
The Conservatives have pledged to make Britain greener by tackling climate change

Key environment policies include:

Working towards zero waste
Providing incentives to recycle
Encouraging sustainable water management
Work for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy
Offering every household a Green Deal
Transforming electricity networks with 'smart grid' and 'smart meter' technology
Expanding offshore wind and marine power
Environmental Policy in depth

Foreign

The party's five major foreign policy themes are:

Creating a National Security Council
Committing to the transatlantic alliance
Deepening of alliances beyond Europe and North America
Reforming older institutions such as the UN and making effective use of new ones such as G20
Upholding our own values abroad
Transport
Key transport policies include:

Building a high-speed rail link connecting London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds with the Continent
Blocking moves for a third runway at Heathrow Airport
Improving Britain's railways
Cutting congestion and making Britain's roads safer
Making local transport greener
Transport Policy in depth

Business

The Conservatives say the priority "has to be to get the credit markets moving"

Specific business policies include:

Cutting corporation tax
Simplifying the tax system
Starting usiness-led Local Enterprise Partnerships
Supporting new business by an employer National Insurance waiver for the first ten employees
Building a network of business mentors
Providing loans to would-be entrepreneurs
Opening up government procurement to small and medium-sized businesses by reducing administrative requirements