Opposing Brexit and scrapping diesel cars lead Lib Dem manifesto

FIGHTING Brexit, banning diesel cars and helping young people buy their first home through rent payments are among the key policies in the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

The party expects to raise £1bn in revenue by legalising cannabis, but says it will not scrap tuition fees, insisting that the NHS is a bigger spending priority.

The party says it will pump an extra £6bn a year into health and social care through a 1p rise in income tax.

Opposing Brexit will be the key aim of the Lib Dems after the General Election, which leader Tim Farron has predicted will see a Tory landslide victory.

The Lib Dems say they want to keep free movement of people, stay in the single market and hold a referendum on any final EU exit deal.

The party plans to bring in a diesel scrappage scheme and ban the sale of diesel cars and small vans by 2025.

Motorists also face new levies as ultralow-emission zone charges would be introduced in 10 towns and cities across the UK. Local councils would decide how much to charge drivers.

A rent-to-own scheme would see monthly rents used like a mortgage with working tenants owning their own home over a 30-year period.

The party would use a Housing and Infrastructure Development Bank to help firms and housing associations fund the building of rent-to-own homes.

Lib Dems say they will restore housing benefit to young people, bring in bus passes for 16 to 21-year-olds with a two-thirds discount, and lower the voting age to 16 if they gain power.

The party has also pledged to boost education spending by £7bn over five years, double the number of businesses that take apprenticeships, and extend free school meals to all primary school pupils.

Mr Farron said: “You don’t have to accept Theresa May and Nigel Farage’s extreme version of Brexit that will wreck the future for you, your family, your schools and hospitals.

“In the biggest fight for the future of our country in a generation, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour has let you down by voting with Theresa May on Brexit, not against her.

“The Liberal Democrats want you to have a choice over your future.