Pledge to make prostitution legal and let 50,000 more refugees into UK
BREXIT
÷ Second referendum on the final deal ÷ Staying in ‘the best option’ Tim Farron would order a second referendum on whether to accept the final deal or stay in – and so encourage the EU to offer little or nothing. Polls suggest a dwindling number of voters want to reverse the result, and while this message may work in some London seats it won’t in the Leavevoting West Country.
SPEND AND BORROW
÷ £6billion a year more for the NHS and social care, as well as £7billion for education
÷ £100billion borrowing on infrastructure Even by their own optimistic sums, the Lib Dems are £15billion short of covering their spending splurge with new taxes. Policies include extending free school meals to all primary school children, free childcare for children aged
from nine months to two years old, plus raising benefits and public sector pay.
DRUGS AND CRIME
÷ Legalise cannabis and brothels ÷ Abolish short prison sentences Continuing their tradition of going soft on drugs and crime, the Lib Dems would legalise cannabis – and hope to raise £1billion by taxing sales. Mind-bending synthetic drugs such as Spice would be decriminalised. Possession of hard drugs such as heroin would be punished with spot fines, not prison. Prostitution would be decriminalised. The ‘presumption’ against short prison sen- tences of around a year would mean 50,000 more criminals on the streets.
TAX
÷ 1p increase in income tax ÷ Higher corporation, inheritance and capital gains tax ÷ Abolish married tax allowance A watered down version of Labour’s tax assault, raising a claimed £15billion.
IMMIGRATION
÷ Keep free movement ÷ 50,000 more refugees Keeping unfettered free movement, even if Britain leaves the EU, is the central plank of the most pro-migration manifesto of all the parties. Abandoning it would ‘threaten Britain’s prosperity and reputation as an open, tolerant society’, they argue. The Lib Dems also want to bring in 50,000 more Syrian refugees and put a 28-day limit on detaining migrants and foreign criminals.
ENVIRONMENT
÷ Ban on sale of diesel cars by 2025 and charges for diesel drivers in ten areas Bad news for diesel drivers, cabs and the white van man. A ban on selling diesels within eight years and anti-emission charges in urban areas. Diesel scrappage could be hugely expensive.
DEFENCE
÷ Reduce Trident fleet from four to three ÷ Commit to 2 per cent Nato target In a sop to the anti-nuclear brigade, the Lib Dems want to downgrade Trident from four submarines to three. This ‘minimum deterrent’ would mean there would be times when no submarine was operating. Critics say this won’t save much money and will leave us exposed, but the manifesto claims ‘unpredictable and irregular patrolling patterns’ would keep us safe.