The Liberal Democrats have vowed to fix the UK’s “broken relationship” with Europe as it became the first major party to reveal its election manifesto this week.
In his speech, Davey took aim at the Conservative government and pledged to bring about sweeping changes in everything from health and care to the environment.
“After years of Conservative chaos and neglect, the scale of the challenge is enormous. But our manifesto doesn’t shy away from it,” Davey said at one point.
The Liberal Democrats have long tried to disrupt the traditionally two-horse race of UK politics, and they hope to make gains this July in Conservative strongholds.
The party is currently polling at around 10 per cent, meaning a majority is still relatively out of reach. They may have the chance to form a coalition government, but Sir Ed has ruled out entering into government with the Tories.
Despite what looks like an uphill battle, Davey appeared optimistic about his party’s ‘fair deal’, arguing that this election wasn’t just about getting the Tories out but also transforming “our politics for good”.
This week, the Conservative and the Labour parties will unveil their party manifestos as we edge closer to the July 4 general election date.
Here’s what you need to know about the Lib Dem policies.
What are the Liberal Democrats' policies?
With the Scottish National Party (SNP) in turmoil after Humza Yousaf quit as leader in April and was replaced by John Swinney, the Lib Dems could return to being the third-largest party in the UK.
The key takeaways from this week’s Lib Dem manifesto reveal a strong focus on health and care support and renewed efforts to rebuild the UK’s relationship with Europe.
1. Give everyone the right to see their GP within seven days, or 24 hours for urgent cases
Davey said: “We are putting forward a bold, ambitious and fully-costed plan to tackle the health and care crisis from top to bottom. This is a manifesto to save the NHS.
“Giving everyone the right to see a GP within seven days, or within 24 hours if it’s urgent. And recruiting the extra doctors needed to make it happen.”
The Lib Dems have pledged to deliver this by training, recruiting, and retaining more GPs, and freeing up more of their time.
Other healthcare plans included improving access to dentists and pharmacists, promising treatment for cancer patients within two months, and developing new mental health policies and support facilities for young people and in schools.
2. Investments in social care
In his speech, Davey also focused heavily on carers and used examples of caring for his mother and son to show people that he understands current struggles in the care system.
As part of their manifesto, the Lib Dems want to give unpaid carers a right to paid carers’ leave and pledged to fill 150,000 vacancies in social care positions.
“Just imagine what this would all mean for people across the country. Instead of being stuck in an overcrowded hospital ward, thousands of people could come home to be cared for by their family – with both the professional carers and the financial support they need to make it work,” he said in the speech.
3. Rebuild the UK’s relationship with the EU
Most parties have avoided directly addressing Brexit this time around, with the Lib Dems looking to forge stronger ties with our European neighbours.
Sir Ed promised to work on “fixing our broken relationship with Europe, rebuilding the ties of trade and friendship, boosting our economy and restoring Britain’s role on the world stage”.
One of the manifesto's goals is to rejoin the EU single market as part of a four-stage plan to improve ties with Europe.
4. Increase school and college funding per pupil above the rate of inflation every year
Taking aim at Tory failures in education buildings, the Lib Dems have vowed to invest in new schools and end the “scandal” of crumbling buildings.
Other education policies include addressing staff turnaround and retention by channelling more funding into training and development, and more investments in vocational courses for students.
5. Invest in the environment and clean up the UK’s sewage crisis
Another major focus in the Lib Dem manifesto is cleaning up the UK’s “sewage scandal” by preventing companies from dumping sewage in natural sites.
Davey told the audience that he was proud of the party’s environmental goals and efforts to hold water companies accountable.
The manifesto aims to transform “water companies into public benefit companies”, banning bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks end and replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator with powers to prevent sewage dumps.
6. Improve the long-term cost of living
The party also has a collection of economic policies that it believes would help Brits manage the cost of living.
Some of their plans include cutting energy bills, improving mortgage rates, and tackling expensive food prices.
Who is Ed Davey?
Sir Ed was born on December 25, 1965, in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. He was raised in Nottinghamshire and attended Nottingham High School.
He later studied philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) at Jesus College, Oxford, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree.
His political career began when he joined the Lib Dems. He was elected as the MP for Kingston and Surbiton in 1997, a seat he held for several terms.
He took an unwanted sabbatical when he lost the seat to the Conservatives from 2015-17.
In August 2020, Sir Ed was elected as the leader of the Lib Dems, succeeding Ms Swinson. He has focused on rebuilding the party's electoral fortunes and promoting its platform on issues such as Brexit, climate change, and education.
“Ed is a lifelong campaigner for strong public services, a fair economy, and a thriving natural environment,” a statement on the Lib Dem website states.
“He describes the core values that drive him as compassion, community, and fairness.”
He describes his empathy as coming firstly from caring for his mum and his grandmother — and now for his severely disabled son John with his wife Emily Gasson. They also have another child, daughter Ellie, and live in Surbiton.
Sir Ed speaks French, German, and Spanish.
He is known for his passion for environmental issues and has been a vocal advocate for climate action throughout his political career. Sir Ed is also known for his commitment to grassroots activism and community engagement.
“As Energy Secretary in government, Ed helped to quadruple the UK’s renewable power and make it the world-leader in offshore wind — creating good jobs across the country, tackling climate change and bringing down people’s energy bills,” his website states.
However, his legacy from his time as postal affairs secretary is less positive. During his tenure from 2010-12, he refused to meet Horizon IT whistleblower Alan Bates and said: "I do not believe a meeting would serve any useful purpose.”
This led to him being challenged for his leadership earlier this year but he was able to survive.
Sir Ed was knighted in the 2016 New Year honours for “political and public service”.
