Election update
The Scottish National Party and Reform UK have this week published their election manifestos, marking the final publications from key parties before the election. See below for a summary of the manifestos published this week:
The Scottish National Party – ‘A Future Made in Scotland’
On Wednesday, SNP leader John Swinney set out the party’s election manifesto with a renewed ambition for Scottish independence. Despite the results of the original referendum and subsequent battle with Westminster to hold a second one, the SNP will instead use the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections – where a clear majority of MSPs were in favour of independence – as its ‘democratic verdict’ and mandate for backing independence this time round.
Of relevance to BRE, headline commitments from the SNP manifesto include plans to:
- Call for a statutory social tariff for energy, broadband and mobile charges for all who need one.
- Press for a significant cut in standing charges for all and removal of standing charges for anyone with a prepayment meter.
- Push for an annual uplift of Local Housing Allowance, while ensuring rental costs are taken into account.
- Call for a combination of the Warm Home Discount and Energy Company Obligation to create a single, flexible fuel poverty scheme in Scotland – one that better reflects our definition of fuel poverty and supports our most vulnerable.
- Reintroduce a simplified Help to Buy ISA scheme to help first-time buyers.
- Scrap the bedroom tax and devolve housing benefit and local housing allowance.
Reform UK – ‘Our Contract With You’
On Monday, the recently appointed leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, unveiled the party’s ‘contract’ with the British public. While acknowledging it will not have any chance of entering government after the election, Reform’s contract is presented as a pledge to hold the next government to account and champion issues that matter to its voter base. This has become increasingly evident as political commentators have applied the same levels of scrutiny as with other party manifestos, revealing less rigour in Reform UK’s spending and policy ideas.
Of relevance to BRE, headline commitments from Reform UK include:
- Scrap net zero and energy levies to save each household £500 per year. Unlock Britain’s oil and gas reserves to beat the cost of living.
- Review the planning system and fast-track new housing on brownfield sites and infrastructure projects to boost businesses, especially in coastal regeneration areas, Wales, the North, and the Midlands.
- Scrap section 24 for landlords to encourage smaller landlords into the market.
- Abolish the Renters’ (Reform) Bill and instead boost the monitoring, appeals and enforcement process for renters with grievances.
- Enforce Section 106 agreements and ensure it is cheaper and easier to extend leases to 990 years and buy freeholds.
- Incentivise innovation to speed up building: modular construction, digital technology and building sites that improve efficiency and cut waste.
In the news
‘Green collar’ construction workers earning £134,000 | Construction Enquirer News
Early bond release key to averting industry surety crisis | Construction Enquirer News
Over 4,000 construction insolvencies in past year (developmentfinancetoday.co.uk)
