Five things: The Conservative Party manifesto
Updated 21:37, 28-Nov-2019
Nawied Jabarkhyl
Europe;uk
02:01

With less than three weeks to the UK general election, prime minister Boris Johnson launched his Conservative Party's manifesto in Telford on Sunday. Here are the key points:

1. Leave means leave - again

Like he did when he first became Prime Minister back in July, Boris Johnson is promising to get Brexit done if his party wins the election. He missed his deadline in October but says a Conservative government would bring his deal with the European Union back to Parliament by Christmas, with a view to leaving the bloc by the end of January next year.

2. Triple tax lock

Like David Cameron did before him in 2015, Boris Johnson is promising a triple tax lock. That would mean no increases in income tax, national insurance contributions or VAT for five years. The pledge is likely to be popular with many middle-income workers, but it could put serious pressure on the government's ability to raise money.

3. More public spending following cuts

A Conservative government would need more money to pay for the increases it's promising for public services - more money for things like schools, hospitals and police. But, as the Conservatives have been in power since 2010, many critics blame them for much of the cuts faced by those services in recent years.

Boris Johnson launches the Conservative manifesto (Credit: AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Boris Johnson launches the Conservative manifesto (Credit: AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

4. Climate change is not the main focus

The Conservatives are sticking to their pledge to cut the UK's carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, and are promising a ban on exporting plastic waste to developing countries. But for some, the plans may not go far enough, with other parties like Labour and the Greens promising more radical measures to tackle climate change.

5. Success rests on winning a majority

This was billed as the Brexit election, one that the Prime Minister said he had to call in order to break the impasse over Britain's departure from the EU. As expected, he's made Brexit the flagship policy of this manifesto. The difficulty he faces is that without winning a majority on 12 December, that promise could be a lot harder to keep.