Stripping away political jargon.

As the UK gears up for the next general election, political parties are rolling out their manifestos, each painting a picture of major transformation whilst simultaneously sending back handed comments from one party to the other. In my quest to determine why I should vote for on the 4th July I decided that I would work my way through each of the manifestos…much to my enjoyment. Whilst wading through pages of political promises and bypassing meme’s of ‘Starmageddon’ (yes, this ones from the Reform party) I thought I would save you all from a fun nighttime read and summarise the key points into a simple blog post.

Here we dissect the proposals put forward by the Conservatives, Reform Party, Labour, Green Party, and Liberal Democrats, stripping away the political jargon and breaking things down into digestible insights. Looking at things through the lens of someone who works in the public sector, here’s what they have to say about the following subjects: Health Care, Social Care, Higher Education, Policing & Defence.

?

Liberal Democrats

First up we have ‘The Lib Dems'…The Liberal Democrats manifesto is a mixed bag of ambitious promises and potential pitfalls. They guarantee GP appointments within a week and 24/7 booking systems, aiming to cut those dreaded waiting times. Free dental check-ups for children, new mothers, and low-income groups sound great, but how will it all be paid for? Their push for personalised care with personal health budgets and improved communication standards for carers is commendable, but the logistics of it all might be a little tricky.

Mental health gets a significant focus with walk-in hubs for young people and mental health professionals in every school—Fab! Free prescriptions for chronic mental health conditions are a double fab…. Yet, the funding question lingers like a dark shadow on a summer day. On the social care front, unpaid carers get a fair deal with increased allowances, regular respite breaks, and paid leave. Establishing a taskforce for independent living is a promising step, but providing sustainable solutions will be the challenge.

Education reforms include reviewing further education funding and bolstering career advice in schools. Universities get a nod with student mental health support and a focus on widening participation for disadvantaged groups, though the details around this are a bit vague. Policing reforms are ambitious: replacing Police and Crime Commissioners with local Police Boards and tackling police staffing shortages. Embedding domestic abuse specialists in police forces is a practical move, but sweeping changes may face resistance and bureaucratic delays.

While the manifesto aims to build trust with promises of transparency and accountability, some pledges feel broad and lack concrete steps. Tackling inequalities and improving public health are noble goals, but implementing these without clear funding strategies could prove difficult.

?

Conservative Party

Second up we have The Conservative Party, maybe a subconscious reflection here of them getting knocked off the top spot? … who knows. Again, a manifesto brimming with ambitious pledges and reform plans, striving to overhaul several key sectors.

The Conservatives like most other parties, plan to increase NHS spending… their manifesto claims that spending will increase above inflation annually, recruiting 92,000 more nurses and 28,000 more doctors AND build 40 new hospitals by 2030 (a bit of a 1 up on the 8000 GPs from the Lib Dems). They also propose expanding training places for various clinicians by 40%. Free dental check-ups and personalised health budgets are on the table. However, the funding sources for these ambitious plans remain unclear, and the logistics of such rapid expansion might prove challenging.

The Conservatives pledge to dramatically expand mental health support. They promise a multi-year funding settlement for social care, reform older people’s housing, and support unpaid carers. Differentiating support needs between mental and physical health might complicate implementation, and ensuring sustainability could be an issue.

A significant shake-up is on the cards for higher education which involves National Service for school leavers and transforming 16-19 education with the Advanced British Standard. They plan to fund 100,000 high-quality apprenticeships while closing underperforming university courses. This could enhance the quality of education, but there’s a worry that the closure of courses may limit choices for students.

Next up is policing & crime…recruiting 8,000 additional police officers and implementing Hotspot Policing aims to curb anti-social behaviour. Tougher sentencing expanded victim support, and new technologies like facial recognition are also on the agenda. While these measures may reduce crime, they raise concerns about privacy and civil liberties.

Defence spending is set to increase by 2.5% of GDP by 2030, enhancing military capabilities and boosting the defence industry, strengthening national security but potentially diverting funds from other critical areas like health and education. The Conservatives pledge to introduce a legal cap on migration to prioritise skills for businesses and the NHS and halting illegal migration routes by resettling migrants to Rwanda. These measures aim to control migration but could face significant ethical and logistical challenges???

?

Reform Party

The Reform Party presents to us a whirlwind of deterministic policies starting with a proposed three-year tax holiday for frontline staff to boost morale and retention (brb joining the NHS), alongside scrapping training caps and forgiving student loans for those committing to a decade of service. They want to use private healthcare to cut waiting lists, with a 20% tax relief to sweeten the deal. However, the ￡17 billion annual cost and potential creation of a two-tier system might give us taxpayers a headache (already crying).

In social care, the Reform Party propose a Royal Commission to overhaul the system, focusing on sustainability and better regulation. Cracking down on tax-dodging care home giants to ensure fair worker pay is a highlight, but merging NHS and local authority funds could be a bureaucratic tangle, and the promised extra funding is a bit hazy to say the least.

On the education front, the manifesto suggests scrapping interest on student loans (sounds good to me. Anyone else’s student loaning going up more than it’s going down?) and stretching repayment periods to 45 years, which might just take the edge off graduate debt. Two-year graduate courses are on the table to get students working faster. Yet, limiting undergraduate spots could slam the door on aspiring scholars?

Policing plans include adding 40,000 new bobbies on the beat and adopting a zero-tolerance crime approach, New York-style. Increased stop-and-search could raise civil liberty concerns, and the ￡3 billion annual tab might leave us taxpayers scratching for dust at the bottom of our wallets.

To support our defence systems, Reform aims to hike up the budget to 2.5% of GDP, boosting forces and gear, while setting up a dedicated veterans' department. Yet, the projected ￡13 billion annual cost and competition with private sector wages, like Amazon, could make recruitment a bit of tough sell.

Green Party

The Green Party, our fluffy friend with a manifesto full of positivity and sustainability. Their latest manifesto aims to revolutionise healthcare, education, and social care while stirring the pot in international relations and civil liberties. On the sunny side, they're determined to cut NHS waiting lists, guarantee quick access to GP and dental services, and give NHS staff a well-deserved pay rise to boost retention. However, their claims lack numbers and a clarity on the ‘how’, so the feasibility of their pledges is uncertain. They claim to end tuition fees and bring back grants which will undoubtedly please the new wave of student, and their campaign against violence toward women and girls is both timely and necessary.

The green party has a bold stance on trans rights with self-identification, which will be music to some people’s ears who have fought so hard to hear their voices heard. Mental health care is planned to be treated equally with physical health, ensuring timely access to therapies and school counsellors. The promise of free personal care and better pay for carers looks like a win, ensuring carers have both dignity and support.

However, some might raise eyebrows at their intent to scrap the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Act and other protest-related laws, potentially fueling debates on law and order. Their foreign policy, featuring a commitment to rejoin the EU when politically favourable and halting arms sales to Israel, could also divide opinions. The hefty ￡20 billion investment in social welfare and a new ￡3 billion annual boost for NHS dentistry sound great, but where will the money come from?

The Green party shows strong emphasis to support Ukraine amidst its conflict with Russia, although this might be welcomed on the international stage it could draw criticism from those wary of prolonged involvement. Meanwhile, their vision for legal reforms, including assisted dying and no new HIV transmissions by 2030, shows a commitment to compassionate and forward-thinking policies.

?

Labour

Finally, we have the long-awaited labour party. If you haven’t had a labour party leaflet shoved through your letter box…, are you even from the North? Having read through the labour parties’ latest manifesto, it reads like a dynamic blueprint for transforming the UK, packed with ambitious initiatives across health, education, and social policy. On the healthcare front, labour pledges to reduce NHS waiting times by performing two million additional operations, scans, and appointments annually. They plan to incentivise out-of-hours work and shared waiting lists across hospitals, plus they aim to add 40,000 weekly appointments using the independent sector for quicker diagnoses and treatments. The introduction of a National Care Service aims to ensure consistent, high-quality care nationwide, emphasising the 'home first' principle to support independent living.

To tackle workforce shortages, Labour proposes independent, regular workforce planning, implementing a long-term NHS workforce plan, and doubling CT and MRI scanners with their ‘Fit for the Future’ fund. They also promise to revolutionise maternity care with better support for struggling trusts, midwife training, and digitised health records for children, making healthcare management as easy possible for parents.

For the higher education sector, Labour plans to address the confusing skills system that has seen apprenticeship numbers plummet. Their comprehensive post-16 education strategy involves establishing Skills England, which will coordinate skill development with businesses, training providers, unions, and government, ensuring that young people have access to training, apprenticeships, or work support. They aim to transform Further Education colleges into Technical Excellence Colleges in partnership with businesses, enhancing job opportunities and meeting local economic demands.

Labour’s social policy proposals are equally ambitious. They promise to protect retail workers by revoking immunity for shoplifting and introducing specific offenses for assaults on shopworkers. Their stance on public health includes banning cigarette sales to the next generation, prohibiting branded advertising of vapes to children, and restricting junk food advertising to minors. They also plan to address the healthy life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest regions, prioritise women’s health, and create specific initiatives within NHS reforms, including a new HIV action plan to eradicate new cases by 2030.

However, these grand old goals are not without their potential pitfalls. The promise to scrap laws on protest control might not sit well with those concerned about public order. The logistics of integrating family doctors with mental health specialists under one roof could prove challenging. The proposed ￡20 billion investment in social welfare raises questions about fiscal responsibility, and rejoining the EU and halting arms sales to Israel may spark significant political friction. Additionally, their foreign policy changes, like tackling global corruption and enhancing legal protections for online safety, might face practical hurdles.

?

In short, each manifesto is packed with promises that range from the fantastical to the practical. Whether these plans will turn into reality or stumble over their own idealism is the million-pound question? Though the biggest question now sits with you, and who you will be voting for to run this country?

Regardless of your decision tomorrow, one thing is for certain… the public sector is set for huge transformational change. Luckily, here at Caja we have a team of over 150+ experts, experienced in transformation and cultural change, with a strong track record of ensuring sustainable success for all areas of the public sector, including Defence, Policing, Health & Social Care and Higher Education. If you would like to find out how our experts can successfully support you through the changes as a result of the election, please reach out to us at [email protected].