Green Party manifesto 2017: Key policies of the ‘green guarantee’

Election 2017: Caroline Lucas and Jonathan
Bartley pledge to scrap student debt, cap rents and introduce a
universal basic income.

In Depth

The manifesto was revealed this morning by the party’s
co-leaders, Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley, in central
London.

Bartley pledged to build a “confident and caring Britain and a
future that we can all be proud of” while Lucas said the manifesto
contained “big, bold ideas to create a confident and caring
country”.

Here’s what the Green Guarantee sets out:

Economy

The party promises to invest selectively in transport
infrastructure, dropping the HS2 but spending on regional rail
links and the electrification of existing lines. It will remove
subsidies from fossil fuels and nuclear, investing in clean energy
instead. The Greens are also proposing to renationalise energy,
water, railways, buses, care work and the Royal Mail.

Tax

There will be a wealth tax on the top one per cent of earners
and a higher level of corporation tax for larger businesses, as
well as a ‘Robin Hood tax’ on high-value transactions in the
finance sector.

Business and employment

The Greens say they will abolish zero-hours contracts, end the
gender pay gap and require a minimum of 40 per cent of board
members in public companies to be women. They will phase in a
four-day working week (a maximum of 35 hours) and increase the
living wage to £10 an hour by 2020. Start-ups will receive
community credit and green investment.

Families

The party promises free universal childcare and will push back
the school starting age to seven.

Housing

There will be 100,000 new social rented homes built every year
by 2022. The party promises to introduce rent controls, abolish the
bedroom tax and scrap Right To Buy at discounted rates.

Healthcare

Privatisation of the health service will be rolled back with an
NHS Reinstatement Act. All services will be kept free at the point
of access. Mental health care is to be improved.

Education

The Greens have committed to ending tuition fees in English and
Welsh universities and are promising to fund full student grants
and restore the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). They would
also scrap all existing student debt. They will bring free schools
and academies into the local authority system, reform the
curriculum, abolish SATS exams and Ofsted, and reduce class
sizes.

Brexit and immigration

There will be a second referendum on the final Brexit deal,
giving people the option to stay in the EU. The party will protect
freedom of movement, push to stay in the single market and
immediately guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the
UK.

Security and defence

The UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent will be cancelled
unilaterally and the party will stop supporting aggressive wars of
intervention and promote an ethical foreign policy that builds
capacity for conflict resolution and ends arms sales to oppressive
regimes. The overseas aid budget will increase from 0.7 per cent of
GDP to 1 per cent of GDP and the party will strengthen the global
deal on climate change. On the domestic front, the Prevent
counter-extremism strategy will be replaced with community-led
collaborative approaches.

Benefits and pensions

The party’s flagship proposal is to take steps towards
introducing a universal basic income that would replace benefits
with a flat rate paid to everyone whether or not they are working.
The Greens would reinstate housing benefit for under 21s.

Government

Proportional Representation will replace the First Past the Post
system for all elections – and 16-year-olds will get the vote.
Parliament will be gender balanced 50-50 and the House of Lords
will be replaced with an elected second chamber. 

Extras

The Green manifesto includes an Environmental Protection Act –
to safeguard the environment and promote sustainable food and
farming – as well as a Clean Air Act and the mandatory funding
of clean air zones. Fracking and coal power stations will be
replaced with renewable energy and there will be a fine for car
manufacturers that cheat emissions tests. The Greens will also end
the sale of personal data such as health or tax records for
commercial means.