Lib Dem policies are the most popular with voters
Now the parties have published their manifestos, there are a potentially confusing range of bright – and not so bright – ideas on offer. But when polling agency YouGov asked voters which policies they would support, Lib Dem proposals claimed the top seven spots. These were:
1. A legal right that all urgently referred cancer patients in England will start treatment within 62 days (93%)
2. A legal right to see a GP within 7 days, within 24 hours if urgent (90%)
3. Free personal care to elderly and disabled adults at home (88%)
4. Award Blue Flag status to some rivers, giving them more protection from sewage discharges (87%)
5. Introducing a 16% tax on water company profits to fund cleaning up rivers (84%)
6. Increasing social care workers’ minimum wage by £2 an hour (83%)
7. Cutting VAT on children's toothbrushes and toothpaste (83%)
None of the Conservative or Labour manifesto pledges attracted more than 78% of voters.
On the introduction of Blue Flag status for rivers, Lib Dem candidate Phil Hutty commented:
‘Clearing up the sewage scandal is vitally important to us here in Torridge and Tavistock, where in 2023 we had the highest rate of sewage dumping in England. Extending the Blue Flag system to rivers is a way of galvanising efforts to return our rivers to proper standards of cleanliness and safety. We will tax water companies to fund the clean-up and those that continue to dump sewage into Blue Flag rivers will face stiff fines.’
Mr Hutty further commented on the proposal to cut VAT on children’s toothbrushes:
‘I am ashamed how poorly we are treating our children’s health. As an experienced social worker, I have seen at first-hand children’s teeth requiring hospital treatment because parents can’t get an NHS dentist. Nearly half the children in Devon and over 4.4 million nationally have not seen a dentist in the last year. With dental health in decline and parents worried about getting appointments, it’s not surprising that the Lib Dem policy of cutting VAT on children’s toothbrushes is supported by 83% of voters. Lib Dems would additionally reform NHS Dentistry so that no-one is forced to pay for private dental care.’
‘It’s clear that people desperately want change. Families and pensioners across Torridge and Tavistock are fed up with being taken for granted by the Conservative Party. From fixing our health and care services to protecting our rivers and seas, Lib Dem policies have always been the best fit with rural communities such as ours.’
