Briefings
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The Green manifesto
The Green Party has launched its election manifesto with a pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions in the UK by 2030, and invest £100 billion a year by 2030 as part of a “Green New Deal”.
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Nationalisation
The great nationalisation debate has dominated recent days. Labour is promising a number of state takeovers, including broadband, and has accused the Tories of wanting to sell off the NHS.
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Four elections in one
Is the UK having one general election or four very different elections? Politics in Northern Ireland has always been different. But, recently, England, Scotland and Wales have also diverged.
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Tactical voting
Nigel Farage, yesterday, claimed that tactical voting will decide the election — and the internet is buzzing with advice. What is tactical voting? And how much difference could it make?
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Education
All the main parties pledge to increase funding for education — but with radically different plans for how they would spend the money. It is set to be one of the main issues of the election.
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Defence spending
UK defence spending is just over £50 billion a year, or 6% of all public spending. So, not huge but contentious, as many believe the money would be better spent on health and welfare.
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The state of play
Two numbers hold the key to this election: 83% and 23%. The first is the combined Tory/Labour vote in 2017. The second is their combined vote in 2019. Can either party can get back to 2017?
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First past the post
The UK general election uses a “first-past-the-post” system, in which whoever gets the most votes in each constituency wins. This is widely criticised for producing unrepresentative results.
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The youth vote
In 2017, the surprisingly good showing by Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party was partly explained by many commentators as arising from a “youthquake”. Could that be happening again?
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Public spending
Yesterday, the starting pistol was fired on five weeks of election campaigning. Much of it will debate government spending, and where the money should come from.
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The battle of Brexit
All the main parties presented their answers to the great Brexit riddle yesterday. The media was filled with claims and counterclaims. Today, there are still dozens of possible outcomes.
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The health debate
The NHS is set to become a key battleground during the campaign. But health service bosses have said parties should not use the NHS as “a political weapon” and should stick to the facts.
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The big issues
Brexit. The NHS. Crime. Education. Poverty. What are the main topics that will decide this election? Regular opinion polls take the pulse of the nation. But why do issues rise and fall?
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How the parties stand
As the starting gun fires on the UK election campaign, how are the main political parties doing in the polls? And how much can we predict about the winners and losers on 12 December?
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General elections
The UK is heading to the polls on 12 December for what is set to be one of the most divisive and fiercely fought elections in the country’s history. How exactly does a general election work?