1. A Fairer Deal For Interns
We will ensure that the minimum wage applies to interns gaining experience within for-profit companies to limit the impact of abuses of the intern system.
2. A Rational Points Based Immigration System
3. Balance And Flexible Paid Leave For Parents
Many new fathers are not allowed to take annual leave alongside paternity leave. This gives couples very limited flexibility to arrange their leave to suit their family. The Shared Parental Leave scheme used in Northern Ireland would be made UK-wide.
This means the UK should introduce balanced and flexible parental leave, to be available to both partners. We would propose a system where both the mother and father of a child each have a minimum amount of time off ‘banked’ and then an additional allocation to be divided between them, obviously this includes LGBT people too.
4. Digital Accessibility
We will promote the inclusion of accessibility features, such as subtitles and audio descriptions for the disabled. Our aim is to make content accessible for disabled people.
We will introduce an obligation for publishers to provide a DRM-free copy of their product where necessary to allow the use of accessibility programs (for example, voice synthesiser software to “read out” an e-book to a visually impaired person).
5. Efficiently Process Asylum Seekers And Treat Them Properly
Quite rightly, the UK is a party to international agreements pertaining to asylum. We have an obligation to provide sanctuary to those individuals who have been forced to flee their homes. We should ensure that those people who come to the UK seeking asylum are treated fairly and are given decisions quickly about their status. Once asylum seekers have been granted asylum they should be given assistance to ensure that their time in the UK is productive and beneficial to them and the UK, including access to employment and education.
6. Move Towards A Secular State
A significant proportion of the UK’s population are non-religious, or of various faiths. As such it no longer makes sense for the UK to have a state religion.
7. Planning System Simplification
The current planning system is very bureaucratic and complicated. Simplifying the system may encourage developers to build more houses. The planning system would be drastically simplified.
8. Promoting Inclusivity and Representation for Trans and Non-Binary Individuals
9. Reform The Council And Social Housing Systems
We want to see affordable housing for all. We would enable councils to build affordable council housing. The Right to Buy council houses would be removed. Any Income from council housing sales would be ringfenced for housing construction. Councils would also be permitted to borrow to fund housing construction.
10. Reform The Welfare System To Prioritise Helping People In Need
A successful welfare system reaches everyone in genuine need. Barriers to people who try to exploit the system also hurt the needy. Measures would be introduced to help reduce the number of people incorrectly blocked from receiving welfare.
11. Remove Spousal Veto When Changing Opposite Sex Marriage To Same-Sex
Marriage law is not yet equal marriage as it fails to meet the needs of transgender people. Currently, an “opposite-sex” marriage is considered different to a “same-sex” marriage. This means unless the spouse agrees, the person must choose between their marriage and gender recognition. This is not a problem in Scotland, and we would fix the problem nation-wide.
12. Remove The “Bedroom Tax”
The “bedroom tax” is a 25% reduction in Housing Benefit for a house with unoccupied rooms. This has caused enormous disruption for both landlords and tenants. Full Housing Benefit would be restored. We would look for alternative ways to increase the efficiency of social housing.
13. Remove The Benefit Cap
The cap on benefits makes little sense: either someone qualifies for a benefit, or not. Eligibility for each benefit would be considered independently wherever possible.
14. Renationalise The Royal Mail
Royal Mail’s universal service obligation has been damaged by unsustainable competition. The universal service is a natural monopoly, and best delivered by a public company. We would renationalise the Royal Mail and protect it from being damaged by cherry-picking competitors.
15. Restore The Power Of Trade Unions
Trade unions provide a way for workers’ interests to be represented and defended. The right to strike is an important part of the right to protest. Recent changes to industrial action rules has made it much harder for unions to strike. The 50% turnout requirement for a union to vote to strike would be removed. The strike notice period would be reduced to 7 days.
16. Right To Marriage Regardless Of Sexuality
All of the UK’s citizens should have an equal right to marriage. The implementation of truly equal marriage must not be further delayed or de-prioritised. Equal marriage must mean exactly that. The law must be changed to give full equality to all couples regardless of gender.
17. Sure Start
We must protect Sure Start services. It is vitally important that all children get the best possible start in life, but that alone isn’t sufficient in dealing with the problems that the UK faces. The rationale under which Sure Start Children’s Centres were set up should be extended, not rolled back. They have made life easier for millions of families and could improve lives further. Sure Start should be be about actively bringing down the levels of child poverty in the UK, not just a start in life, and should provide ongoing support for whole families.
18. Votes For Prisoners
Stopping prisoners from voting violates their human rights (ECHR, Protocol 1, Article 3) the UK government has ignored repeated rulings against them by the European Court of Human Rights. We believe that voting is a fundamental right for all people, including prisoners. Prisoners would be permitted to vote in the constituency they were registered in prior to incarceration.