In their bid for the upcoming 2024 election, the Conservative party has launched their manifesto, outlining their proposed plans should they secure victory on 4 July. The document encompasses a range of policies aimed at addressing various issues, including housing, taxation, crime, immigration, education, and the environment.

One of the central focuses of the manifesto is housing. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has set an ambitious target of constructing 1.6 million homes in England over the course of five years. To facilitate this, the Conservatives plan to revive the Help to Buy scheme, providing first-time buyers with an equity loan of up to 20% towards the cost of new homes. However, critics argue that such schemes have previously inflated house prices and favored developers over buyers.

Additionally, the Conservatives aim to make the stamp duty threshold of £425,000 in England and Northern Ireland permanent for first-time buyers. According to Zoopla figures, this means that nearly 80% of first-time buyers would be exempt from paying stamp duty.

Addressing the rental sector, the party pledges to eventually ban no-fault evictions while introducing a two-year tax break to facilitate sales from landlords to existing tenants. However, some landlord groups argue that these measures fail to address the shortage of available rental properties.

In the realm of taxation, the manifesto promises to abolish National Insurance (NI) for the self-employed, benefiting over four million individuals. The proposed cut, estimated to cost £2.6 billion annually, is set to be implemented by the end of the next Parliament. Furthermore, the Conservatives aim to gradually reduce NI for employees by an additional 2p by 2027, building on the 4p reduction already announced for 2024. These tax cuts would be funded through a crackdown on tax avoidance, anticipated to yield £6 billion a year, and by reducing the welfare bill by £12 billion annually by the end of the next Parliament, though the feasibility of these savings has been questioned by analysts.

The party also addresses the issue of crime, pledging to toughen sentences for offenses such as knife crime, grooming, and assaults against retail workers. To support this commitment, the Conservatives aim to build four new prisons, providing 20,000 additional places. However, with prisons already facing overcrowding issues, officials project that jails in England and Wales will reach full capacity in the coming weeks, raising concerns about where these criminals will be accommodated. The Tories also pledge to increase the number of community police officers by 8,000, although challenges with recruitment and retention within the police force have been highlighted.

On the topic of immigration, the manifesto highlights the intention to send asylum seekers to Rwanda via regular flights starting in July. However, legal challenges and existing limitations on the number of migrants covered by the UK's agreement with Rwanda raise doubts about the feasibility of swiftly implementing this scheme.

Emphasizing a commitment to security, the Conservatives promise to allocate 2.5% of GDP to defense spending, surpassing the NATO target of 2%. While the manifesto states meeting this new target "by" or "in" 2030, party sources confirmed plans to consecutively increase defense spending each year, aiming to distinguish themselves from Labour's approach, which would only meet the 2.5% target when economically favorable. Chancellor Rishi Sunak positioned the Conservatives as the party that can ensure Britain's safety, contrasting with what he termed "an uncertain Keir Starmer" of the Labour party.

In the field of education, the Conservatives propose the closure of university courses in England with high drop-out rates or limited graduate outcomes. Instead, they aim to fund an additional 100,000 apprenticeships per year by the end of the next Parliament; however, the success of this initiative ultimately depends on employer demand.

The manifesto also addresses concerns raised by parents regarding the use of mobile phones in schools, with the Conservatives calling for a ban on their use during the school day. The party also highlights their efforts to improve performance in mathematics and reading in comparison to other countries, while acknowledging the budgetary pressures faced by schools, with per-pupil funding still slightly above 2010 levels.

Regarding the environment, the Conservatives vow to achieve the net-zero target by 2050, while excluding what they refer to as "unaffordable eco-zealotry." Notably, they promise no new green levies or charges and pledge to subject major climate-related decisions to a parliamentary vote. Furthermore, local communities would have the opportunity to vote on new onshore wind projects and low traffic neighborhoods.

As the Conservatives roll out their election manifesto, their ambitious proposals aim to address a range of pressing issues. However, the feasibility and effectiveness of some pledges have been met with skepticism, raising questions about their implementation and potential impact on various sectors and communities.