General Election 2017 Party Manifestos

Labour

Broadband

"We will deliver universal superfast broadband availability by 2022. Labour will improve mobile internet coverage and expand provision of free public wi-fi in city centres and on public transport. We will improve 4G coverage and invest to ensure all urban areas, as well as major roads and railways, have uninterrupted 5G coverage. On day one we will instruct the National Infrastructure Commission to report on how to roll out ultrafast’ 300 bps across the within the next decade."

Digital Ambassador

"We will appoint a Digital Ambassador to liaise with technology companies to promote Britain as an attractive place for investment and provide support for start-ups to scale up to become world-class digital businesses. Our Digital Ambassador will help to ensure businesses are ready to grow and prosper in the digital age."

Brexit

"We will drop the Conservatives’ Great Repeal Bill, replacing it with an EU Rights and Protections Bill that will ensure there is no detrimental change to workers’ rights, equality law, consumer rights or environmental protections as a result of Brexit.

Throughout the Brexit process, we will make sure that all - derived laws that are of bene t including workplace laws, consumer rights and environmental protections – are fully protected without qualifications, limitations or sunset clauses. We will work with trade unions, businesses and stakeholders to ensure there is a consensus on this vital issue.

A Labour approach to Brexit will ensure there can be no rolling back of key rights and protections and that the UK does not lag behind Europe in workplace protections and environmental standards in future."

"We will introduce legislation to ensure there are no gaps in national security and criminal justice arrangements as a result of Brexit. Labour recognises the vital role that cross-border agencies such as Eurojust and Europol have played in making Britain safer and that European Arrest Warrants have been invaluable. A Labour government will seek to retain membership of these agencies and continue European Arrest Warrant arrangements."

Data protection & privacy

"Labour is committed to growing the digital economy and ensuring that trade agreements do not impede cross-border data flows, whilst maintaining strong data protection rules to protect personal privacy.

NHS whistleblowers

"Labour will support NHS whistleblowers to make sure health service staff are able to speak up in support of the best possible standards for patients."

Sex and relationship education

"We will make age-appropriate sex and relationship education a compulsory part of the curriculum so young people can learn about respectful relationships."

Security and counter-terrorism

"Labour will maintain the cross-border security co-operation agreements with our intelligence partners in Europe and beyond. We will always provide our security agencies with the resources and the powers they need to protect our country and keep us all safe. We will also ensure that such powers do not weaken our individual rights or civil liberties.

When – as they sometimes will – these aims collide, the exercise of investigatory powers must always be both proportionate and necessary. We will reintroduce effective judicial oversight over how and when they are used, when the circumstances demand that our collective security outweighs an individual freedom.

Labour will review the Prevent programme with a view to assessing both its effectiveness and its potential to alienate minority communities. In doing so, we will address the government’s failure to take any effective new measures against a growing problem of extreme or violent radicalisation."

Copyright

"There's a "value gap" between people who make creative content, the manifesto says, and the digital services that profit from it. "We will work with all sides to review the way that innovators and artists are rewarded for their work in the digital age."

European Convention on Human Rights

"The Conservatives threaten our Human Rights Act and may withdraw us from the European Convention of Human ights. Labour will retain the Human Rights Act."

Judicial Review

"We will reintroduce funding for the preparation of judicial review cases. Judicial review is an important way of holding government to account. There are sufficient safeguards to discourage unmeritorious cases."

Phone hacking

"Victims of phone hacking have been let down by a Conservative government that promised them justice, but failed to follow through. We will implement the recommendations of part one of the Leveson Inquiry and commence part two which will look into the corporate governance failures that allowed the hacking scandal to occur."

Freedom of Information

"We will extend the Freedom of Information Act to private companies that run public services."

Defence

"Cyber security will form an integral part of our defence and security strategy and we will introduce a cyber-security charter for companies working with the Ministry of Defence. As the security threats and challenges we face are not bound by geographic borders, it is vital that as Britain leaves the EU, we maintain our close relationship with our European partners. Alongside our commitment to NATO, we will continue to work with the EU on a range of operational missions to promote and support global and regional security."

Liberal Democrats

NHS whistleblowers

Lib Dems pledged to

"protect NHS whistle-blowers."

Sexual and relationship education

They will:

• Introduce a curriculum entitlement – a slimmed down core national curriculum, which will be taught in all state-funded schools. This will include Personal, Social and Health Education: a ‘curriculum for life’ including financial literacy, first aid and emergency lifesaving skills, mental health education, citizenship and age-appropriate Sex and Relationship Education (SRE).

• Include in SRE teaching about sexual consent, LGBT+ relationships, and issues surrounding explicit images and content.

Broadband

Liberal Democrats will introduce a programme of installing hyperfast, fibre-optic broadband across the UK.

They will

”invest to ensure that broadband connections and services to be provided before 2020 have a speed of 2 Gbps or more, with fibre to the premises (FTTP) as standard and unlimited usage by 2020 across the whole of the UK. SMEs should be prioritised in the roll-out of hyperfast broadband.”

Digital economy

”The advent of robotics and increasing artificial intelligence will also change the nature of work for many people. The government needs to act now to ensure this technological march can benefit everyone and that no areas are left in technology’s wake.”

They will:

“Aim to double the number of SMEs participating in the digital economy by supporting ICT capital expenditure by businesses in non-digital sectors.

Build on the success of Tech City, Tech North and the Cambridge tech cluster with a network across the UK acting as incubators for technology companies.

Create a new retail and business strategy to look at the impact of new technology on jobs in key sectors.

Commit to build digital skills in the UK and retain coding on the national curriculum in England.

Invest in the future – supporting innovative technologies including the space industry.”

Copyright

Liberal Democrats will support

”growth in the creative industries, including video gaming, by continuing to support the Creative Industries Council and tailored industry-speci c tax support, promoting creative skills, supporting modern and exible patent, copyright and licensing rules, and addressing the barriers to nance faced by small creative businesses.”

European Convention on Human Rights

”... we will vote against any attempts to scrap the Human Rights Act or withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and we will strengthen the UK’s commitment to international human rights law.”

”Liberal Democrats believe that we should all be free from an overreaching state and that the individual freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act are central to a free and democratic society.”

For that reason, the Liberal Democrats will oppose any attempt to withdraw from the ECHR or abolish or water down the Human Rights Act.

Digital rights

Liberal Democrats will

”introduce a digital bill of rights that protects people’s powers over their own information, supports individuals over large corporations, and preserves the neutrality of the internet.”

Phone hacking

”In light of the press’s failure to engage in effective self-regulation, [Lib Dems will] seek to ensure delivery of independent self-regulation, and commence part two of the Leveson inquiry as soon as practicable.”

Freedom of Information

Liberal Democrats pledged to

”end the ministerial veto on release of information under the Freedom of Information Act, and take steps to reduce the proportion of FOI requests where information is withheld by government departments.”

Media plurality

They will

”order Ofcom to launch an immediate full assessment of media plurality in the UK, including a review of the ‘ fit and proper persons test’ and whether the communications regulator, and the Competition and Markets Authority, have appropriate powers to deal with concentrations of power in the digital economy.”

Crime

Lib Dems will

”maintain, as part of our fight against hard Brexit, cross-border co-operation in combatting serious organised crime, including international fraud and child sexual exploitation, by retaining the European Arrest Warrant, membership of Europol and access to EU information databases.”

Police body-worn cameras

They will

”require all front-line officers to wear body cameras on duty, protecting the public from abuse of power and police officers from malicious accusations.”

Judicial review

Liberal Democrats pledged to

”protect our system of judicial review from further attack, retaining government accountability for unlawful action, and o er a staunch defence of our judiciary and the rule of law.”

Terrorism and extremism

”As recent events across Europe – and at the heart of our own democracy – have shown, terrorism and violent extremism threaten us all. As liberals, we must have an effective security policy which is also accountable, community and evidence- based, and does not unduly restrict personal liberty. That’s why the Liberal Democrats will:

• Continue cross-border co-operation between security forces across Europe.
• Permit intercepts where justified and permit surveillance of those suspected of serious crime and terrorism with proper judicial oversight.
• Scrap the flawed Prevent strategy and replace it with a scheme that prioritises community engagement and supports communities in developing their own approach to tackling the dangers of violent extremism.”

Investigatory powers

Lib Dems will

”roll back state surveillance powers by ending the indiscriminate bulk collection of communications data, bulk hacking, and the collection of internet connection records.”

Encryption

They will

”oppose Conservative attempts to undermine encryption.”

Surveillance victims

They pledged to

”notify innocent people who have been placed under targeted surveillance where this can be done without jeopardising ongoing investigations.”

Cybersecurity

They recognise the expansion of warfare into the cybersphere, and will invest in the UK security and intelligence services and will act to counter cyberattacks.

Internet

Liberal Democrats will

”support free media and a free and open internet around the world, championing the free ow of information.”

Conservatives

European Convention on Human Rights

"We will not bring the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights into UK law. We will not repeal or replace the Human Rights Act while the process of Brexit is underway but we will consider our human rights legal framework when the process of leaving the EU concludes. We will remain signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights for the duration of the next parliament.

Voting

”The British public deserves to have confidence in our democracy. We will legislate to ensure that a form of identification must be presented before voting, to reform postal voting and to improve other aspects of the elections process to ensure that our elections are the most secure in the world. We will retain the traditional method of voting by pencil and paper, and tackle every aspect of electoral fraud.”

Online consumers

”We will strengthen the hand of online consumers. We will act to make terms and conditions clearer, and end the abusive use of subscription services, including by making it clearer when free trials come to an end.”

Digital charter

”A Conservative government will develop a digital charter, working with industry and charities to establish a new framework that balances freedom with protection for users, and o ers opportunities alongside obligations for businesses and platforms. This charter has two fundamental aims: that we will make Britain the best place to start and run a digital business; and that we will make Britain the safest place in the world to be online.”

Intellectual property

”We will ensure there is a robust system for protection of intellectual property when the UK has le the EU, with strong protections against infringement.”

”We will ensure content creators are appropriately rewarded for the content they make available online. We will be consistent in our approach to regulation of online and online media.”

Online business

”We will make doing business online easier for companies and consumers. We will give businesses the right to insist on a digital signature and the right to digital cancellation of contracts. We will oblige all digital companies to provide digital receipts, clearer terms and conditions when selling goods and services online and support new digital proofs of identification. We will give consumers the same protections in online markets as they have on the high street. For broadband customers, we will make broadband switching easier and pricing more transparent.”

Broadband

”We will ensure that consumers and businesses have access to the digital infrastructure they need to succeed. By the end of this year, 19 out of 20 premises will have access to superfast broadband and our Universal Service Obligation will ensure that by 2020 every home and every business in Britain has access to high speed broadband. We will work to provide gigaspeed connectivity to as many businesses and homes as possible. We will introduce a full bre connection voucher for companies across the country by 2018 and by 2022 we will have major fibre spines in over a hundred towns and cities, with ten million premises connected to full fibre and a clear path to national coverage over the next decade. We have similar ambitions for mobile phone coverage. By 2022 we will extend mobile coverage further to 95 per cent geographic coverage of the UK. By the same date, all major roads and main line trains will enjoy full and uninterrupted mobile phone signal, alongside guaranteed WiFi internet service on all such trains. We will continue to release more spectrum from public sector use to allow greater private sector access and begin the roll-out of a new 5G network, providing gigaspeed connection to your smart phone. We plan to have the majority of the population covered by a 5G signal by 2027.”

Online safety

”In harnessing the digital revolution, we must take steps to protect the vulnerable and give people confidence to use the internet without fear of abuse, criminality or exposure to horrific content. Our starting point is that online rules should reflect those that govern our lives offline. It should be as unacceptable to bully online as it is in the playground, as di cult to groom a young child on the internet as it is in a community, as hard for children to access violent and degrading pornography online as it is in the high street, and as difficult to commit a crime digitally as it is physically.”

Responsibility for online content

”Where technology can find a solution, we will pursue it. We will work with industry to introduce new protections for minors, from images of pornography, violence, and other age-inappropriate content not just on social media but in app stores and content sites as well. We will put a responsibility on industry not to direct users – even unintentionally – to hate speech, pornography, or other sources of harm. We will make clear the responsibility of platforms to enable the reporting of inappropriate, bullying, harmful or illegal content, with take-down on a comply-or-explain basis.”

”We will continue to push the internet companies to deliver on their commitments to develop technical tools to identify and remove terrorist propaganda, to help smaller companies build their capabilities and to provide support for civil society organisations to promote alternative and counter-narratives.”

Encryption

”In addition, we do not believe that there should be a safe space for terrorists to be able to communicate online and will work to prevent them from having this capability.”

Relationship and sex education

”We will educate today’s young people in the harms of the internet and how best to combat them, introducing comprehensive Relationships and Sex Education in all primary and secondary schools to ensure that children learn about the risks of the internet, including cyberbullying and online grooming.”

Data protection

”We will give people new rights to ensure they are in control of their own data, including the ability to require major social media platforms to delete information held about them at the age of 18, the ability to access and export personal data, and an expectation that personal data held should be stored in a secure way. To create a sound ethical framework for how data is used, we will institute an expert Data Use and Ethics Commission to advise regulators and parliament on the nature of data use and how best to prevent its abuse. The Commission will help us to develop the principles and rules that will give people confidence that their data is being handled properly. Alongside this commission, we will bring forward a new data protection law, t for our new data age, to ensure the very best standards for the safe, flexible and dynamic use of data and enshrining our global leadership in the ethical and proportionate regulation of data. We will put the National Data Guardian for Health and Social Care on a statutory footing to ensure data security standards are properly enforced.

Cyber security

”We will continue with our £1.9 billion investment in cyber security and build on the successful establishment of the National Cyber Security Centre through our world- leading cyber security strategy. We will make sure that our public services, businesses, charities and individual users are protected from cyber risks. We will further strengthen cyber security standards for government and public services, requiring all public services to follow the most up to date cyber security techniques appropriate.”

Phone hacking

”Given the comprehensive nature of the first stage of the Leveson Inquiry and given the lengthy investigations by the police and Crown Prosecution Service into alleged wrongdoing, we will not proceed with the second stage of the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press.”

Costs of libel and privacy cases

”We will repeal Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2014, which, if enacted, would force media organisations to become members of a flawed regulatory system or risk having to pay the legal costs of both sides in libel and privacy cases, even if they win.”

Digital government

”We will therefore create a new presumption of digital government services by default and an expectation that all government services are fully accessible online, with assisted digital support available for all public sector websites. We will publish far more information about public services online, including relevant information about local issues and public transport so that every person can nd out up to date information about roadworks, planning applications and bus routes online, without the hassle and delay that currently exists. We will create new ’schools maps’ to help parents choose the school that is right for their child, giving them key information about quality of teaching, attainment and the curriculum of local schools as they choose their school preferences to support their decisions.”

Identity verification

”If we are to make full use of this opportunity, we must use common platforms across government and the wider public sector. That must start with the way we identify ourselves online, so that people have one single, common and safe way of verifying themselves to all parts of government. That is why we shall roll out Verify, so that people can identify themselves on all government online services by 2020, using their own secure data that is not held by government. We will also make this platform more widely available, so that people can safely verify their identify to access non-government services such as banking.”

Data sharing

”We will set out a strategy to rationalise the use of personal data within government, reducing data duplication across all systems, so that we automatically comply with the ’Once-Only’ principle in central government services by 2022 and wider public services by 2025.”

Internet and digital economy regulation

”While we cannot create this framework alone, it is for government, not private companies, to protect the security of people and ensure the fairness of the rules by which people and businesses abide. Nor do we agree that the risks of such an approach outweigh the potential bene ts. It is in the interests of stable markets that consumers are protected from abusive behaviour, that money is able to ow freely and securely, and that competition between businesses takes place on a level playing eld. It is in no-one’s interest for the foundations of strong societies and stable democracies – the rule of law, privacy and security – to be undermined. So we will establish a regulatory framework in law to underpin our digital charter and to ensure that digital companies, social media platforms and content providers abide by these principles. We will introduce a sanctions regime to ensure compliance, giving regulators the ability to fine or prosecute those companies that fail in their legal duties, and to order the removal of content where it clearly breaches UK law. We will also create a power in law for government to introduce an industry-wide levy from social media companies and communication service providers to support awareness and preventative activity to counter internet harms, just as is already the case with the gambling industry.”

International cooperation on Internet regulation

”We believe that the United Kingdom can lead the world in providing answers. So we will open discussions with the leading tech companies and other like-minded democracies about the global rules of the digital economy, to develop an international legal framework that we have for so long bene ted from in other areas like banking and trade. We recognise the complexity of this task and that this will be the beginning of a process, but it is a task which we believe is necessary and which we intend to lead.”

Green Party of England and Wales

Terrorism and extremism

Green policies will

"Reject the xenophobic Prevent strategy and pursue community-led collaborative approaches to tackling all forms of extremism instead."

European Convention on Human Rights

Green Party will

"Defend the Human Rights Act and UK membership of the European Convention on Human Rights, and reinstate funding for the Equality and Human Rights Commission."

Digital rights

"We believe fairness matters online and in the media too. We think the internet should be free of state and corporate surveillance, with our rights and freedoms protected."

Data protection

They will

"End the sale of personal data, such as health or tax records, for commercial or other ends."

UKIP

Internet safety

“We will extend the remit of the current cross-government Internet Safety Strategy and invite participants to consider whether new legislation is required to address the problem of online abuse.”

NHS whistleblowers

They will

”Abolish the Care Quality Commission, which has caused a vicious circle of misery. We aim to foster a culture of openness, honesty and challenge, not one of blame, shame and sanction. Our new inspection regime will include greater public accountability, extra protection for whistle-blowers, and increased scrutiny.”

”Introduce a legally binding Dignity Code to improve the quality and standard of care for older people in hospital, care homes or their own home, and protect whistleblowers.”

Sexual education

UKIP will

”End sex education in primary schools.”

European Convention on Human Rights

They will

”Repeal Labour’s Human Rights legislation and remove the UK from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights.”

And

”Introduce a new UK Bill of Rights.”

”Parliament must resume its supremacy of law-making without restriction. Britain must be completely free from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, and we must be free, if we wish, to relinquish our membership of the European Court of Human Rights.”

Scottish National Party

Freedom of press

”We remain committed to a vibrant, free press and we will work with other parties, in Scotland and at Westminster, to ensure it is supported.”

Broadband

”We have invested £400 million to deliver superfast broadband to 95 per cent of properties across Scotland by the end of 2017, and we are on track to deliver this target. We will now go further, ensuring that 100 per cent of premises across Scotland have access to super-fast broadband by 2021.”

”At Westminster the SNP successfully secured a UK government commitment to a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband of 10Mbps. In the next parliamentary term SNP MPs will call for the USO to cover up to 30Mbps with an appropriate update mechanism to ensure that rural areas are not left behind.”

Whistleblowers

”The SNP will call for protection for whistle-blowers in the banking and financial services sector, to protect the integrity of UK banking and safeguard our economy.”

Brexit

”We will also seek a cast-iron guarantee from the UK government that they will seek the consent of the Scottish Parliament under the Sewel Convention to the terms of the Brexit Bill.”

European Convention on Human Rights

”The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is enshrined in the Scotland Act 1998, ensuring that human rights are protected by the Scottish Government and all Scottish legislation. The SNP re-affirms its commitment to the Council of Europe, the ECHR and their institutions.”

Security and terrorism

”International co-operation is essential to keep Scotland and the rest of the UK safe from the threats of organised crime, cybercrime and terrorism. SNP MPs will call for continued co-operation on detecting, disrupting and detaining criminals across borders through Europol. We will seek assurances that our law enforcement agencies will continue to have the same level of access to Europol as they currently enjoy. We will oppose any moves that would seek to use security co-operation as as a bargaining chip in Brexit or trade negotiations with our European friends and neighbours.”

Pirate Party UK

Copyright

”We would reduce the duration of copyright to 10 years - closer to the original duration of 14 years - reflecting the much greater ease with which works can now be made and distributed.”

“Under current copyright law it is unlawful to circumvent effective technological measures that restrict access to copyrighted material, even if doing so is required for lawful use. This includes both civil liabilities and criminal offences. In the event that such a “technological measure” prevents permitted acts, the only current remedy is to apply to the Secretary of State for a permit. The Pirate Party seeks to abolish these laws, making it legal both to circumvent “effective technological measures” and to produce, distribute, and possess tools to aid in doing so. This would not change existing copyright law, merely remove the extra layer of illegality.”

“We must remove Intellectual Property laws that are hampering growth. It's time to stop the tide of over-reaching patents and trivial lawsuits that are tying up new ideas and killing off start-ups.”

Mass surveillance

“We will:

• Halt suspicionless collection of data.
• Demand Transparency: Force the government to be open about the scope and scale of surveillance. We know that some surveillance and monitoring is necessary, but mass warrantless collection within the UK is unacceptable.
• Limit the retention of surveillance data and ensure it is deleted when the reason it was collected no longer applies.
• Put in place stronger data protection controls on both government- and commercially-collected data.
• Move to targeted surveillance instead of warrantless mass surveillance.”

“We would immediately repeal:

• Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), sections 49 & 54, which can force people to hand over encryption keys, and prevent them from telling anyone about the request.”

”We would conduct a review of:

• Communications Act 2003, Section 127, which is out of date, and inappropriate for the Internet age. People should not be arrested for making jokes on Twitter.”

Terrorism

“We want to see a rolling back of the more authoritarian excesses of the last few governments, including a review of terrorism legislation and laws designed to limit a specific type of behaviour, but that now have an impact on every day life and have come to threaten us all.”

Data protection

“We will strengthen data protection laws. Companies must inform data subjects of their rights and be clear about their data policies.

We will make it easier to apply to a court for compensation where data protection laws have been breached, and increase the penalties for any breaches. We will allow the courts to apply these penalties to both the individuals and companies responsible, proportional to the scale of the breach.

We want clearer guidelines and restrictions on the use of DNA records by authorities.

We will repeal the sections of the Digital Economy Act that conflict with digital rights.”

Brexit

“We recognise the result of the 2016 Referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. With a 52% share of the vote to Leave, it represents a clear desire to change our relationship with the EU. However, the Pirate Party is unable to either proceed with the exit or reverse it alone. As such, the Pirate Party would support any outcome that ensures and safeguards our principles, such as the protection of human rights, civil and digital liberties, knowledge sharing, accountability and transparency of government, and evidence-based policymaking.”

EU laws

”We will seek to minimise or abolish EU data retention laws and remove them in the UK, to limit the amount of private information websites are required to log about their users. We do not support the Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED), an attempt by the European Union to increase penalties and eventually criminalise commercial copyright and patent infractions within the EU. [...] SWIFT data and passenger records should not be permitted to leave the EU without a concrete suspicion of crime that is punishable within the EU state in which the data originated.

Whistleblowers

”We recognise the value of whistleblowers to society and will defend the right of citizens to expose illegal practices in the workplace and elsewhere. Exposing corrupt or illegal activities must take precedence: no one should fear persecution for making the public aware of a breach of the law. The UK would grant asylum to whistleblowers fleeing foreign governments. Whistleblowing would become a protected trait similar to gender, age, and sexuality, making it illegal for employers to discriminate against whistleblowers. Whistleblowers would be awarded a share of any fines levied based on their disclosure.”

Plaid Cymru

Broadband

”We commit to making ultra-fast broadband available to all of Wales and rolling out 5G mobile signal nationwide.”

European Convention on Human Rights

”We will publish a human rights charter for Wales to defend Welsh people against the backdrop of a Tory government intent on undermining the Human Rights Act.

External links

• Labour Manifesto
• Liberal Democrat Manifesto
• Conservative Manifesto
• Green Party Manifesto
• UKIP Manifesto
• Scottish National Party Manifesto
• Pirate Party UK Manifesto
• Plaid Cymru Manifesto