GE2019: Green Party manifesto breakdown

We pull out the key policies from the Green Party manifesto, examining what they have to say on education, culture, young people and Brexit.

GE2019: Green Party manifesto breakdown

We pull out the key policies from the Green Party's manifesto, examining what they have to say on education, culture, young people and Brexit.

We have pulled out all the policies on Brexit, education, culture and young people, and detailed them below, along with the page numbers so you can check them for yourself and read additional context. 

These are just a few of many policies that the Greens are putting forward, and we encourage you to read the full manifesto to get a complete picture of what they are offering. You should also read the manifestos of the other parties – we have done the same breakdown and you can find links to all of them here.

If you haven’t already, please register to vote. The deadline to do so is 11:59pm on 26 November (17:00 if you’re registering for a postal vote). If you are looking for an explainer on the process of voting, we have a detailed guide here

This article is purely informative, and simply breaks down what the manifesto says. 

There will be no opinion provided.


Green Party manifesto: If not now, when?

Brexit

  • The Green Party believe a People’s Vote is the way forward for Brexit, and they will campaign for remain. (p.4) 
  • They further believe that staying in the EU is the best way to combat the Climate Emergency (p.4)
  • Whatever the outcome of the second referendum, the Green Party will guarantee full rights of EU citizens and their families living in the UK, including the right to automatic settled status and uphold the rights and protections enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. (p.29)
  • They will also push for further reform of the EU, including pushing to centre operations in Brussels rather than split between then and Strasburg, increase transparency of the institutions through livestreaming and publishing minutes, allow citizens to propose initiatives and see that they receive a response, and address labour inequality across Europe to reduce migration long-term (pp.30-32)

Education

  • Increase funding for schools by at least £4bn a year (p.55)
  • Work to reduce class sizes to 20 (p.55)
  • Empower teachers to plan lessons and assess progress based on the needs of pupils by removing centrally imposed testing regimes and OFSTED inspections (pp.55-56)
  • Formal education to start at 6, while those under 6 are in early-years education focused on play based learning (p.56)
  • Bring schools back under the control of democratic elected local authorities (p.56)
  • Replace OFSTED with a system of assessing schools locally so they are accountable to the communities they serve (p.56)
  • Create an inclusive system where children with SEN can access their local school, while retaining the option for specialist schools, should the parent or child prefer that (p.56)
  • A new English Climate Emergency Education Act to teach young people about the climate crisis. There will also be more outdoor lessons, and a Nature GCSE (p.56)
  • Restore arts and music education in all state schools (p.56)
  • Remove charitable status from private schools and charge VAT on fees. Furthermore, private schools will be independently audited for accessibility and tax payments (pp.56-57)
  • Increase further education options, and raise the funding for 16-17-year-olds, and introduce a capital expansion fund for sixth form providers (p.57)
  • Scrap undergraduate tuition fees, and courses will be viewed as learning experiences, not pre-work training (p.57)
  • Write off existing debt for former students who paid the £9K tuition fee (p.57)
  • Increase funding for, and create new, adult education programmes (p.57)
  • End the opt-out of LGBTIQA+ inclusive PSHE classes at school to ensure that every child learns about different types of couples and families that make up UK society. (p.63)
  • Train school staff in spotting and stopping sexual harassment and bullying, to ensure that schools are safe places for all to learn in. (p.63)
  • Fund schools to provide free eco-friendly sanitary products to pupils. (p.63)
  • Invest £2bn a year in training and skills (including new apprenticeships) to help people access new jobs through the transition to a low carbon economy (p.19)

Culture

  • Restore arts and music education in all state schools (p.56)
  • Make a ‘Windrush Day’ bank holiday, to celebrate the contribution that migration has made to our society (p.61)
  • Increase central government funding to councils by £10 billion a year. Some of which is to be used to fund arts and culture, and keep open museums, theatres, libraries and art galleries (p.41)
  • Modernise and reforming copyright and intellectual property rights legislation to ensure a better balance between consumers and those work in the creative economy (p.52)
  • End the war on drugs, and reform drug legislation (pp.66-68)
  • The introduction of a Universal Basic Income

Young people

  • Make young people the core of their pro-European movement (p.29)
  • Give 16-17-year-olds the right to vote, and let them stand for Parliament and other elected offices from the age of 16. (p.35)
  • They will further support 16-year-olds who are elected so they can combine their duties with studying (p.35)
  • Appoint a Minister for Future Generations who will represent the needs of young people at the heart of government (p.38)
  • Extend staying put arrangements so young people can stay with foster parents until they are 21 (p.42)
  • Increasing the Living Wage to £12 and extending it to workers aged between 16 and 21 (p.50)
  • Promote children’s access to healthy foods, update School Food Standards to reflect latest nutritional guidelines and rename Free School Meals to School Meals Allowance (p.23)
  • Fund councils to deliver over 100,000 new social houses a year (p.41)
  • Invest in youth services and centres to help turn at-risk children away from crime (p.65)
  • Rent controls on private tenancies which reflect average local income rates and costs of maintenance (p.51)
  • End no-fault evictions and make it easier to set up community led housing initiatives (p.51)
  • Private renters in Houses of Multiple Occupancy will be able to buy and run their home as a housing co-op (p.51)

Read more

If you want to read the full Green Party manifesto, you can download it here

We have also pulled out the same policies from the other main parties, and you can find links to them all here.

Header Image Credit: Garry Knight (Siân Berry) & Bristol Green Party (Jonathan Bartley) // Compiled by Tom Inniss

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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