Labour 2015 election manifesto - the key points on Europe, immigration and the NHS

LABOUR has pledged to cut the deficit every year they are in power – without additional borrowing while getting national debt to fall.

Ed Miliband with the Labour manifestoPA

Ed Miliband with the Labour manifesto, which was unveiled in Manchester

Express.co.uk has scoured Labour's 2015 manifesto to find out what Ed Miliband's party will do if they are elected next month.

Tax

  • Key phrases in the manifesto include "returning power to the people" and one of the first things they would do is introduce a 50p rate of tax on incomes over £150,000.
  • Winter fuel payments for the richest five per cent of the UK's pensioners will be halted while the party's famous Mansion Tax will be implemented on properties over £2 million to pay for extra NHS funding.
  • 'Unfair' tax breaks will be ended and tougher penalties will be implemented for tax abuse.
  • Non-dom status would be demolished entirely - as would the Bedroom Tax.

Pensioners

  • Free TV licences and bus passes for pensioners will remain and no further restrictions on winter fuel payments would be introduced while Labour were in power.

NHS

  • Labour is claiming it will "rescue our NHS" by guaranteeing GP appointments within 48 hours while cancer patients will wait no longer than one week for vital tests by 2020.
  • It has pledged to fund 8,000 more GPs, 20,000 more nurses and 3,000 more midwives.
  • The manifesto says the NHS will use "mindfulness" to "build resilience in young people".

Ed Miliband wavesPA

Ed Miliband pledged that Labour would change the way the country is run

Immigration

  • EU migrants will not be able to claim benefits for at least two years and everyone working with the public in public services must speak English.
  • Labour has said it will retain EU membership without question.
  • 1,000 more border staff would be recruited, paid for by a small charge on non-visa visitors to the UK - which could include EU residents.

Terrorism

  • Labour would impose a more rigorous strategy for dealing with those returning from Syria which would include a mandatory de-radicalisation programme.

Energy bills and broadband

  • Energy bills will be frozen until 2017 under Labour but would allow for prices to fall if possible.
  • Labour would work with private investment to ensure the entire country has affordable, high-speed broadband by the end of its term in office.

The Labour manifestoPA

The 86-page Labour manifesto is 20,421 words long

HS2

  • Labour will continue to support HS2 and plan to expand rail links to the North.

Education, childcare and paternity leave

  • Every school leaver with the right grades will be guaranteed an apprenticeship.
  • University tuition fees would be cut from the current £9,000 to £6,000 by taxing the highest-earning pension contributions.
  • Free childcare will expand from 15 to 25 hours for working parents of three to four-year-olds.
  • Paternity leave will double to four weeks with an increase in pay to more than £260 a week.

Royal Mail

  • Labour would safeguard the public's interest in Royal Mail and keep 30 per cent public ownership.

Railways

  • Rail fares would be frozen next year and a cap would be implemented to stop them rising steeply.

Ed Miliband gestures as he unveils the Labour manifestoPA

Among other things the Labour manifesto pledged to raise minimum wage to £8

Badger Cull

  • Labour would end the controversial badger cull - but has given no indication of an alternative solution.

Voting

  • If voted in, Labour would give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote by as soon as May 2016.

Housing

  • Labour plan to build more garden cities to cope with housing needs - although they have not indicated where these would be, how big or where the funding would come from.

Devolution

  • As well as devolving more power to Scotland and Wales, Labour is planning to give English cities and counties more power.

The General Election is on May 7.

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