The party commits to reducing trade barriers and strengthening relationships with trading partners, particularly Europe.
“Unlock British businesses' global potential by bringing down trade barriers and building stronger future relationships w…”
The party commits to investing in education and training, expanding apprenticeships and career guidance.
“Fix the skills and recruitment crisis by investing in education and training, including increasing the availability of a…”
The party commits to using technology and flexible working to increase employment among parents, carers, and disabled people.
“Boost productivity and empower more people to enter the job market – such as parents, carers and disabled people – by ma…”
The party commits to abolishing business rates and replacing them with a Commercial Landowner Levy to support small businesses and high streets.
“Boost small businesses and empower them to create new local jobs, including by abolishing business rates and replacing t…”
The party commits to imposing a general duty of care for environment and human rights in business operations and supply chains.
“Introduce a general duty of care for the environment and human rights in business operations and supply chains.”
The party commits to re-establishing and placing the Industrial Strategy Council on a statutory basis.
“Re-establish the Industrial Strategy Council and put it on a statutory footing, to ensure vital oversight, monitoring an…”
The party commits to supporting industry emissions reductions and holding businesses accountable for climate action.
“Support British industry to cut emissions while holding businesses to account for their role in tackling climate change,…”
The party commits to participating in Horizon Europe and joining the European Innovation Council.
“Continuing to participate in Horizon Europe and joining the European Innovation Council.”
The party commits to increasing R&D investment to 3% of GDP by 2030 and 3.5% by 2034.
“Aiming for at least 3% of GDP to be invested in research and development by 2030, rising to 3.5% by 2034.”
The party commits to maintaining environmental, health, labour, and consumer protection standards at least equal to EU levels.
“Ensure the UK has the highest possible standards of environmental, health, labour and consumer protection, at least matc…”
The party commits to addressing productivity through business training investment, digital adoption, and energy efficiency improvements.
“Tackle the productivity crisis by encouraging businesses to invest in training, take up digital technologies and become …”
The party commits to working with banks to establish a local banking sector serving SMEs.
“Work with the major banks to fund the creation of a local banking sector dedicated to meeting the needs of local small a…”
The party commits to supporting scale-up companies outside London and the South East through private investment mechanisms.
“Power scale-up companies, especially outside of London and the South East, using innovative ways of 'crowding-in' privat…”
The party commits to establishing a comprehensive AI regulatory framework promoting innovation while ensuring transparency, accountability, and privacy protection.
“Create a clear, workable and well-resourced cross-sectoral regulatory framework for artificial intelligence that: Promot…”
The party commits to negotiating UK participation in the Trade and Technology Council and developing international AI standards.
“Negotiate the UK's participation in the Trade and Technology Council with the US and the EU, so we can play a leading ro…”
The party commits to giving Parliament real power over UK trade policy through consultation and approval of trade agreements.
“Giving Parliament real power in setting UK trade policy, by ensuring it is properly consulted on and signs off on negoti…”
The party commits to providing SMEs with centralized trade information and tailored support.
“Ensuring that all information small and medium-sized enterprises need on trade is readily available from a single point …”
The party commits to making SME trade growth a clear objective for trade ministers.
“Making it a clear objective of trade ministers to boost trade by small British businesses.”
The party commits to prioritizing human rights, labour, and environmental standards in trade negotiations.
“Placing human rights, labour and environmental standards and protection at the heart of international trade deals.”
The party commits to reviewing excise duty to support whisky industry exports.
“Support our world-renowned whisky industry by reviewing the UK excise duty structure to better support whisky exports.”
The party commits to accelerating the circular economy transition to reduce waste, costs, and environmental impact while creating jobs.
“Cut resource use, waste and pollution by accelerating the transition to a more circular economy that maximises the recov…”
The party commits to promoting public benefit company models for monopoly utilities.
“Promote a public benefit company model for monopoly utility companies.”
The party commits to giving employees in large listed companies the right to request shares held in trust.
“Encourage employers to promote employee ownership by giving staff in listed companies with more than 250 employees a rig…”
The party commits to reforming company law to require large companies to formally state corporate purpose including employee welfare and environmental standards, with reporting on societal impact.
“Reform fiduciary duty and company purpose rules to ensure that all large companies have a formal statement of corporate …”
The party commits to extending the public interest test for overseas takeovers of large UK companies.
“Extend the scope of the existing 'public interest' test when considering approvals for takeovers of large or strategical…”
The party commits to making the prompt payment code mandatory and enforceable for government and large companies.
“Tackle the late payments crisis by requiring all government agencies and contractors and companies with more than 250 em…”
The party commits to replacing the apprenticeship levy with a broader skills and training levy.
“Replacing the broken apprenticeship levy with a broader and more flexible skills and training levy.”
The party commits to accelerating a circular economy model that maximises recovery, reuse, recycling and remanufacturing to reduce resource use and pollution.
“Cut resource use, waste and pollution by accelerating the transition to a more circular economy that maximises the recov…”
The party will eliminate the lower apprentice minimum wage rate and guarantee all apprentices earn at least the National Minimum Wage.
“Boosting the take-up of apprenticeships, including by guaranteeing they are paid at least the National Minimum Wage by s…”
The party will create Lifelong Skills Grants allowing adults to fund education and training throughout their careers.
“Creating new Lifelong Skills Grants for adults to spend on education and training throughout their lives, as set out in …”
The party will establish National Colleges as centres of expertise in key sectors to deliver high-level vocational training.
“Developing National Colleges as national centres of expertise for key sectors, such as renewable energy, to deliver the …”
The party will expand higher vocational training programmes to address skills gaps in areas like advanced technical roles.
“Identifying and seeking to solve skills gaps, such as the lack of advanced technicians, by expanding higher vocational t…”
The party will improve vocational education quality and strengthen careers guidance and employer links in schools and colleges.
“Improving the quality of vocational education, and strengthening careers advice and links with employers in schools and …”
The party will reform the work visa system and expand the Youth Mobility Scheme to address labour shortages.
“Fix the work visa system and expand the Youth Mobility Scheme, as set out in chapter 18, to help address the labour shor…”
The party will create a new Worker Protection Enforcement Authority consolidating enforcement of minimum wage, modern slavery, and agency worker protections.
“Establish a powerful new Worker Protection Enforcement Authority unifying responsibilities currently spread across three…”
The party will commission an independent review to recommend a genuine living wage and commit public sector employers to lead by example in paying it.
“Establish an independent review to recommend a genuine living wage across all sectors, with government departments and a…”
The party will create a new 'dependent contractor' employment status with entitlements to minimum earnings, sick pay, and holiday pay.
“Establishing a new 'dependent contractor' employment status in between employment and self-employment, with entitlements…”
The party will review tax and National Insurance treatment across employment statuses to ensure fairness.
“Reviewing the tax and National Insurance status of employees, dependent contractors and freelancers to ensure fair and c…”
The party will set a 20% premium on the minimum wage for zero-hour contract workers during normal demand periods.
“Setting a 20% higher minimum wage for people on zero-hour contracts at times of normal demand to compensate them for the…”
The party will give zero-hour and agency workers the right to request fixed-hours contracts after 12 months.
“Giving a right to request a fixed-hours contract after 12 months for 'zero hours' and agency workers, not to be unreason…”
The party will review pension rules to ensure gig economy workers have fair access and portable pension benefits.
“Reviewing rules concerning pensions so that those in the gig economy don't lose out, and portability between roles is pr…”
The party will shift the burden of proof in employment status disputes from workers to employers in tribunals.
“Shifting the burden of proof in employment tribunals regarding employment status from individual to employer.”
The party will expand parental leave and pay entitlements to be available from day one of employment.
“Expand parental leave and pay, including making them day-one rights, as set out in chapter 9.”
The party will extend Statutory Sick Pay to workers earning below £123 per week.
“Making it available to the more than one million workers earning less than £123 a week, most of whom are women.”
The party will align Statutory Sick Pay rates with the National Minimum Wage.
“Aligning the rate with the National Minimum Wage.”
The party will make Statutory Sick Pay available from the first day of absence rather than the fourth.
“Making payments available from the first day of missing work rather than the fourth.”
The party will provide financial support to small employers for Statutory Sick Pay costs.
“Supporting small employers with Statutory Sick Pay costs, consulting with them on the best way to do this.”
The party commits to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 at the latest.
“Liberal Democrats are committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045 at the latest.”
The party will launch a ten-year home upgrade programme providing free insulation and heat pumps for low-income households and require all new homes to be zero-carbon.
“Make homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a ten-year emergency upgrade programme, starting with free insulation and hea…”
The party will expand incentives for household solar installation and guarantee fair prices for electricity fed back to the grid.
“Drive a rooftop solar revolution by expanding incentives for households to install solar panels, including a guaranteed …”