Lib Dems promise to make Britain fairer
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has said that the central effect of his party’s policies would be to make Britain fairer.
Mr Kennedy outlined his party’s promises to introduce a maternity income guarantee, reduce class sizes, scrap university tuition and top-up fees, introduce free long-term care for the elderly and axe the present council tax system.
At an early morning press conference, he also focused on the pledge to introduce a citizen’s pension for those over 75, claiming that it will enable a million pensioners to have £100 month more than under the present system.
Pensioners will also benefit from a new local income tax, he claims, while the elderly will no longer have to use their savings or sell their homes to finance care in their latter years.
On education, Mr Kennedy reiterated his party’s plans to axe tuition fees, reduce class sizes to 20 per classroom and use the money designated for Labour’s child trust funds to finance these plans.
“This issue of student debt shows up the utter contradiction at the heart of the Government’s child trust fund plan,” he said.
“These ‘baby bonds’ may sound superficially attractive, but the £500 payout is a drop in the ocean compared to the £20,000 debt they will face after university because of Labour’s student fees policy.
“Why lock that money up when we can spend it now – when children need it most – on their early years’ education so that they can get the best start in life. As a society, Britain cannot afford to postpone investment in our children.”
