How Tories and Labour rating on the important thing normal election points

Voters will go to the polls on July 4 as Rishi Sunak finally named the date for the general election.

The Prime Minister has been under pressure for months to call a vote, which must be held by January 2025 at the latest by law. But he stalled on naming the date in a bid to turn around his party’s flagging approval ratings.

In a statement outside Downing Street, a rain-soaked Mr Sunak said it was “time for Britain to choose its future” at a general election on July 4. He said King Charles had granted his request to dissolve Parliament earlier today.

But his speech was overshadowed by protesters playing the New Labour anthem, “Things Can Only Get Better” by D:Ream, at full blast. With rain pouring down on him, the PM told voters: “I cannot and will not say that we have got everything right. No government should. But I am proud of what we have achieved together, the bold actions we have taken and I’m confident about what we can do in the future.”

Here The Mirror looks at the key issues facing the country – and how the Tories and Labour fare.

Economy and the cost-of-living crisis

Conservatives

The cost-of-living crisis is likely to be the number one issue the 2024 election is fought on.

After 14 years of Tory rule many people will be asking themselves this election do they feel worse off? The answer for the majority is likely to be yes. Family budgets have been hit hard by stealth taxes, sky-high inflation, a spike in energy bills and the ever rising cost of the weekly food shop.

With interest rates at a 16-year high, many voters will also still be feeling the pain of Liz Truss’s reckless mini-Budget that promised tax-cuts for the richest. Score: 1/5.

Labour

While Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has floated a proposal to abolish national insurance entirely, Labour’s Rachel Reeves has been honest about the state of the economy. She has said her party will not be able to “turn things around straight away” – but has vowed families will have more in their pockets if Labour wins. Delivering economic stability after years of chaos is her main priority. Score: 4/5

NHS and Health

Conservatives

Rishi Sunak made it one of his key pledges to cut NHS waiting lists. They have fallen slightly in recent months but are still hundreds of thousands higher than when he made the promise.

Crucial A&E waiting targets have been missed over and over, while people around the countries wait hours for an ambulance in an emergency. People across the country are also struggling to get NHS dentists – with some even resorting to pulling out their own teeth. Score: 1/5

Labour

Labour has said the NHS needs a complete overhaul as it says the health service is “on its knees”. One of the party’s headline pledges is to cut waiting lists by creating 40,000 more evening and weekend appointments each week, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes.

Labour wants to up staff premium overtime rates to do extra shifts out of hours so people can get the treatment they need. Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said he’ll use the private healthcare sector to help bring down the NHS backlog. Score: 4/5

Education

Conservatives

The state of the schools system is likely to loom large during the general election. Heads are grappling with budget squeezes as while spending is up 11% since 2019/20, total school spending per pupil fell by 9% in the previous decade.

They are still dealing with buildings built using dodgy Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) as well as wider issues with crumbling buildings. Childcare is also likely to be a major battleground issue for both parties. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled massive – and popular – plans last year to expand free hours provision. Score: 3/5

Labour

Labour has said it won’t scrap the childcare policy – but has not set out its full plans yet. But recruiting 6,500 new teachers and improving kid’s speaking skills will form a key part of the party’s manifesto. And the party plans free breakfast clubs at every primary school – funded by a crackdown on tax dodgers. Score: 4/5

Housing

Conservatives

The country is facing a housing emergency. Thousands of people sleep on the streets on any given night and the number of families in temporary accommodation is at a record-high.

In 2019 the Tories pledged in their election manifesto to build 300,000 new homes a year – a target missed by almost 70,000 last year. Cash-strapped renters were also betrayed after the government watered down a five-year-old promise to give them more rights. Experts have also warned average rents could surge by as much as 13% in the next three years. Score: 1/5

Labour

If Labour wins power they have pledged to build 1.5million new homes across the country within the first five years. The party has also promised to give local leaders and mayors new powers over planning and control over housing investment.

Labour’s London Mayor Sadiq Khan has promised to eliminate rough sleeping in the capital once and for all. Many will expect Keir Starmer to offer a similar commitment in the general election campaign. Score: 3/5

Immigration

Conservatives

Rishi Sunak will doubtless regret making ‘Stop the Boats’ one of his key pledges. Latest Home Office figures show 9,882 people have reached the UK by crossing the Channel in 2024. That’s up from 7,297 in the same period last year.
And with the summer still to come, things are looking very tricky.

The Government says it hopes to get flights to Rwanda in the air by July, and hundreds of people have already been rounded up. But there are questions over how many asylum seekers Rwanda can accommodate, and the astronomical cost. Labour estimating taxpayers will cough up over £2million per person sent there. Score: 1/5

Labour

Keir Starmer has pledged to scrap the deal with the east African nation. Labour will instead create a new Cross Border Police Unit to tackle small boat crossings. It also wants to shake-up requirements for key occupation requirements and focus on training up British workers in shortage occupations.

There will also be stronger sanctions on rogue employers who don’t provide fair pay. Score: 2/5

Crime

Conservatives

The criminal justice system is in a major crisis with prisons overflowing, knife crime rocketing and rape prosecutions on the floor.

Police were this week ordered to make fewer arrests as jails don’t have space, while prisoners are to be released up to 70 days early from jails. Victims are waiting years for their trials to be heard as a mammoth courts backlog continues to hit new record highs.

The Tories have taken some 4,5000 community police officers off the streets, with communities left blighted by burglaries and vandalism, while shoplifting ruins livelihoods. Meanwhile the digital world has posed new challenges with instances of scams and fraud surging. Score: 1/5

Labour

Labour has pledged to be “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”. It has vowed to tackle antisocial behaviour one of its key steps if it gets into power. The party has promised nearly £100million promises for a Young Futures programme to get kids off the street and get 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and PCSOs on the beat.

Labour has said it wants to end the early release of prisoners “as soon as possible” but has admitted it knows it may be challenging “when it comes to the prison capacity crisis that we will inherit”. Score: 3/5

Environment

Conservatives

The climate crisis will be a big issue in voters’ minds. But it already seems apparent Rishi Sunak will not treat the climate emergency with the attention it deserves this election.

Last year the Tories announced a major U-turn on the Government’s promise to tackle net zero by banning polluting petrol and diesel cars. And just last month the ex-head of the Government’s climate watchdog accused Rishi Sunak of setting the country back by failing to prioritise the emergency. Score: 1/5

Labour

Labour has scaled back at its plans for a £28-billion-a-year investment on green projects – blaming the state of the economy.

But the party’s “first steps for change” unveiled by Keir Starmer last week include the vow to set up Great British Energy – a publicly owned clean energy company. Labour has also vowed to crack down on polluted rivers and seas with fines for water companies that harm the environment. Score: 3/5