Labour manifesto: key changes from the leaked draft

Last week, Labour revealed – ahead of schedule – a draft of its manifesto. Today, the party has revealed its official manifesto – and the comparison between the two makes for interesting reading. Here are some of the key policies that have been removed, altered or added to the manifesto.

Removed policies

• The commitment to ‘cover apprentices’ travel costs, which currently run to an average of £24 a week’ has been removed.
• The draft contained a pledge that there would be ‘no private prisons under Labour’. However, this has been watered down for the published document: ‘Under a Labour government, there will be no new private prisons and no public sector prisons will be privatised.’
• The draft mentioned that Labour would help small businesses with the transition to a higher living wage. It stated that ‘by ring fencing the extra proceeds from tax revenues and lower eligibility for in-work benefits, we will establish a new employment allowance for businesses that struggle to pay a higher living wage.’