Gareth Epps and Nick Clegg MP
Gareth Epps, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Reading East, has welcomed the launch of the Liberal Democrats’ General Election manifesto.
The manifesto sets out four clearer steps to a fairer Britain:
- Fair taxes that put money back in your pocket: the first £10,000 you earn tax-free, and a tax cut for £700 for most people, freeing 3.6 million low earners and pensioners from income tax completely
- A fair chance for every child, investing £2.5 million (and millions of pounds in Reading East) tackling educational inequality, ensuring children get the attention they need, and phasing out university tuition fees;
- A fair future; creating jobs by making Britain greener, offering young people ways out of unemployment;
- A fair deal by cleaning up politics; putting trust back by putting power back into people’s hands and completely overhauling Westminster with fair votes, an elected House of Lords and all politicians paying full British taxes.
The manifesto, unlike those of either Labour or the Conservatives, does not promise something for nothing; each spending commitment is fully costed in a published appendix to the document. Cuts are set out such as scrapping the Government’s ID Cards scheme, abolishing like-for-like Trident replacement and cutting bureaucracy on things like local government inspection.
The manifesto is available on the Liberal Democrat national web site.
Gareth was a member of Vince Cable’s Tax Commission which did the preparatory work to set out the party’s tax proposals, and was involved with the production of the 2001 and 2005 manifestos. Gareth says:-
“This is a manifesto for the people – who want to be able to trust politicians. It is an emphatic rejection of the failure of 65 years of Labour and Conservative politicians who reduce people’s expectations to the bare minimum and then break even the limited promises they make.
“It sets out answers to the issues being raised by people on the doorsteps all across Reading East.
“It sets out proposals for fairer taxes that will take thousands of local people out of paying tax altogether, and put £700 a year back in many people’s pocket, paid for by closing loopholes and green taxes. And it sets out exactly how it is paid for.
“The manifesto is also the only one to have a green spine running right the way through. For Britain to come out of the recession and face the future does mean we must tackle an environmental crisis, seen in poor air quality affecting much of our area.
“Only the Liberal Democrats have had the honesty to face up to the budget crisis facing the country. You can’t get something or nothing – yet the Conservatives offered more of the same. That is a gross deception and the people I’ve been speaking to aren’t fooled by it. Labour are out of the race in Reading East, but they offered little difference to the Conservatives.
“The message is: if you want honesty, vote Liberal Democrat. If you want to see change in Liberal Democrat. If you want fairness, vote Liberal Democrat. And if you do that, you will have a Liberal Democrat MP in Reading East because we can win here.”
