Conservatives set out key policies as conference begins
The Conservative Party will bring forward the second phase of Help to Buy, a scheme which makes it easier for home buyers to obtain a mortgage.
As their annual conference opens in Manchester, the Conservatives have announced their intention to accelerate the scheme which was due to start in January.
The second phase of Help to Buy will allow people in England to obtain 95% mortgages, with the government guaranteeing 15%, thereby reducing the risk to lenders.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "The need is now. I have always wanted this to come in and frankly the earlier the better.
"What concerns me is that you can't buy a house or a flat even if you are doing OK, you have got decent job prospects and good earnings.
"I am not prepared to be a prime minister of a country with caps on aspiration."
Labour's shadow chancellor Ed Balls argued that the government should bring forward investment to build more affordable homes instead:
"Rising demand for housing must be matched with rising supply, but under this government house building is at its lowest level since the 1920s," he said.
"Unless David Cameron acts now to build more affordable homes, as Labour has urged, then soaring prices risk making it even harder for first time buyers to get on the housing ladder.
"You can't deal with the cost of living crisis without building more homes, so it's no wonder that for millions of families this is no recovery at all."
Police caution crackdown
In a bid to stop offenders receiving "just a slap on the wrist", the Conservatives have also announced a crackdown on police giving cautions for serious criminal offences, such as rape, manslaughter, robbery and child sexual abuse.
Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling said:
“Last year nearly 500 offenders who admitted committing some of the most serious crimes escaped with just a slap on the wrist. Quite simply this is unacceptable and unfair on victims. That is why I am scrapping simple cautions for all of the most serious offences and a range of other offences that devastate lives and tear apart communities.
“Alongside this, the Home Secretary and I are launching a review into the use of all out of court disposals – their use can be inconsistent, confusing and something the public, and victims, have little confidence in.
“We are on the side of people who work hard and want to get on; if you break the law you will not escape the law.”
The plans will:
• Ban ‘simple’ cautions for all of the indictable only offences - the most serious criminal offences which must be tried in the Crown Court including rape, manslaughter and robbery.
• Ban ‘simple’ cautions for possession of any offensive weapon (including a knife), supplying Class A drugs and a range of sexual offences against children, including child prostitution and pornography.
• Review the use of all out of court disposals for adults – including cannabis warnings, conditional cautions, penalty notices for disorder (PND), restorative solutions – by the police.
Married couples' tax breaks
The conference week is also likely to see Conservatives highlight plans for tax breaks for married couples and civil partners, for those under a certain level of earnings. The plans have been attacked as the wrong priority by both Labour and Liberal Democrats.
However, David Cameron claims the tax break to be introduced from April 2015, could save couples up to £200 per year.
Conservative policy announcements:
- Phase 2 of the Help to Buy scheme, offering 95% mortgages part-guaranteed by the government, to be brought forward from January
- A crackdown on police cautions for serious crimes.
- Tax breaks for married couples and civil partners.
- Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has announced plans to offer interest-free home loand to members of the armed forces.
- A further crackdown on welfare payments.
- An expansion of free schools.
The Conservative conference will pay tribute to former leader and prime minster, Baroness (Margaret) Thatcher, who died aged 87 in April. The conference opens on Sunday (29 September), with David Cameron making his keynote speech on Wednesday.
