The Liberal Democrats would seek to bring the UK back into the European Union’s single market, the party says in its manifesto.
While policies on health and social care have been front and centre of their election campaign, the 114-page document also includes an aim “to place the UK-EU relationship on a more formal and stable footing by seeking to join the single market”.
The party also has a “longer-term ambition” to rejoin the EU.
This is a more muted commitment than their policy to “stop Brexit” in 2019 – a slogan emblazoned on the front of their manifesto that election year.
Like the other main parties, the Lib Dems have been relatively quiet on Brexit since then.
The pledges on Europe come on top of a £9bn package of commitments to fix the health and social care system.
This includes plans to recruit 8,000 more GPs, boost cancer survival rates and introduce free personal care for the elderly and the disabled.
The money will in part come from reforming capital gains tax, which is paid on profits from the sale of assets such as shares or property and. It is currently set lower than the rate of income tax, something seen by many as unfair.
Other pledges announced on Monday include:
• A plan to tackle the sewage crisis, ban bonuses for water company CEOs, and put environmental experts on company boards.
• A Burglary Response Guarantee to ensure every burglary is attended by a police officer.
• Free school meals for 900,000 more children living in poverty, and an ambition to extend this to all primary school children whenever the public finances allow.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey called it “a manifesto to save the NHS”.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
