General election 2019: SNP manifesto at-a-glance

The SNP has unveiled its vision for Scotland ahead of the 12 December general election. Below are the main policies from the party’s 2019 manifesto.

Key points:

Before the end of the year the SNP-run Scottish government will ask the newly formed UK government for the powers to hold a legally binding second independence referendum
Support a second EU referendum with the “remain” option on the ballot paper
Call on the UK government to match Scottish per capita health spending to increase the amount spent on the NHS in Scotland
Halt the universal credit welfare changes and put an immediate end to the benefits freeze
Call for the devolution of drug policy
Oppose any increase to the state pension age and protect the “triple lock” method of increasing the welfare payment
Call for the devolution of employment law
Increase shared parental leave from 52 to 64 weeks, with the additional 12 weeks to be the minimum taken by the father
Build a cross-party coalition to scrap Trident as quickly and as safely as possible
Seek the devolution of immigration powers

Brexit and the constitution

The manifesto pledges to:

Seek the transfer of powers from Westminster to allow a second legally-binding independence referendum, which the SNP wants to take place in 2020
Support a referendum with a “remain” option on the ballot paper to allow Brexit to be stopped for the whole of the UK
In the event of a no deal Brexit, support the revocation the formal legal process for the UK leaving the EU known as Article 50
Back giving 16 and 17-year-olds a vote in all elections

Devolve control of National Insurance (NI) to Scotland but in the meantime back a reduction in employers NI contributions to help firms with the cost of creating new jobs
Oppose any increases in VAT
Press for the statutory living wage to rise to at least the level of the real living wage
Introduce fines for businesses that fail to meet an agreed standard in equal pay
Campaign for increased spending by the UK government on the city and region deals for Scotland
Increase maternity leave to one year and set maternity pay at 100% of average weekly earnings for the first 12 weeks, then 90% for 40 weeks or £150.00, whichever is lower
Increase shared parental leave from 52 to 64 weeks, with the additional 12 weeks to be the minimum taken by the father
Continue to seek devolution of migration powers and, in the meantime, press for the creation of an additional route for migration to Scotland, alongside UK routes, by the means of a Scottish Visa

Demand that any future UK government pass a new National Health Service Protection Act, guaranteeing that any post-Brexit trade deals do not undermine the founding principles of the NHS
Call for an increase in health spending in England which would result in an uplift to the amount of money available for the NHS budget in Scotland
Call for the Scottish parliament to take charge of drug policy and, pending that devolution, call on the UK government to introduce a supervised drug consumption facility
Demand the TV licence fee should be set independently of the UK government and press for the UK government to take responsibility for the cost of licence fees for the over 75s
Oppose any rise in the pensions age, demand the end of the two-child benefit cap and a halt to universal credit

Press for the introduction of an Ofgem database of people who have not switched suppliers alongside a national free switching service to help them do so
Demand the UK accelerates its action to tackle climate change and introduce tougher targets
Call for a reduction in VAT on energy efficiency improvements in homes
Work towards a target of planting 60m trees annually in the UK by 2025, with 30m of these in Scotland
Ensuring that, from 2024, all new homes must use renewable or low carbon heat

Call on the UK to immediately withdraw from the Chagos Islands
Build a cross-party coalition to scrap Trident as quickly and as safely as possible
Call on the UK government to carry out a new defence review
Fight for the delivery of all contracts for Royal Navy fleet solid support ships to be restricted to UK shipyards
Press the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to use vacant MoD homes to house homeless ex-service personnel