2017 General Election: What Britain's political parties promise for life in the country

We've taken a look at all the manifestos to measure up their varying promises.

2017 General Election
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LIFE IN THE COUNTRY

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ConservativesLabourLib DemsGreen PartyUKIP
High-speed broadband for every home and business by 2020Universal superfast broadband by 2022Expand hyperfast, fibre-optic broadband connection to every house in the UK with an unlimited usage cap by 2022Public-works programme of insulation to make every home warm and investment in flood defences and natural flood managementMatch CAP payments, then introduce a UK Single Farm Payment capped at £120,000 per year; support farming without antibiotics
Post-Brexit, the same cash total in funds for farm support is promised until the end of the Parliament, with a new agri-environment system to followRethink rural funding-allocation mechanisms and protect post offices, high-street banks, sports clubs, pubs and independent shopsRefocus support for farming towards producing healthy food and public benefitsStrong protection for the green belt, national parks, SSSIs and AONBsNew Environmental Protection Act
Safeguard the post-office network and support pharmacies and village schoolsDevelop coastal protection and better flood managementIncrease accessible green space; new national nature parksA more effective network of protected marine areas around our coastsLeave Common Fisheries Policy, withdraw from 1964 London convention on fishing, set up Fisheries Protection Force and draft new Fisheries Bill
£2.5 billion flood-defence programmePlant a million native treesEstablish a ‘blue belt’ of protected marine areasTough action to reduce plastic and other wasteRow 4 - Cell 4
Public forests and woodland to be kept in trust for the nationKeep forests in public ownershipPlant a tree for every UK citizen over the next 10 years and protect remaining ancient woodlandsGive power to local communities by allowing 40% of local electorate to secure a referendum on local-government decisions or recall their MPRow 5 - Cell 4
Natural England will expand provision of technical expertise to farmersAllow EU workers employed across farming, fishing and food manufacturing to remain in the UKIncrease the powers of the Groceries Code AdjudicatorRow 6 - Cell 3 Row 6 - Cell 4
Conserve our marine environmentReinstate the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme, as well as the Agricultural Wages BoardSet up £2 billion Rural Services Fund and prevent post-office closuresRow 7 - Cell 3 Row 7 - Cell 4
A comprehensive 25-year Environment PlanExpand the current role of the Groceries Code AdjudicatorEstablish a £2 billion flood-prevention fundRow 8 - Cell 3 Row 8 - Cell 4
Extend the Coastal Communities Fund for seaside towns to 2022Set up a national review of local pubsRow 9 - Cell 2 Row 9 - Cell 3 Row 9 - Cell 4

ANIMALS AND WILDLIFE

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ConservativesLabourLib DemsGreen PartyUKIP
A free vote on the future of the Hunting Act 2004End badger cullSuspend neonicotinoids until proven they don’t harm pollinatorsAn Environmental Protection Act to safeguard and restore the environment and protect and enhance biodiversitTriple maximum jail sentences for animal cruelty
Reforms on pet sales and licensingSafeguard habitats and species in ‘blue belts’Stronger penalties for animal-cruelty offencesRow 2 - Cell 3 Row 2 - Cell 4
Make CCTV recording in slaughterhouses mandatoryProhibit neonicotinoids as soon as is allowed, to protect beesClamp down on illegal pet imports and minimise the use of animals in scientific experimentationRow 3 - Cell 3 Row 3 - Cell 4
Control the export of live farm animals for slaughter post-BrexitPromote cruelty-free and better-enforced animal husbandryUpdate farm-animal welfare codes and promote the responsible stewardship of antibiotic drugsRow 4 - Cell 3 Row 4 - Cell 4
Row 5 - Cell 0 Third-party sale of puppies will be prohibitedDevelop ‘humane and evidence-based ways of controlling bovine TB’Row 5 - Cell 3 Row 5 - Cell 4

TRANSPORT

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ConservativesLabourLib DemsGreen PartyUKIP
£40 billion into improvements, including HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the expansion of HeathrowBring private rail companies back into public ownershipInvest in road and rail infrastructure, including a continued commitment to HS2, Crossrail 2 and rail electrificationReturn the railways to public ownership; invest in regional rail links and electrification of existing rail lines, rather than wasting money on HS2 and the national major-roads programme; cancel all airport expansionScrap HS2; upgrade existing mainline services
Develop the road network and create extra capacity on the railwaysComplete HS2 into Leeds and Manchester, then into ScotlandGovernment-run companies to temporarily take over Southern Rail and Govia Thameslink; complete rail link between Oxford and CambridgeIncentives to take diesel vehicles off the roadsSupport zero-emissions vehicles; stop diesel drivers being penalised
Support expansion of cycle networksNew Brighton Main Line; complete the Science Vale transport arc from Oxford to CambridgeDevelop strategic airports policy for the whole of the UK; no expansion of Heathrow, Stansted or GatwickRow 3 - Cell 3 Support for rural bus operators and smaller regional airports
Improve road surfaces in residential areasLocal bus companies will be publicly runDiesel scrappage scheme and ban on sale of diesel cars and small vans in the UK by 2025Row 4 - Cell 3 Stop speed cameras being used as revenue-raisers for local authorities
Row 5 - Cell 0 The need for extra airport capacity in the South-East is recognisedExtend ultra-low-emission zones to 10 more towns and citiesRow 5 - Cell 3 Row 5 - Cell 4
Row 6 - Cell 0 Row 6 - Cell 1 Provide local authorities and communities with the powers to improve transport and ticketingRow 6 - Cell 3 Row 6 - Cell 4

ENERGY AND RENEWABLES

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ConservativesLabourLib DemsGreen PartyUKIP
Independent review into UK energy costsTransition to a publicly owned, decentralised energy systemAdditional funding for renewables including solar PV and onshore wind, plus smart grid technology, hydrogen technologies, offshore wind and tidal powerReplace fracking, coal power and subsidies to fossil fuelsCut typical household energy bills by £170 a year
No more large-scale onshore wind farms in EnglandImmediate energy price cap: the average dual-fuel household energy bill will remain below £1,000 per annumSupport use of nuclear powerNationwide insulation programmeWithdraw from Paris climate agreement and EU Emissions Trading Scheme; repeal Climate Change Act 2008
Offshore wind will still be developedInsulate four million homesBan frackingNew Clean Air ActRemove subsidies from unprofitable wind and solar schemes
Develop the shale industryBan frackingRow 4 - Cell 2 Row 4 - Cell 3 Support coal, nuclear, shale gas, conventional gas, oil, solar and hydro
Row 5 - Cell 0 Build up renewable-energy projects and support nuclear energyRow 5 - Cell 2 Row 5 - Cell 3 Row 5 - Cell 4

HOUSING AND PLANNING

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ConservativesLabourLib DemsGreen PartyUKIP
Deliver one million homes by the end of 2020 and 500,000 more by the end of 2022Build more than a million new homes, giving councils new powers; prioritise brownfield sites and protect the green belt£5 billion of initial capital for a new British Housing and Infrastructure Development BankBanning letting feesPlan to introuduce low-cost, factory-built modular homes, affordable on the national average wage of £26,000
One million more trees to be planted in towns and citiesStart work on a new generation of New TownsNew direct spending on housebuilding to help build 300,000 homes a year by 2022; build at least 10 new garden cities in EnglandBuilding 100,000 social rented homes by 2022Row 2 - Cell 4
Row 3 - Cell 0 Row 3 - Cell 1 Four million properties to receive insulation retrofits by 2022Row 3 - Cell 3 Row 3 - Cell 4
Row 4 - Cell 0 Row 4 - Cell 1 Enforce housebuilding on unwanted public-sector landRow 4 - Cell 3 Row 4 - Cell 4

SMALL BUSINESSES

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ConservativesLabourLib DemsGreen PartyUKIP
Improve the general business environment for SMEs and ensure that big contractors comply with the Prompt Payment CodeLower small profits rate of Corporation Tax for small businessesCreate a new ‘start-up allowance’; support fast-growing businesses seeking to scale up through the provision of mentoring supportRow 1 - Cell 3 Freeze Insurance Premium Tax
Business-rate relief and low taxation for small businesses will continue and bureaucracy and regulation will be cutSmall businesses excluded from plans for quarterly reportingReview business rates to reduce burdens on small firmsRow 2 - Cell 3 Cut business rates by 20% for small businesses
Row 3 - Cell 0 Take action on late payments and prioritise lending to small businessesRow 3 - Cell 2 Row 3 - Cell 3 Row 3 - Cell 4

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Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.

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