Tax cuts, union bashing and the 'golden economic rule'

Archie Mitchell looks at the key Tory policies announced in Manchester yesterday, including a ban on doctors striking

- Archie Mitchell

Kemi Badenoch has solidified her position as Tory leader with a policy-laden Tory conference speech aimed at silencing her critics.

Addressing a packed hall at the Manchester Convention Centre, Ms Badenoch said the Labour government is “making one hell of a mess” and set out plans for how the Conservatives would fix it.

The Independent looks at what policies Ms Badenoch promised party members in her headline address.

Stamp duty

The biggest headline-grabber in Ms Badenoch’s speech was her vow to axe stamp duty if the Conservatives win the next general election. Figures from the Institute for Fiscal Studies show it would cost around £4.5bn to axe the tax as it stands, but the Conservatives offered a “cautious” estimate that it would cost £9bn by the end of the decade.

The party said this would be paid for out of a £47bn pot of savings shadow ministers claim to have found, made up of welfare cuts, downsizing the civil service and further slashing the country’s foreign aid budget.