The Brexit Party contract: The key pledges and quotes

The Brexit Party has opted against issuing a 2019 manifesto and instead published its General Election pledges in a Contract With The People.

What are the contract's key pledges?

The party promises to deliver a “clean break” from all EU institutions and a cap on immigration while pledging to deliver a "political revolution".

The 21-page document contains policies on transport, the environment and business, plus plans to abolish the House of Lords and invest £2.5 billion in fishing and coastal communities.

Here is an at-a-glance look at the document:

Clean-break Brexit and a cap on immigration

The Brexit Party promises to deliver “a clean-break Brexit” with no extension of the transition period.

The party has committed to “cracking down on illegal immigration” and to “reduce annual immigration”.

Leader Nigel Farage has pledged to cap permanent immigration at 50,000 a year.

The party adds that it will address wage stagnation and the skills gap by introducing a fair points system that is “blind to ethnic origin”, and will always provide a “humane welcome for genuine refugees”.

Scrap HS2, keep EU contributions and halve foreign aid budget

The Brexit Party says it will raise £200 billion by scrapping HS2, keeping the £13 billion annual contribution to the EU, recovering £7 billion from the European Investment Bank and by redirecting 50% of the foreign aid budget (£40 billion over five years).

It promises to invest “at least £50 billion” in local road and rail schemes in “development-starved regions” and to partner with internet service providers to offer free base level domestic broadband in deprived regions and free Wi-Fi on all public transport.

The party adds that it will abolish business rates for shops outside the M25, funded by a “small online sales tax”.

Abolish inheritance tax, create freeports and help businesses in transition

The Brexit Party’s contract says it will abolish inheritance tax, cut VAT on fuel bills and will waive corporation tax on the first £10,000 of profits.

It also plans to reduce import tariffs to zero on certain foods, footwear and clothing, and to create freeports in certain regions to “encourage investment and create new jobs”.

The party pledges to “maintain subsidies and grants paid by the EU to UK businesses”, to provide “transitional relief” to key sectors to “ensure a smooth Brexit” and to boost lending to small and medium enterprises.

Increase police numbers and focus on combating violent crime

The party says it will increase police numbers, ensure more visible policing, and focus on combating violent crime, robbery and burglary rather than enforcing restrictions on free speech.

Mr Farage’s party pledge to tackle the issues of drug dealing, knife crime and gangs and to “abolish distortive targets” and introduce sentence “ranges” for young offenders, to encourage rehabilitation

Support for NHS and promise to keep it publicy-owned

The Brexit Party says it believes in continued investment in the NHS, better management, increasing the number of medical staff and cutting waste.

It promises to keep the NHS publicly-owned and free at the point of use and calls for all politically imposed hospital targets to be abolished.

The party also commits to introducing 24-hour GP surgeries, re-opening nursing and midwifery professions to non-graduates and holding a “national debate” on ring-fencing the NHS budget and tax revenues that pay for it.

Scrap student loan interest and the Apprentice Levy

The party promises to abolish both student loan interest and the target to push 50% of young people into Higher Education.

The Apprentice Levy will also be scrapped and tax incentives will be given to employers to entice them to take on “genuine apprentices”.

Mr Farage’s party say it will also “expand parental choice” when it comes to schools, adding that academies and free schools have improved results.

Change funding for local housing and accelerate grants

The Brexit Party plans to simplify planning consents for brownfield sites and will change the funding model to make it easier for councils to borrow from central government to build council houses, the document says.

The party adds that it will accelerate infrastructure grants funding and allow more flexibility in the number of affordable homes within a development scheme.

Invest £2.5 billion in fishing and coastal communities

Mr Farage’s party says it will invest £2.5 billion in fishing and coastal communities, adding that a clean-break Brexit would allow the UK to recover control of a 200 mile exclusive economic zone which would create the opportunity to regenerate coastal communities.

It promises to plant millions of trees to capture CO2 and to promise a global initiative at the UN.

The Brexit Party would also make it illegal for waste to be exported across the world to be burnt, buried or dumped at sea.

Review the Universal Credit system

The party promises to “revisit” the Universal Credit system and to undertake a 12-month review of it before bringing in reforms within two years.

It says it would support those who have paid into the system with accelerated payment processes and continue to root out fraud.

Mr Farage’s party also promises to “review the position” of women affected by recent rises in the state pension age.

Support Nato and meet 2% GDP defence spending promise

The Brexit Party has said it will ensure that the UK maintains its commitment to Nato and meets its promise to spend 2% of GDP on defence “as an absolute minimum”.

It promises to withdraw the UK from the European Defence Union so that the UK “has the right to stipulate defence contracts stay at home”.

Reform the voting system, abolish the House of Lords

Mr Farage’s party adds that it will reform the voting system, abolish the unelected House of Lords, make MPs who switch parties subject to recall petitions and overhaul the postal voting system to combat fraud and abuse.

It also plans to reform the Supreme Court, make civil servants sign an oath to act with political neutrality and introduce a “Citizens’ Initiative” to trigger a referendum if more than five million people sign a valid register calling for a public vote on a particular issue.

The key quotes from the Brexit Party leadership

“I stick to what I’ve said for 25 years," Nigel Farage said at the launch of the document.

“I want a genuine free trade agreement with the European Union, whether we get that before we leave or what do we do after we leave, doesn’t matter to me,” he said.

“Brexit, that vote that everybody tries to talk about the economic terms, was a political decision.

“We voted to leave the European Union and its institutions.

“And it is that, so far, that Westminster has completely failed to deliver and that explains much of the breakdown of trust.”