The Conservative manifesto: The key pledges, quotes and analysis

Boris Johnson has laid out his vision for government during a speech in Telford.

The Prime Minister held a copy of the document, called Get Brexit Done – Unleash Britain’s Potential, as he outlined his blueprint to “forge a new Britain”.

The 59-page manifesto contained few surprises, with most of the main policies trailed in advance before or during the General Election.

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

  • Brexit

The issue of leaving the European Union takes centre stage on the front cover, as the Tories reiterate the rhetoric of “Get Brexit Done”.

A Conservative majority government would start putting Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal through Parliament before Christmas with the aim of leaving the EU in January.

The party vows not to extend the implementation period beyond December 2020.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the current Tory spending plans mean that NHS England's day-to-day budget is planned to rise to £140.3 billion by 2023/24 - £23.5 billion higher in real terms than it was in 2018/19.

Under Labour's plans, spending would reach £143.5 billion in 2023-24.

The IFS said: "Spending in 2023-24 would be 2.3% higher under Labour's plans than under those currently set out by the Government."

  • Health

Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to Bassetlaw District General Hospital Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA

The Tories have pledged an extra 50,000 NHS nurses in a bid to plug the existing vacancy gap, which currently stands at more than 43,000.

The manifesto also reintroduces a nurse bursary – which the Government had scrapped – worth £5,000 to £8,000 per year.

The document says there will be 6,000 more doctors in GP surgeries and 6,000 more primary care staff such as physiotherapists and pharmacists.

Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive at the Health Foundation, said that "even with major improvement in training, recruitment and retention, we have projected that almost half of the 50,000 nurses promised would have to be recruited from other countries".

She added: "This will be challenging and means migration policy must not be a barrier.

"And with the number of qualified permanent full-time equivalent GPs having decreased by around 5% since the last target was set, there must be realism about what can be achieved in the timescales set out."

  • Crime

Boris Johnson making a speech during a visit to West Yorkshire Credit: Danny Lawson/PA

Most of the crime-related proposals in the Tory manifesto are already familiar, with moves under way to recruit 20,000 police officers over the next three years to replace those lost due to budget cuts since 2010.

A spate of attacks on officers has also raised concerns about their safety, and the manifesto says the Tories would boost the number of Tasers and body cameras available.

They would also consult on doubling the penalty for assaulting an emergency services worker – the maximum prison term rose from six to 12 months last year and it would potentially increase further to two years.

  • Environment

The Tories want to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero overall by 2050. Credit: PA

The Conservatives have pledged £9.2 billion to improve the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals.

Funding will include £6.3 billion to install energy saving measures to cut bills in 2.2 million homes, with a focus on social housing and people in fuel poverty.

The plans are part of efforts to meet the legal target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero overall by 2050 to tackle climate change.

  • Business

The manifesto unveiled plans for a new National Skills Fund as the first step towards a so-called Right to Retrain.

The Tories pledged to invest £600 million a year, or £3 billion over the Parliament, into the fund, which will be on top of existing skills funding.

The Treasury will consult on the final design of the fund, and full details will be set out in the first Spending Review of a Conservative majority Government.

Edwin Morgan, director of policy at the Institute of Directors, said: "On domestic policy, there is much for business to like, with a focus on skills, infrastructure and research.

"There is a desperate need to help businesses invest, so confidence-boosting measures around training, science funding and local, but very important, issues like potholes will be welcomed.

"When it comes to Brexit, business will only feel it is 'done' when they know the terms of the new relationship with the EU, not before."

And Josh Hardie, the CBI's deputy director general, said: "But the inconvenient truth remains: sustainable economic growth will be risked if there is a needless rush for a bare bones Brexit deal that would slow down our domestic progress for a generation."

  • Education

Action on behaviour, bullying and the arts feature among the Conservatives’ plans for education.

The party says it intends to expand an existing programme “to help schools with the worst behaviour learn from the best”, and there is also a commitment to back heads to use exclusions.

The party is also pledging to invest in arts, music and sport, including offering an “arts premium” to secondary schools.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: "It is interesting to see that the Conservatives intend to offer an 'arts premium' to secondary schools to fund enriching activities for all pupils.

"While this is welcome it is slightly galling that it comes after arts subjects have been hammered over the past few years by a combination of cuts to school budgets and school performance measures which prioritise traditional academic over creative subjects."

  • Tax

The party said its “triple lock” will remain in place with no increases in income tax, national insurance and VAT for five years.

They said they not only want to freeze taxes, but to cut them too.

“Our ultimate ambition is to ensure that the first £12,500 you earn is completely free of tax – which would put almost £500 per year in people’s pockets,” the manifesto said.

Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) Paul Johnson argued there was "very, very, very little beyond what was announced back in September" in the Government's Spending Round.

He said the triple tax lock is "tying the hands of the Chancellor",

He told BBC News: "The problem for the Conservatives is that the big increases they are talking about are the ones that were already announced back in the Spending Round in September.

"So yes there is significant additional funding for the NHS, there's considerable additional funding for schools, there's some money for the police, but actually if you look at this manifesto, there's very, very. very little beyond what was announced back in September."

  • Welfare

The Tories will continue to roll out Universal Credit, vowing to “do more to make sure that Universal Credit works for the most vulnerable”.

The party said it will also end the benefit freeze, and will make sure those who cheat the system by committing benefit fraud are punished.

To help those looking after family members, especially women, the Tories said they will support the main carer in any household receiving the Universal Credit payment.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said the Conservatives were offering nothing for the UK's "forgotten and left behind" towns and communities.

He said: "Tinkering around the edges offers nothing for those in our deindustrialised heartlands, or for those who voted Leave and are thinking of voting Tory or for their Brexit Party bedfellows.

"There's nothing in it for young people, for pensioners, for nurses, for teachers, for car workers, for public sector workers."

  • Housing

Boris Johnson helps pour concrete at a building site Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA

A Social Housing White Paper will be brought forward by a Tory Government which will “set out further measures to empower tenants and support the continued supply of social homes”.

The manifesto said they will commit to renewing the Affordable Homes Programme, in order to support the delivery of hundreds of thousands of affordable homes.

The party also pledges to “end the blight of rough sleeping”.

  • Transport

Contactless pay-as-you-go ticketing will be extended to nearly 200 more train stations in south-east England under a Conservative government.

The manifesto also re-stated a series of other rail pledges including building Northern Powerhouse Rail between Leeds and Manchester and overhauling the franchising model and giving metro mayors control over services.