Manifesto Commitments

Lord Young of Cookham Excerpts

Tuesday 16th June 2020 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Young of Cookham]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review their manifesto commitments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Lord True) (Con)]

My Lords, the coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented crisis. The Government have rightly focused on providing stability and support to the people, families and organisations most affected by the outbreak. However, as the Prime Minister confirmed at the end of May in his evidence to the Liaison Committee in another place, this Government are still fully committed to meeting all commitments made in the 2019 manifesto.

[Lord Young of Cookham (Con) [V]]

I am very grateful to my noble friend for that reply, but one of the commitments in the manifesto said:

“We will not borrow to fund day-to-day spending”.


Another promised that the national debt

“will be lower at the end of the Parliament”.

Sticking to these commitments in circumstances that no one could have foreseen, as my noble friend just said, would prevent the Government continuing on their commendable path of doing what it takes to mitigate the recession. Will my noble friend encourage the Prime Minister to modify that statement?

[Lord True]

My Lords, my noble friend recognises that we are living through un unprecedented crisis at the moment but, as he will well know, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has said that later this year there will be a Budget Statement, which will address a number of the concerns raised by my noble friend.