Policy Questions to Party Leaders

To assist voters in deciding how to vote, VfJUK has sent the following questions to leaders of the main Parties, asking for details of their Party’s policy. As they respond, we shall print their answers for comparison on our website. So far only a few parties have replied in detail. Party responses are included after each question.

RSE

What is your Party’s position on implementation of the new RSE Regulations?

(a) Do you support the parental right to withdraw children from education they deem inappropriate, or in conflict with their religious beliefs, as currently enshrined in UK law under the Human Rights Act 1998?
(b) In the formulation of policy by schools, do you uphold the statutory requirement for Consultation with parents?
(c) Do you think the outcomes of such Consultation should be binding?

Yes, yes and yes.

UKIP supports parents’ rights as primary educators of their children. UKIP opposes the implementation of RSE in schools, and would repeal Section 34 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 which made it compulsory. Schools must respect the values and views of parents with traditional family and faith values when teaching about sex and relationships. They should hold binding consultations with parents and respect their wishes.

Declined to answer

Gender Reassignment and Children

Given the high rise in numbers of children seeking gender reassignment, with increasing concern on the part of health professionals that they are embarking on life-changing and irreversible treatment without adequate assessment, would your Party support statutory delay to all kinds of medical intervention until such age as it can be demonstrated that the child has a mature, genuine and settled desire for transitioning, and so as to allow time for a full and comprehensive psychological assessment?

Yes, we would make it illegal for any teacher to encourage any school child to consider gender reassignment, certainly under the age of 18.

Puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and gender reassignment surgery should be banned for children under the age of 18. Transgenderism should not be promoted or propagandised to children in schools or the NHS in any way. The current requirement on teachers and health professionals to affirm gender dysphoria in children is wrong.

Declined to answer

Abortion

Given that premature babies are now increasingly surviving birth at 21 weeks gestation, and are therefore capable of existence independent of the mother below the current time limit for abortion of 24 weeks, would your Party support a reduction in the time limit to reflect medical advance?

We would take urgent action to reduce abortions by giving the unborn child rights not to suffer pain and not to be killed after a heartbeat is detected. We would aim over time to ban all abortion. Protecting the unborn is one of our core issues.

Our abortion policy for the new manifesto: ‘UKIP will seek to reduce the number of abortions taking place in the UK, and will support alternative options such as adoption. Abortions should not be offered to children under 16 without parents being informed.’

Declined to answer

Human Rights

Under the Equality Act 2010, religion or belief is listed as a protected characteristic of equal value to the eight other protected characteristics. Increasingly, in the public square, however, the protected rights relating to sex, sexual orientation, and gender reassignment, seem to be prioritised over those of religion, seen most particularly in the areas of free speech, and the right to manifest belief. What approach would your Party take to resolve this problem and to affirm equal protection for all human rights? Would you uphold the rights of believers to express and practise their faith without intimidation?

Our policy is open debate in schools, universities, and on the media, so that everyone has a chance to put their point of view and be listened to. It is our sincere belief that the more open debate there is, the more people will come to see Christianity is the truth. We would reduce aid to any country if they are persecuting Christians and imprisoning them. If the persecution continues, the aid would keep going down until it reaches zero.

UKIP would scrap the Equality Act 2010 which has led to a chilling effect on freedom of speech. We would revert to pre-existing laws which promote equality for all individuals. The UK has a foundational tradition of freedom of speech, belief, conscience and expression and this must continue to be enshrined in UK law. UKIP will continue to resist the erosion of our freedoms. UKIP would abolish the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Government Equalities Office which seemingly exist to spout out a stream of politically correct nonsense which further erodes the freedom of speech and thought of British citizens.

Declined to answer

Freedom of Speech

In light of mounting pressure to permit expression of only those views deemed ‘politically acceptable’, what measures, if any, would your Party take to uphold genuine democracy and the right to freedom of speech for all? How would you ensure that the views of ‘ordinary’ people, holding traditional values, are upheld and respected?

We would take steps to encourage moral education in schools. Our plan is not to indoctrinate children into Christianity but genuinely to allow all different points of view to be properly explained. Christianity must be a key part of every curriculum but not the sole part. Freedom of speech is already enshrined in the law but we would make sure it is properly enforced.

Freedom of speech is under attack by the burgeoning concept of hate crime and hate speech. UKIP would scrap hate speech guidelines which are purely subjective. UKIP would end sentence uplifts for hate crime. All crime should be treated with equal seriousness – not just crimes where the victim and criminal have different characteristics.

Declined to answer

Family Values and End of Life

How would your party prioritise spending in the NHS? And what measures would your Party take to protect the right to life of the terminally ill?

We would take strong steps to strengthen family values by giving opposite sex couples £12,000 when they get married, provided they go for at least 5 sessions of marriage training. We would then give another £6,000 when they have their first child, again backed up by training. The aim is to make it foolish not to get married and have children in wedlock and so receive the grants. This should mean a much happier more healthy society, but we would maintain NHS spending while waiting for these measures to have an effect on society. We would never allow assisted dying in any way shape or form. We would do a review of social care and look at ways to improve it.

UKIP would increase the NHS and social care budgets in line with the needs of British citizens. The budget should be focussed on routine operations and conditions and disease prevention. UKIP has no policy to support the legalisation of euthanasia.

Declined to answer

The Brexit Party:

In regards to our policies please see our website and go into our ‘policy’ section. In this section it gives a brief overview of all of our plans and ideas that The Brexit Party are campaigning for. Policies specific to topics which you have mentioned have not yet been released however please keep an eye out as these will be released in due course

Overall, the Brexit Party has not specifically responded to any of our questions. They do, however, undertake to:

• Make the Civil Service more accountable to the public – we would require civil servants to sign an oath to act with political neutrality.

• Require Universities to incorporate an obligation to protect legal free speech.

• Invest in the NHS and Social Care … with more medical staff and less waste.

The Conservative Party:

Thank you for your message and for your thoughts on policy and the campaign.
Our manifesto has now been published, which you can find online at vote.conservatives.com/our-plan

‘From this we conclude that the Conservative party supports the new RSE Regulations and has no plans to uphold parental rights as laid down in UK law. They will not protect children from medically damaging transgender treatment. They will take no measures to uphold religious freedoms and to ensure freedom of speech. They will not seek to strengthen protections for the right to life of the unborn, nor will they seek to put in place protections for those at the end of life.