What do the General Election 2024 manifestos tell us about women, children, and older people?

In the second of our manifesto blogs, we take a closer look at what the parties promise for groups within the wider population who often face additional disadvantages within the welfare system; Children, women, older people, and people with disabilities. Read the first blog here.

For women, the emphasis is on closing the gender pay gap, pension gap and supporting female entrepreneurship. Labour, Conservatives, and Liberal Democrats each offer solutions, from enhancing equal pay protections to providing free period products and increasing maternity pay.

Children’s policies focus on combating child poverty and enhancing childcare support. The Green Party and Liberal Democrats propose extending free school meals, while Conservatives and Labour aim to expand childcare provisions and provide free breakfast clubs.

For people living with disabilities, reforms to accessing benefits look to be on the horizon as both Conservatives and Labour pledge to address work capability assessments.

Older people, particularly those affected by the WASPI issue, are promised support by Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. The triple lock on pensions remains a cornerstone, ensuring that state pensions keep pace with inflation and earnings.

As the election approaches,  the extent to which these promises to vulnerable people will be implemented depends on the extent to which these priorities are prioritised by the electorate. Use your vote wisely. 

29% of children live in poverty, the highest rate in the UK

As children consistently experience the highest rates of poverty, manifesto promises should be a clear priority. The majority do. There are wide-ranging promises to improve the lives and outcomes of children growing up in poverty or disadvantage, with nods to the pressures on the childcare industry due to increased demand and higher government subsidies for working parents. 

Wraparound childcare before and after school would change under a Conservative government through additional childcare subsidies totalling £300 million by September 2026. 

Liberal Democrats would extend Free School Meal provision to all primary school children, the Green Party would extend free school meals to all primary school children, introduce free breakfast clubs for all children up to Year 6, and would extend childcare to 35 hours a week from nine months old, and would invest £1.4 billion a year to reintroduce Sure Start Centres.

Under Labour, there would be a free breakfast club in every primary school and 3,000 additional nurseries built on site with primary schools. Costs for families with children could be reduced by Labour who pledge to lower the cost of school uniforms by capping the number of items with mandatory school logos. 

For a Liberal Democrat government, there would be a clear focus on child centred policies with educational disadvantaged being addressed with education maintenance grants, free tutoring for disadvantaged pupils, and greater access to extracurricular opportunities. Liberal Democrats would also like to see an extension in Pupil Premium funding beyond 16 and into further education. 

Pupil Premium funding is currently linked to Free School Meal claims up to the age of 16, and we found recently that around £600 million a year is potentially missing from school budgets. At Policy in Practice we’re working with councils to increase auto enrolment to Free School Meals. Join our free webinar on 26th June to find out how we do this.  

Similarly, the Green Party focus a great deal of attention on child centred policies, also supporting education maintenance grants, and an additional £3 billion a year for children’s social care, a clear and pressing issue with the LGA recently reporting that increased costs to Children’s Social Care has pushed nine in ten councils into financial difficulty. 

The two child limit has driven higher poverty rates

Child centred policy debates rarely escape questions on the two child limit currently in place across the benefits landscape. For the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats, the answer is simple: scrap it. 

The Conservatives will not. Having introduced the policy from 2017 they credit it in their manifesto as a win for a fairer welfare system ensuring social security is a safety net, and ‘not a lifestyle choice’. 

Labour have omitted the two child limit from their manifesto, and Keir Starmer has refused to commit to changes in political debates. Labour remain under persistent pressure to address and reverse the limit that has seen greater levels of poverty for larger families. 

The controversy and impact surrounding the two child limit is not going to disappear after the election, and may well be one of the biggest and most impactful changes a new government can make to tackle child poverty rates. 

	Reform the High Income Child Benefit Charge when combined income hits 120k and tapered to 160k. 30 hours free childcare a week from nine months old Increasing hourly funding rates over the next two years by an estimated £500 million helping the childcare sector, including childminders, to hire more staff, create more places. £300 million so that all parents can access wraparound childcare before and after school by September 2026. Deliver a Family Hub in every local authority in England. Reform the Child Maintenance Service to prevent noncompliance and new laws to help crack down on non-payment. Continue to support programmes that encourage disadvantaged children and young people to access green spaces. The pupil premium will allocate almost £3 billion next year to support disadvantaged children to reach their full potential.
	Will deliver a strategy to reduce child poverty. Free breakfast clubs in every primary school Bring down the cost of school by limiting the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require. Expand the childcare and early-years system, open an additional 3,000 nurseries through upgrading space in primary schools to deliver the extension of government funded hours. Review the parental leave system, so it best supports working families, within their first year in government. Improve data sharing across services, with a single unique identifier, to better support children and families. Deliver Young Futures Hubs, which will make sure every community has an open-access hub for children and young people with drop-in mental health support.
	Abolish the two child limit. Introduce a ‘Toddler Top-Up’: an enhanced rate of Child Benefit for one-year-olds. Extend free school meals to all children in poverty, extend FSM to all primary school children when the public finances allow. Introduce a Young People’s Premium, extending Pupil Premium funding to £1,000 a year to disadvantaged young people aged 16-18. When the public finances allow, give disadvantaged two-year-olds an extra five free hours of early years education a week, as another step towards a universal, full-time entitlement for all two- to four-year-olds. Double Statutory Maternity and Shared Parental Pay to £350 a week and introducing an extra use-it-or-lose-it month for fathers and partners, paid at 90% of earnings. Introduce a ‘Tutoring Guarantee’ for every disadvantaged pupil who needs extra support. Reinstate maintenance grants for disadvantaged students immediately to make sure that living costs are not a barrier to studying at university. Expand provision of extracurricular activities, such as sport, music, drama, debating and coding, starting with a new free entitlement for disadvantaged children. Fully review and reform the Child Maintenance Service to ensure it works for all children and parents, including removing the Collect and Pay charge for receiving parents and ensuring that payments cannot be used as a form of coercive control over domestic abuse survivors. Ensure that all parents can access childcare that is flexible, affordable and fair by: Reviewing the rates paid to providers for free hours to ensure they cover
	Abolish the two child limit All children to have a free school meal each day and free breakfast clubs for children to Year 6. An additional £3bn to enable local authorities to provide high-quality children’s social care. Make it mandatory for councils to provide free transport for 16-18 year old pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Increase annual public subsidies for rail and bus travel to £10bn by the end of the next Parliament, with free bus travel for under-18s. The restoration of the Education Maintenance Allowance to financially support young people to extend their studies after the age of 16. £1.4bn per year to be invested by local authorities in Sure Start Centres. In negotiation with the sector, to extend the outgoing government’s offer of childcare to 35 hours per week from nine months. Fund councils to extend staying put arrangements, so fostered young people can choose to stay with foster parents until they are 21.
	Not discussed

Women: mind the gap

Economic parity is still out of reach for many women: there is a gender benefit gap, a gender health gap, a gender pensions gap, and of course, a gender pay gap which currently stands at 14.3% in the UK, meaning on average, women are paid 14.3% less than men.

Labour would take action to close the gender pay gap and enhance equal pay protections. Conservatives would invest £250 million in female entrepreneurship, and Reform UK would front load child benefit for children aged 1-4 to enable more mothers to take time out of work to care for children.

The Liberal Democrat manifesto contains more direct assertions for female centred policy: end the gender price gap that charges women more than men for comparable products, free period products for people who menstruate, and doubled maternity pay, currently £184.03 or 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.

One topic for manifesto challenges centres on WASPI women. The WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) challenge in the UK involves women born in the 1950s who were affected by changes to the state pension age, which was raised from 60 to 66 without adequate notice. Many of these women had little time to adjust their retirement plans, causing financial hardship and distress. The WASPI campaign seeks compensation and justice for those impacted by the abrupt changes.

Addressing the WASPI compensation scheme, Liberal Democrats would ensure women born in the 1950s are ‘properly compensated’, and Conservatives would work to provide an ‘appropriate and swift response’. 

The age at which people switch from ‘working age’ to ‘pension age’ matters. With 60% of all Pension Credit paid to women, living on a low income later in life is a crucial issue for older women in need of financial support. And with 58% of Universal Credit paid to women, working age women in particular may want to keep an eye on fiscal policies impacting welfare reform.

	Consider the Ombudsman report into WASPI women and work with Parliament to provide an appropriate and swift response. £250m Invest in Women Task Force and the Lilac Review to encourage more female and disabled entrepreneurs
	Equal pay and protections from maternity and menopause discrimination and sexual harassment. Take action to reduce the gender pay gap building on the legacy of Barbara Castle’s Equal Pay Act. Enact the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010.
	Ensure that women born in the 1950s are finally treated fairly and properly compensated. Developing measures to end the gender pension gap in private pensions. Tackle the specific economic barriers facing women by: Ending the gender price gap so that women are not charged more than men for practically identical products or services marketed at them. Ending period poverty by introducing a right for anyone who needs them to access free period products. Expanding access to flexible, affordable childcare, doubling Statutory Maternity Pay and expanding shared parental leave.
	Equal pay for equal work and in the right to flexible working arrangements that will benefit women, carers and disabled people in particular
	Support for the “majority of mothers would choose to stay at home more if they could” by front-loading the Child Benefit system for children aged 1-4. Replace the 2010 Equalities Act. Will scrap Diversity, Equality and Inclusion rules.

The triple lock is locked down

From reading the manifestos you’d be forgiven for thinking all pension age policy can be boiled down to the triple lock on pensions. However, at around £138 billion a year, the state pension makes up 45% of all welfare benefit spending; the largest single item on the welfare expenditure list. 

In 2010, the UK introduced the ‘triple lock’ for the state pension to ensure it maintains its value in real terms, rising at least in line with inflation. This three way guarantee means the state pension will increase annually by the highest of the following:

• Average earnings
• Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
• 2.5%

Conservatives would continue the triple lock with an additional pledge to keep the state pension out of taxation by increasing the tax free personal allowance for pensioners in line with state pension rates, meaning pensioners living only on the state pension would not pay income tax.

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats would also retain the triple lock, with Labour aiming to address financial insecurity in retirement and Liberal Democrats focusing on the gender pensions gap.

For the Green Party, free personal care in old age is a priority. Currently, support through the adult social care system is rarely free and care recipients contribute means tested amounts through a series of calculations including capital, tariff income, personal allowances and disregards. People accessing support through adult social care services spent around £3.2 billion in 2021/22 on their care after means tested assessments. 

	From 2025 the tax free personal allowance for pensioners rises by the highest of prices, earnings or 2.5%, guaranteeing that the new State Pension is always below the tax-free threshold. No new taxes on pensions; maintain the 25% tax free lump sum and maintain tax relief on pension contributions at their marginal rate. Will not extend National Insurance to employer pension contributions. Will maintain all current pensioner benefits, including free bus passes, Winter Fuel.Payments, free prescriptions and TV licences.
	Labour will retain the triple lock for the state pension. Pensions review will consider what further steps are needed to improve security in retirement, as well as to increase productive investment in the UK economy.
	Protect the triple lock so that pensions always rise in line with inflation, wages or 2.5% – whichever is highest. Developing measures to end the gender pension gap in private pensions and ensure working-age carers can save properly for retirement. Improving the State Pension system by investing in helplines to ensure quicker responses to queries and resolution of underpayments. Ending lost pension top-up payments by overhauling the processing system and providing proper receipts.
	Ensure that pensions are always uprated in line with inflation and keep pace with wage rises across the economy. Equate the rate of pension tax relief with the basic rate of income tax to help fund the social care Free personal care in old age and for disabled people.
	Review Pension Provision.

It’s evident that the policies targeting women, children, and older people are critical components of each party’s agenda. Our comparative review underscores the commitment of political parties to address economic disparities and enhance social welfare for these often disadvantaged groups.

For women, addressing economic inequalities remains a focal point. Labour’s initiatives to close the gender pay gap and enhance equal pay protections stand out, while the Conservatives’ investment in female entrepreneurship and the Liberal Democrats’ comprehensive approach to female-centric policies, such as ending the gender price gap and providing free period products, are notable commitments.

Children’s welfare is a priority across the board, with significant attention on reducing child poverty and enhancing childcare support. From the Conservative plan for increased childcare subsidies and wraparound care to the Green Party’s proposals for free school meals and childcare expansion, and Labour’s pledge for free breakfast clubs and additional nurseries, each party offers distinct solutions to improve the lives of children and their families.

Older people, particularly those affected by the WASPI pension age changes, find varying degrees of support in the manifestos. Compensation and policy adjustments from the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives reflect an acknowledgment of the financial hardships faced by these individuals. The preservation of the triple lock on pensions by all major parties ensures that state pensions will continue to rise in line with inflation and earnings, providing financial stability for retirees.

Will disability benefit reform address a sick note culture?

Personal Independence Payments and work capability assessments have been at the forefront of political pledges in the last year with the current government releasing plans in April this year announcing that people who are out of work, have a work coach and don’t get a job in 12 months will lose their entitlements entirely. The plans include putting an end to what the government calls a ‘sick note culture’. How far consultations on changes now go may be dependent on a new government. 

Elsewhere in manifestos, Conservatives and the Green Party both emphasise the need to overhaul disability benefits. Conservatives propose tightening benefit assessments for work capability, specifically targeting those with moderate mental health issues or mobility problems, aiming to provide tailored support. They also want to shift the fit note process from GPs to specialist professionals. On the other hand, the Green Party focuses on restoring the value of disability benefits with an immediate 5% uplift and opposes replacing Personal Independence Payments cash payments with vouchers. They advocate for reforming what they consider to be intrusive eligibility tests and ensuring free personal care for disabled individuals.

Employment support for disabled individuals is a significant concern for all parties. Labour emphasises the right to equal pay for disabled people and plans to tackle the Access to Work backlog, allowing people with disabilities to try out jobs without fearing immediate benefit reassessment. They also advocate for disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting for large employers. Similarly, the Liberal Democrats propose a targeted strategy to close the disability employment gap, including specialist employment support, simplifying Access to Work applications, and introducing ‘Adjustment Passports’ to maintain support across job changes. The Green Party calls for ensuring in-job support, proper pay, and conditions for disabled workers.

Changes to work capability assessments look more certain as all parties pitch changes

Assessment processes for disability benefits are a common theme. The Liberal Democrats advocate bringing Work Capability Assessments in-house, reforming Personal Independence Payment assessments to enhance transparency, and stopping unnecessary reassessments. Reform UK supports face-to-face assessments for Personal Independence Payment and Work Capability Assessment, requiring independent medical evaluations for eligibility, while exempting those with severe disabilities or long-term illnesses from regular checks. Labour also proposes reforming or replacing the Work Capability Assessment to support disabled people better.

Lastly, improving accessibility is a priority for several parties. The Liberal Democrats aim to make public life more accessible by adopting new standards for public spaces, improving the legislative framework for blue badges, and increasing the use of British Sign Language (BSL) in government communications. They also seek to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into UK law. The Green Party emphasises mandatory free transport for 16-18-year-old pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and champions inclusive welfare support and housing based on universal design principles.

While each party has distinct approaches, their policies converge on the importance of reforming disability benefits, enhancing employment support, improving assessment processes, and increasing accessibility for disabled individuals.

	Reform disability benefits while delivering a stepchange in mental health provision. Tighten up how the benefits system assesses capability for work. Change the assessments from September 2025 so that those with more moderate mental health issues or mobility problems who could potentially engage with the world of work are given tailored support. Overhaul the fit note process so that people are not being signed off sick as a default. Design a new system which moves the responsibility for issuing fit notes away from GPs towards specialist work and health professionals, and we will test integrating this with the new WorkWell service to provide tailored support to help people stay in or get back to work.
	The full right to equal pay for disabled people. Tackle the Access to Work backlog and make sure people can try out a job without fear of an immediate benefit reassessment if it does not work out. Work with local areas to create plans to support more disabled people and those with health conditions into work. Reform or replace the Work Capability Assessment, alongside a proper plan to support disabled people to work. Introduce disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting for large employers.
	Giving disabled people and organisations representing them a stronger voice in the design of benefits policies and processes. Bring Work Capability Assessments in-house. Reforming Personal Independence Payment assessments to make the process more transparent and stop unnecessary reassessments, and end the use of informal assessments. Tackling the disability employment gap by implementing a targeted strategy to support disabled people into work, with specialist disability employment support. Make it easier for disabled people to access public life, including the world of work, by: • Adopting new accessibility standards for public spaces. • Improving the legislative framework for blue badges. Incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into UK law. Tackling the disability employment gap by implementing a targeted strategy to support disabled people into work, with specialist disability employment support. Raising employers’ awareness of the Access to Work scheme and simplifying and speeding up the application process. Introducing ‘Adjustment Passports’ to record the adjustments, modifications and equipment a disabled person has received and ensuring that Access to Work support and equipment stays with the person if they change jobs. Building on the British Sign Language Act by increasing the use of BSL in government communications and working collaboratively with the BSL Alliance to promote and facilitate the use of BSL.
	Restore the value of disability benefits, with an immediate uplift of 5%. Reform intrusive eligibility tests like PIP and the unfair targeting of carers and disabled people on benefits. Free personal care to ensure dignity in old age and for disabled people. Oppose plans to replace Personal Independence Payments (PIP) cash payments with ‘vouchers’, and in the long term reform intrusive eligibility tests like PIP. • Make it mandatory for councils to provide free transport for 16–18-year-old pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability. • Ensure disabled workers have the in-job support they need, as well as proper pay and conditions. • Champion the right to inclusive welfare support, and housing under the principles of universal design.
	Personal Independence Payment and Work Capability Assessment should be face to face. Will require independent medical assessments to prove eligibility for payments. Those registered with severe disabilities or serious long-term illnesses would be exempt from regular checks.