Broken promises: six more pledges / statements from the Conservative Party

The second set of Conservative pledges or statements all date from the actual election period.

7. Election communication (April 2010)

A hung parliament would mean five more years of Gordon Brown.

8. Election communication (April 2010)

“We will cut the deficit – but not the NHS, our number one priority” – David Cameron.

MK Comment: The Coalition’s divisive Health and Social Care Bill further privatises the NHS, which many health professionals believe fundamentally undermines the founding principles of the health service and could lead to the very abolition of the National Health Service

9. Election communication (April 2010)

Photograph of Caroline Righton holding placard stating: “There are alternatives to incineration – say No.” She was pictured with “shadow Cornwall Minister” Mark Prisk and campaigners against the proposed incinerator at St Dennis.

10. Coast to Coast Election Special leaflet (May 2010)

“Cornwall’s Lib Dem legacy … a deeply flawed thirty year contract for an obscenely large and inappropriate incinerator that the Council commissioned for a specific site which they also then refused permission for, expensively leaving Cornwall with no Plan B option to deal with waste.” – Caroline Righton

MK Comment: The Conservatives opposed Lib Dem plans for an incinerator at St Dennis prior to the elections to the new Cornwall unitary authority. Since June 2009, Conservative-led Cornwall Council has refused to investigate alternatives to incineration. It has refused to develop a Plan B and has done everything in its power to push ahead with the scheme to develop an “obscenely large and inappropriate incinerator” at St Dennis.

  

11. Coast to Coast Election Special leaflet (May 2010)

“Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps agrees we need properly affordable homes for local people which is why we will cancel Labour’s housing targets and give power back to local communities to determine where houses are built and what type.” – Caroline Righton

MK Comment: The Coalition has slashed funding for affordable housing, it has replaced social rent with a much more expensive “affordable rent” model set at 80% or more of inflated private sector rents, Thatcher’s Right-to-Buy has been reinvigorated by Cameron and there have also been regressive reforms to housing benefit arrangements. 

12. Coast to Coast Election Special leaflet (May 2010)

“The Liberal Democrats are playing fantasy politics, saying whatever they think will work for the audience they have at the time … Talk is cheap when you know you will never be tested on your promises. The Conservative treasury team are assiduous in making sure that MPs and candidates like me don’t make any uncosted promises. We have done the sums and can say with confidence that we will protect frontline NHS services, put more police on patrol, restore the pensions earnings link and give a fair deal to our armed services.” – Caroline Righton

MK Comment: The claim that the Conservatives have “done the sums” is false. They may have criticized opponents for “playing fantasy politics” and “cheap talk,” but have themselves failed to live up to promises, for example, to put more bobbies on the beat.