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Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Ten eye-catching Conservative policies that you may have missed

From fox hunting to the tampon tax, human rights and police taser use - here are ten Tory manifesto policies that haven't hit the headlines.

The Conservatives’manifesto has been widely interpreted as a ‘low risk’ election pitch which aims to minimise controversy before December 12.

But despite the muted reaction to yesterday’s launch – and the comparatively low level of spending pledges compared to Labour’s plans, a number of Tory policies aside from ‘getting Brexit done’ have attracted attention.

As well as leaving the European Union by December 2020, Boris Johnson’s party says it will increase the number of nurses in England and be carbon neutral by 2050.

The Prime Minister also promised to back a ‘Northern Powerhouse rail plan’and a spending boost for the NHS.

But there were a number of other eye-catching policies that you might have missed – here are some of them.


Tampon tax abolished

Mr Johnson’s party have pledged to abolish the tampon tax – a 5% ‘luxury’ charge on an essential good, which has long outraged women’s groups.

The move is expected to cost around £15 million a year.


Human rights act ‘update’

The Tories say they will change the Human Right Act to better ‘balance’ individual rights, national security and effective government.

Within a year of returning to power, the party says it would set up a commission to look at how the act can be used most effectively in depth.

Conservative leaders have previously called for the act to be overturned and replaced by a ‘British Bill of Rights’.


Cancer drugs fund

The Tories will extend the Cancer Drugs Fund – which allows early access to new treatments – to various other illnesses.

A new ‘Innovative Medicines Fund’ will allow doctors to ‘use the most advanced, life-saving treatments for conditions such as cancer or autoimmune disease, or for children with other rare diseases’, the party says.


More tasers and body cams for police

In a bid to cut crime, Mr Johnson’s party would equip more police with tasers and body cameras.

The Conservatives say this will help keep the public and police officers safe.

The PM is keen to show that he is being tough on knife crime – and his plan would ’empower officers with court orders’ so that they can target known knife carriers through stop and search.


30 million trees to be planted in green agenda

The Conservatives say they will invest £640 million in a new ‘Nature for Climate’ fund which would see the creation of a ‘Great Northumberland Forest’.

The party hopes to create an additional 75,000 acres of trees a year by the end of the next Parliament and ‘expects’ all new streets to be tree-lined.

As part of its plans to make Britain carbon neutral by 2050, the party say it will also establish a £500 million ‘Blue Planet Fund’ to ‘protect oceans from plastic pollution, warming sea temperatures and overfishing’.


Voters will have to show ID

The Tories say they are trying to reduce election fraud by making voters show identification at polling stations.

They also aim to ‘stop postal vote harvesting’ and reduce foreign interference in election, though there is limited detail on what this would mean in practice.


Electric vehicle charging network

An investment of £1 billion is being promised for completing a ‘fast-charging network’, which would ‘ensure’ that everyone is within 30 miles of a rapid charging station for electric vehicles.

The party says the initiative would be prioritised in the first budget after the election.

It also aims to set the earliest date possible to phase out the sale of petrol and diesel cars, after previously considering 2035 as a possible cut off point.


NHS ‘not for sale’

Amid Labour attacks on the Tories suggesting that the NHS could be part of a trade deal with President Donald Trump’s USA after Brexit, the Conservatives have tried to make it abundantly clear that they would not sell the health service.

The party write: ‘When we are negotiating trade deals, the NHS will not be on the table.

‘The price the NHS pays for drugs will not be on the table. The services the NHS provides will not be on the table.’


Domestic abuse plans

The Tories say they will pass the Domestic Abuse Bill if they win a majority and increase support for refuges and victims of rape and sexual abuse.

The party also plan to pilot ‘integrated domestic abuse courts that address criminal and family matters in parallel’.

A cash injection of £15 million to support rape victims has already been announced – doubling the current funding for the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund and more Independent Sexual Violence Advisors.


Fox hunting

This one is not in the manifesto – but is noteable in its absence.

The Conservatives have long promised MPs a free vote on repealing the fox hunting ban.

Instead, this time round the party says simply that it will make ‘no change’ to the current act – which could alienate some rural voters, but will please animal rights groups.

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