Alliance Party’s General Election manifesto at a glance

Leader Naomi Long unveiled the Leading Change manifesto document on Thursday.

Alliance leader Naomi Long (centre) with the party’s Westminster candidates during the party’s General Election manifesto launch at the Ivanhoe Hotel in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

Reform of Stormont’s devolved structures has been a long-term objective of the Alliance Party and unsurprisingly forms a key plank of its General Election manifesto.

Here, the PA news agency examines its plans for institutional changes in more detail and also looks at other policy proposals in the 43-page Leading Change manifesto document.

– Stormont reform

Alliance wants to remove the veto power to block decisions, and even collapse the institutions, which is held by the biggest unionist and nationalist parties, which currently are the DUP and Sinn Fein.

It is seeking to end the community designation system, which effectively hands blocs of unionists or nationalists a veto in contentious votes in both the Assembly and Executive.

The controversial method means parties, such as Alliance, that designate as neither cannot influence votes where the results are determined by how many unionists and nationalists support or reject a proposal.

Alliance insists this system is no longer fit for purpose, as an increasing number of MLAs in the Assembly are designated as “others” and are unable to have a say in contentious decisions.

It proposes an alternative method whereby controversial votes require a weighted majority to pass.

Alliance is also calling for changes to the mandatory coalition system that currently means a devolved government cannot be formed without the consent of both the biggest nationalist and biggest unionist party.

The party also wants to replace current first minister and deputy first minister titles at Stormont with two joint first ministers to reflect the co-equal status of the jobs.

– Finances

The manifesto prioritises securing a new financial deal for Northern Ireland, with an improved funding model for the allocation of Treasury resources to the region. The party contends that recently agreed arrangements with the Treasury, whereby allocations to Northern Ireland are topped up by 24% to reflect the level of need in the region, do not go far enough.

The party is also seeking a review of existing and potential revenue-raising levers for Stormont and consideration of the devolution of more tax-varying powers to the devolved administration.

– Repairing UK-EU relations

Alliance advocated for Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum and contends that the UK’s exit from the EU has been “fundamentally destructive” for the United Kingdom.

It calls for a closer relationship with the EU and, in terms of specifics, advocates a negotiated agreement on veterinary medicines. That sort of deal is supported by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

– Climate

The manifesto calls for reform of government spending rules to free up funding to tackle climate change, a move the party says could facilitate a green new deal for Northern Ireland.

In urging changes to fiscal rules, the party argues that current pressures on public spending are preventing strategic investment on issues such as climate.

Alliance wants these spending limits revised to ensure money can be directed towards investing in policies to address global warming.

It argues that inaction on climate change is already costing the global economy trillions of pounds, and increased spending in that area would protect the environment as well as unlocking investment and job creation in the green economy.

– Integrated education

Alliance is calling for a new injection of Government funding for the sector.

This demand comes after the UK Government re-profiled £150 million earmarked for integrated education in the 2015 Fresh Start deal.

As part of this year’s agreement to restore devolution, the Government removed the ringfenced protection for that cash and instead allowed the Stormont Executive to spend it how it saw fit.

Alliance claims that decision has seen the integrated sector lose out on much-needed capital investment in new buildings. As such, it calls for a further Government funding commitment.

– Childcare

Alliance says families in Northern Ireland suffer from a “super-disparity” in terms of childcare support offered in the region compared with elsewhere in the UK.

Stormont recently agreed to top up the Government’s 20% tax-free childcare support payment to families by a further 15%. Alliance wants to see the Government increasing its 20% relief to 35% across the UK – with a cap on support also removed.

– Voting age and system

Alliance has long advocated dropping the voting age from 18 to 16. It does so again in this manifesto.

It also wants to see an end to the first-past-the-post voting system in UK general elections, and is advocating the system used in Assembly and council elections in Northern Ireland – the multi-member single transferable vote system of proportional representation.

The party is also calling for a directly elected House of Lords.