Manifestos Give Candidates "Answers To Lots Of Questions" On The Doorstep

The launch of party manifestos should give candidates “answers to lots of questions” they are hearing repeatedly on the doorstep and in their email inboxes, according to one of the authors of the Conservatives’ 2019 campaigning document.

Rachel Wolf, a former policy adviser who co-authored the Tory party's last election winning manifesto, told PoliticsHome that while “not all manifestos are created equal” there are a number of directions candidates can take from them on the campaign trail as they try to win over voters. 

“They give you answers to lots of questions that constituents are emailing you about, asking you about, worried about,” Wolf said.

“They provide you with a set of things that you're able to say to people on the doorstep that a week earlier you weren't able to say. That's somewhat useful.” 

Political parties have been launching their manifestos this week ahead of the General Election on 4 July. The Liberal Democrats went first on Monday, before Prime Minister Rishi Sunak followed with the Conservatives’ plans on Tuesday. 

Keir Starmer will set out Labour’s plans on Thursday, while the Green Party unveiled its own on Wednesday. 

The release of the manifestos, “if successful”, ought to also give candidates “a core story for the campaign”, said Wolf. That story “should have already been fairly obvious before the manifesto was dropped,” she said, “but they give more substance to that story”. 

Parties will also be aware of the different demographic make-ups, and likely different priorities in every seat. 

Polling suggests that policy priorities can vary widely across different groups of the population. 

According to data from YouGov from earlier this week, 58 per cent of 18-24 year-olds believe the economy is one of