To ask what the key issues in the upcoming election are?

[worrieddaughter97]

I'm a 25 year old young professional, in training, on a low wage. It's going to increase in the next 2-3 years. Hopefully by quite a lot. I live at home, but hope to move out by the next election in 2029.

Over the last year or so, I have curated my list of things that will decide who I vote for:

• Housing
• Minimum wage increases
• Immigration
• NHS

But I still feel quite torn. The last 2 elections were ones where I didn't really have "skin in the game" so to speak - I voted how my parents said they wanted me to, as they had convinced me that anything other than a Tory government would be disastrous for us as a family.

Obviously now I'm voting with my head, but I'm still pretty indecisive. So I'm just wondering what other people view as their key issues in the election.

The key issue for me is that all available options are shite

The NHS is my main priority. My husband is a hospital doctor and not sure how they all keep going with staff shortages, cuts in budget, and bed blocking. I’m sick of hearing about people not able to access the kind of healthcare they would have got fifteen years ago. It really feels like a time not to be sick.

I couldn’t care less about immigration as migration is part of humankind and has been throughout history. The whole small boats nonsense from the Tories is just a distraction tool, nobody can stop boat migration apart from actually having a working immigration system where people have safe passage rather than taking their chances, and then swift processing of asylum claims.

The economy, and ensuring people have more of an equal share in the wealth of the country. The rich have become way richer, whilst food banks have exploded in numbers. Salaries have barely risen since the 2008 financial crisis and people are so squeezed.

Generally really a government who will start to spend our taxes wisely rather than always awarding contracts to the Tory donors who may not even have expertise in that area (thinking PPE scandal). A government run for the general population rather than feathering their own nests would be good. I’m sick of the corruption, I currently feel embarrassed to be British and I want some pride back.

Fingers crossed the Tories are kicked out on July 5th so we can begin a new chapter.

A long term, sustainable plan which might initially seem brutal but will stop robbing Peter to pay Paul

Fair enough, to me immigration is an issue because we have nearly 1 million extra people coming here and we don't have the jobs or infrastructure to deal with it. Doctors, dentists etc.

NHS and housing top my list.

For me the question is who to vote for other than the Tories. I have moral values that I could never reconcile with voting for a party that includes as a member someone who should face treason charges and has no value for human life, even though he is not their leader any more.

Funny you say that because the NHS has a staff shortfall because Brexit caused a lot of people to leave. Same with hospitality and care homes. Our infrastructure would cope better with additional staffing.

You won’t stop immigrants coming over with nonsense like the Rwanda scheme. And it’s a myth they only ever want to be here, plenty stop at other countries en route. Like I said, it’s a distraction and it’s unworkable.

I live near the Kent coast, you can see how near and how easy it is to get here via boat. France looks barely any distance away. It will happen and nothing will stop them bar safe passage and a working immigration system with fast processing.

Same as @bozzabollix really. My dh is also a hospital Dr, and I was a nurse until fairly recently, one ds is a radiographer. So Healthcare is a huge issue for us.
Then the gap between rich and poor which gets ever wider (particuarly child poverty) education, housing, climate change.

Immigration simply not an issue for me at all.

I think it’s the single most pressing issue. But people don’t think about it until they need it. Think more people get wound up about potholes.

Are you as furious as me about the PPE situation during the pandemic? My husband lost colleagues, it was heartbreaking.

Major issue for me is lies and corruption.
This government has run its course.

For me, a closer and better relationship with the EU which will free up trading relationships and improve our gdp, education and health. Longer term, constitutional reform

So we need to invest in infrastructure.

The UK has an aging population and immigration offsets that somewhat. If we cut immigration, then people are going to have to get used to working well into their 70s and/or pensions generally being slashed.

Or we could make the UK a good place to have children.

Good schools, good healthcare, decent wages and standard of living. As a young woman, that's the barrier stopping me having children

CLIMATE CHANGE. If we don't start to act, everything else is mute.

I don’t care about immigration. I do care about a closer relationship with the eu or even rejoining.
I also care about the economy and environment.

Oh also childcare help for working parents(I don’t children)

Yes the PPE thing nearly broke my dh. The managers kept telling him that performing endoscopies was not aerosol generating, and that he could do these on covid +ve patients with a paper mask and a plastic apron ffs! Apparently those orders had come direct from Department of Health. Oh and of course ward rounds on covid wards without correct PPE too.

I'd quite like to see us rejoin.

I can't see it happening without full scale revolt, though

nothing will stop them bar safe passage and a working immigration system with fast processing.
Agree. The main problem is that there is no investment in the border force and immigration system. People traffickers know they can bring people here and it will take so long to process them ( 5 years) thst they can ' disappear' people and get them to work in prostitution and drug trafficking. We need to invest in speeding up processes. Rwanda is an extremely expensive dead cat. And most immigration is legal. So they are people given visas by this government under their ' points based immigration system' the brexiteers all wanted.. Another dead cat distraction. They dwarf the boat people by thousands.

At my local hospital, many of the doctors, nurses and other staff are immigrants. We would have a massive problem if they left.

My priorities are:

The NHS
Education
Climate Change
Feminism/women’s rights
Ending government corruption
Tackling violent crime, especially knife crime
Cleaning up our rivers and beaches

There are websites that ask you to tick boxes to answer questions and then tell you which party you match up best with. Maybe do that.

Did that, got count bin face 🤣 not helpful for me unfortunately

I million extra people? Thats just not true. The figure is around 670,000 for the whole of the UK. Are you getting your news from a variety of sources? Best not to rely on ones that support the Conservative govt who are using the politics of fear to get your vote.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingdecember2023

I can’t advise you as I’m struggling myself. If there was a box saying none of the above, I would tick that.

Until all mp’s start speaking honestly about the state of the country, have a long term plan and stop putting spin on everything I can’t take them seriously from any party.

I agree about housing, immigration and the nhs. I would add social care and education.

As an nhs worker though I would worry about throwing more money at the nhs, which will be swallowed up by those in management creating more and more non clinical roles for themselves and their cronies, a bit like mp’s. It needs complete change.

Education. Every person in a school is affected by the SEND crisis and Gove's curriculum, which is not child friendly or designed to promote an enjoyment of learning. We need a new government to take a look at how education is structured and funded, because the system as it stands is failing children.

Local government - particularly important for young families. Sure Start, school admissions, partnerships with the NHS to provide therapy services, school transport.

I voted how my parents said they wanted me to, as they had convinced me that anything other than a Tory government would be disastrous for us as a family

Make sure you are getting your news from sources other than your parents or the Daily Mail