Political parties contesting the UK General Election recently released manifestos or priorities detailing their policy commitments. We examined what each said on holding businesses accountable for their impacts on human rights and the environment.
We examined the manifestos of UK political parties’ contesting the European elections, to be held in the UK on 23 May 2019. What do they say about the protection of human rights and the environment with regard to the global operations of UK companies?
On Friday 12th January the Joint Committee on Human Rights published the Government’s response to the Committee’s 2016 report, ‘Human Rights and Business 2017: Promoting responsibility and ensuring accountability’. While the inquiry and subsequent report were very thorough, the Government response over-emphasises the impact of current initiatives and fails to engage meaningfully with the committee’s...
In the run up to this year’s general election, the three main UK-wide political parties have now unveiled their manifestos.
There are many commonalities across three, with parties professing a desire to confront labour abuses such as modern slavery, and respond to new labour vulnerabilities driven by the “gig economy” and zero hour contracts. However, there are some notable differences on Brexit, corporate governance and the use of procurement to encourage better practice.
The SNP supports the creation of a robust regulatory framework to ensure that the UK economy is not vulnerable to a re-run of the 2008 financial crisis. The SNP will support measures including the reinstatement of the reverse burden of proof which, before being removed by the Tories, required senior bank managers to demonstrate they had done the right thing where wrongdoing had emerged on their watch.
We do not accept that either a “hard” Brexit or an exit from the EU without a deal is in the interests of the British people. We will be actively campaigning to safeguard jobs, uphold basic rights and put environmental protection at the heart of any future trade deals.
The Green Party would set an inspiring vision…. ensuring the environment is top of the political agenda.
The Conservative 2017 Manifesto shares a number of similarities with pledges made under the 2015 Manifesto. These include: reducing red tape, addressing tax avoidance and evasion, and requiring companies to publish information on executive pay. In their 2017 Manifesto, the Conservatives pledge to introduce measures that ensure employees’ interests are represented on company boards, however...
The Liberal Democrats’ 2017 Manifesto makes similar commitments to those pledged in 2015. These include: reforming laws to extend company reporting to ethical practices, environmental, worker and community protections; tackling tax avoidance and utilising public procurement to promote best business practice. New pledges focus on keeping the UK in the single market, strengthening worker input into company...
