What do the Conservatives stand for?
The Conservatives stand for lower property and pensioner taxes — abolishing stamp duty on main homes and the Triple Lock Plus — a legally binding immigration cap, cheaper energy via scrapping the carbon tax, and a route back to home ownership for the young. Currently third in the polls on roughly 19%.
The pillars, with the evidence
- Property: abolish stamp duty on main homes — the boldest housing-tax pledge from a major party.
- Pensioners: Triple Lock Plus — the state pension never taxed.
- Young workers: the First Job Bonus — first £5,000 of NI toward a home deposit.
- Families: reverse the 20% VAT on private school fees.
- Energy & migration: axe the UK ETS carbon tax and a binding annual immigration cap voted by Parliament.
The core argument about the Conservatives
The pitch is a targeted-relief conservatism: help owners, pensioners and aspiring buyers without Reform's fiscal leap. The challenge is squeezed from both sides — Reform outbids them on tax and migration while their 14-year record in office remains the attack line everyone else shares. Where they'd leave your finances: run the impact calculator or see the Conservative vs Reform stamp duty head-to-head.
Polling context as of July 2026 (PollCheck 7-poll average); positions from the party's published proposals as analysed on this site. Independent and unofficial. Latest polls →
Frequently asked questions
What do the Conservatives stand for now?
Under Kemi Badenoch: abolishing stamp duty on main homes, Triple Lock Plus (an untaxed state pension), a legally binding annual immigration cap, scrapping the UK carbon tax, reversing VAT on private school fees, and the First Job Bonus turning young workers' NI into deposit savings.
What is the difference between the Conservatives and Reform UK?
Scale and risk. Both promise lower taxes and lower migration; Reform's versions are far larger (a £20,000 allowance vs targeted reliefs; abolishing ILR vs a binding cap) and far more expensive. The Conservatives pitch themselves as the deliverable version of the same instincts.
What is Triple Lock Plus?
A Conservative pledge to raise pensioners' tax-free personal allowance in line with the triple lock, guaranteeing the state pension itself is never dragged into income tax as it rises past the frozen £12,570 allowance.