Should I vote Conservative? Where David Cameron's party stands on key issues for General Election 2015

An at-a-glance look at the Conservative party's policies

David Cameron shows off the Conservative party's manifesto (PA) (PA)

After failing to win a majority in the 2010 election, David Cameron was forced to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and has faced constant criticism from the right of his party over the obstacles this has created.

But voters have overwhelmingly given the Tories the credit over the Coalition's achievements while the Liberal Democrats have largely taken the flak for failures, suggesting the Conservatives should be faring better in the polls than they currently are.

The reason they have failed to carve out a solid lead is down to Mr Cameron's broken promises on cutting immigration to the tens of thousands and his pledge to eliminate the deficit, which has led to swathes of its 2010 voters - and two of its MPs - switching to Ukip.

Mr Cameron's fate rests on his ability to win back those Ukip supporters. The raft of tax giveaways in the Conservative party's manifesto and its emphasis on helping pensioners are a clear sign of how serious the party is treating the threat of Nigel Farage.

ECONOMY

Legislation would be introduced to ensure that as the national minimum wage rises, the personal tax allowance is uprated so no one working 30 hours a week on the minimum wage pays income tax.

The 40p higher rate tax threshold would be raised to £50,000 by 2020. The inheritance tax threshold for married couples and civil partners would rise to £1m to take the family home out of it.

A further £30bn would be found to clear the deficit by 2017-18 - £13bn from cuts in government departments, £12bn from welfare cuts and £5bn from tax evasion and avoidance. The Tories would help business create 2m jobs to achieve full employment.

David Cameron unveils the Conservative party manifesto in Swindon (PA)

HEALTH

The Government has been “putting things right” in the NHS, but it still “faces major challenges”. The Tories would increase the health budget by £8bn above inflation by 2020, provide seven days-a-week access in England to hospital care within five years and guarantee a same-day GP appointment for older people.

They promise to “continue to eliminate mixed-sex wards and hospital infections” and “lead the world in fighting cancer and finding a cure for dementia”.

Verdict: The promised extra cash is designed to counter Labour charges that the quality of NHS care would deteriorate under the Tories.

CHILDCARE

The Tories would double to 30 hours a week the amount of free childcare for three and four-year-olds during term time with both parents working at least eight hours a week. It would be worth £5,000 a year when introduced in 2017.

The annual cost of almost £350m would be met from reducing tax relief on pensions contributions for people earning more than £150,000 a year.

IMMIGRATION

“Conservatives believe in controlled immigration, not mass immigration.” They have the “ambition” of reducing annual net migration to tens of thousands through “tough new welfare conditions and robust enforcement”.

The party would press for new EU rules barring migrants from receiving tax credits and child benefit until they have worked in Britain for four years.

It would tighten the student visa system and require public sector workers dealing with customers to speak English.

EDUCATION

The Tories have “brought high standards back to teaching, discipline back to schools, and challenging subjects back onto the curriculum”. Their key promises for the next five years are to protect spending per pupil in English schools and to turn “coasting and failing” schools into academies.

Eleven year olds who do not achieve “tough new standards” for literacy and numeracy would be retested at secondary school.

The £9,000 tuition fee system will continue: the record numbers of undergraduates proves its “continuing success”.

WELFARE

The Tories would lower the benefit cap on payments to one household from £26,000 to £23,000 a year “to reward work”. The basic state pension would rise by at least 2.5 per cent each year. Free bus passes and TV licences and winter fuel payments for pensioners would be retained.

Tougher “day one” work requirements would be brought in for young people claiming out-of-work benefits. Jobseeker’s Allowance for 18-21 year-olds would be replaced with a Youth Allowance time-limited to six months. This group would no longer have an automatic right to Housing Benefit when they leave their parents’ home.

HOUSING

Right to buy their homes would be extended from council tenants to 1.3m families living in housing association properties, with discounts worth up to £107,000 in London and £77,000 in the rest of England. Tories say the homes sold would be replaced on one-for-one basis. The £4.5bn cost would be funded by forcing councils to sell their most expensive homes. £1bn fund to build 400,000 homes on brownfield land over five years would be established.

Verdict: Headline-grabbing move but experts warn social housing stock could be diminished; nothing for “generation rent”.

CRIME AND SECURITY

Sentencing would be toughened and a new semi-custodial sentence including a “short, sharp spell” in prison introduced for repeat offenders. Old prisons would be replaced with larger jails.

The Human Rights Act would be scrapped and the European of Human Rights “curtailed” to make it easier to deport foreign criminals.

Police and security services would get extra powers to monitor online communications, while non-violent extremist groups would be outlawed.

FOREIGN/DEFENCE

Britain will remain a “major player on the world stage”. A referendum on membership of the European Union would be held by 2017 following renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with the bloc.

The commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of national income is retained.

The Trident nuclear deterrent would be renewed (with four submarines).

TRANSPORT

The party pledges to “make your life easier, with more and faster trains, more roads and cycle routes”. It restates its commitment to the biggest rail improvement programme since Victorian times, including the construction of the £50bn HS2 link, and to spend £15bn on new road schemes. The Tories would limit commuter rail fare rises to inflation until 2020.

They would “respond” to whether a new runway should be built in the south-east when the Airports Commission delivers its report.

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