UKIP has released its manifesto for the upcoming general election. The party promised on Monday that it has set out a series of “sensible, fully costed” policies.

Party leader Nigel Farage unveiled the manifesto in Essex on Wednesday. http://www.ukip.org/ukip_manifesto_summary

Lamenting that "Political party manifestos are usually filled with arbitrary, over-ambitious targets and pledges to some special interest group here or there,” Farage unveiled a list policies that included spending £12 billion more on the NHS,

UKIP also promises to take Britain out of the EU if the party is successful in May; The party’s manifesto promises a referendum on EU membership. If Britain leaves the EU, UKIP would attempt to broker a tailored trade agreement with the bloc.

The anti-immigration, Euro-sceptic party also plans to introduce an Australian-style, points-based immigration system, and a five year ban on ‘unskilled immigration’. UKIP leader Farage promised that people moving into the UK would only qualify for benefits or be allowed to reside permanently in the country after they had paid tax and national insurance for more than five years.

Invoking the Magna Carta - which was signed 800 years ago - Farage said UKIP’s policies focused on “Rebalancing power from large corporations and big government institutions and putting it back into the hands of the people.”

UKIP plans to fund many of its policies through savings delivered from leaving the European Union. Earlier this week Labour, which has pledged to oversee a rapprochement with Europe, said there is an “overwhelming” economic case for continued membership of the EU.

UKIP also promises a range of tax cuts, including:

• Raising the personal tax allowance to at least £13,000, ending taxation of minimum wage earners;
• Raising the threshold for paying 40% tax to £55,000 and introducing a new 30% intermediate rate for those earning between £45,300 and £55,000;
• Abolishing inheritance tax.

The party plans to build one million homes on brownfield sites by 2020 (compared to Labour’s pledge of 200,000 and the Tories’ promised 400,000), give local people the final say on planning developments in their area and scrap the planned HS2 rail link.  

UKIP’s environment and farming policy pledges include:

• Supporting shale gas fracking;
• Scrapping climate change legislation;
• Introduce a post-EU single farm payment for the country’s farmers;
• Increasing jail sentences for cases of animal cruelty;
• Ban live animal exports;
• Change the remit of the Competition Commission so dairy farmers get a fair price for milk;
• Give a free vote in parliament on GM foods ;
• Introduce detailed country of origin and method of production labelling for foods;

Going into further detail about the post-EU single farm payment, UKIP announced on Wednesday that farmers would receive support to the tune of £80/ha for the best agricultural land, and that payments would be capped at £120,000. Agriculture spokesperson and MEP Stuart Agnew said Britain currently contributes more to the CAP than British landowners receive, meaning a UKIP government could continue to support farmers if Britain left the EU.