Lib Dem manifesto to focus on NHS and social care

The Conservative party will today launch a new neighbourhood policing programme to recruit 8,000 additional police officers.

Rishi Sunak’s party will say that the new officers will be “embedded” in their local communities where they will build relationships, gather intelligence and cut crimes such as car thefts, antisocial behaviour and domestic burglaries.

The £650mn plan will be in the Conservative manifesto when it is launched on Tuesday. It would be funded by a 25 per cent rise in visa fees for foreign workers and visitors and a 30 per cent increase in the health surcharge for overseas students.

The policy would take the total number of police officers in the UK to 180,000, which would be the highest level in history.