Newington's Lizzy Roberts analyses the Liberal Democrat manifesto and what it means for the doorstep and electoral road ahead.

Although 58 pages shorter than the 2015 manifesto, at 22,000 words the Liberal Democrats’ 2017 offer proposes a swathe of policies that seek to flesh out the party’s opposition to Brexit and capture more votes from the left and young. However, though Tim Farron may call on young voters to imagine a brighter future, imagination is about as far as most of these policies will go, as the party leader rules out coalition with both the Conservatives and Labour in his opening segment. This is to be expected, Tim Farron has made clear he’s positioning his party as the opposition, rather than as a party of government.

Beyond a commitment to put the final Brexit deal to a vote in a second referendum, other key policies include a 1p rise in income tax to fund the NHS and social care, and £7billion in funding for the education sector. While the 1p on income tax was revealed as a policy ahead of the official launch it already appears to be holding commentators’ attention better than before. Something the Lib Dems hope will trickle down to the electorate.

Much of the manifesto is similar to that of 2015, with policies including an increase to £1,000 for the Pupil Premium and a goal of building 300,000 homes a year making reappearances. The manifesto recommits to giving 16 years old a vote, but also outlines the new policy of reversing various Conservative welfare cuts.

This manifesto is about appealing to select audiences, targeting the 48% of those who voted remain is the obvious direction, but the manifesto is also geared strongly towards young voters. This is an important move, as pollsters today revealed that those who would actually want to overturn Brexit actually amount to 22% of the electorate, suggesting that a second referendum is not going to have the mass appeal that was hoped for.

The breadth of policies covering healthcare, education and the environment will come as a relief to those canvassing on the doorstep. While Brexit is the defining issue of the election and the Lib Dems, it will be essential that the party demonstrates what else it stands for, not least in those vital Lib Dem seats that need defending in areas that voted leave (the key candidate to save being Norman Lamb in North Norfolk, who is rumoured to be under severe threat).

It will be interesting to see whether the policies make much of an impact on the current narrative surrounding the Lib Dems. The strategic move to push the Lib Dems’ opposition to Brexit as its defining issue has merit, but with opposition to Brexit currently waning this is now a much riskier path than previously expected. For the Lib Dems the snap election may have come to soon to light a fire underneath them.