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Which party to vote for – depending on your age

Telegraph Money looks at what each party has pledged for different age groups 
Telegraph Money looks at what each party has pledged for different age groups

This is a six-part series on what each of the political parties has promised for different age groups in this general election. 

It used to be that your social class dictated how you vote. Now it is your age. Around half of those over the age of 60 voted Conservative in 2017, while almost the same proportion of under-29s voted the opposite way, for Labour, according to polling agency YouGov.

This year many of the parties have made big promises hoping to garner support from specific groups. With the 2019 general election quickly turning into the generational election, Telegraph Money took a look at what has been pledged for those in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.

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Read our six-part series to find out what each party’s policies would mean for you. Here is a round-up of the key issues at stake for each generation.

The under-30s

Stepping out into the adult world you have two choices: further education or work. Whichever your choice, the way you vote will significantly impact the next few years of your life, with university tuition fees and wages hot topics in this year’s manifestos.

You’re also likely to be looking to fly the nest, so make sure to find out what each party is promising to improve rights for renters.

30-year-olds

As you transition from your 20s to your 30s, having to share a home with strangers and put up with shoddy rented homes starts to become a drag. Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems have recognised that winning the vote of Britain’s wannabe first-time buyers is important and have made pledges accordingly. We take a look at how generous those promises are.

Settling down might also mean starting a family. The cost of childcare has soared in recent years – rising more than four times faster than wages since 2008, according to union centre the Trades Union Congress.

We crunch the numbers on what each of the parties’ proposals would save you, which ranges from more than £20,000 for some and less than £1,500 for others.

40-year-olds

As your salary starts to edge up, so too do your financial responsibilities – and your tax bill. We calculate what tax changes in each scenario would cost you and how much of that you’d benefit from.

As the children get older, the cost of keeping them carries on going up. Parents should take a look at what is being offered once the kids are out of their nappies.

50-year-olds

Once you hit the big five-oh, saving for retirement will be front and centre in your mind. What would a win from each of the parties mean for your plans? From when you’ll be able to retire to how you’ll fund it, a lot is at stake – and in some areas the cost of changes could be well over £8,000. We take a look at how your pensions, investments and property would be affected after December 12.

60-year-olds

Those who are at or nearly at state pension age will have been rightly concerned about the talk this year of cutting pensioner benefits such as free TV licences and the winter fuel allowance. You can read how all of the parties have addressed these questions in their manifestos here.

And what about the Fifties-born women who started receiving their state pension years later than expected? Under some governments they’d be compensated, receiving on average £15,000; under others they’d get nothing.

The over-70s

The cost of later life care has shot up and around one in 10 people aged 65 currently face future lifetime care costs of over £100,000, according to the charity the Health Foundation. So you would expect social care funding to be one of the key areas of each party’s pledges.

This has not been the case, with promises ranging from wooly and rather neglected to ambitious but poorly costed.

Those in their 70s are also likely to be thinking about how best to pass on wealth to their children and grandchildren. But they should watch out for inheritance tax changes that could cost them £140,000.

This is a six-part series from The Telegraph looking at which party's policies would benefit you most depending on your age. You can read the first part here