I’m working abroad. What’s this election got to do with me?

You might have heard there’s another election happening on the 8th of June. But with so much info being thrown around, we’re suffering from a serious case of TMI.

We’re trying to make it a little simpler. We've trawled through all the information we can get on the top five parties (thank us later – no seriously, do – this took ages) to try and make sure you've got the facts you need to make a decision.

This one’s for citizens working outside of the UK, but still registered to vote in the election. If that doesn’t quite fit your situation, take a look at the rest of our coverage for some other scenarios that might match you better.*

Work

Okay, so you’re out of Britain at the moment. But at some point in the next 5 years, you might want to come back home. But will you be able to find a job? Here’s what the two biggest parties are pitching on what kind of ‘job market’ they want to create:

This is just a really difficult one to pin down a party on. Everyone says they're going to create the most and the best jobs.

The Conservatives say that they're all about "secure, high paying jobs in a strong economy" (they're really, really keen on using this word 'strong' as much as possible this campaign...) They say they want to bring "jobs of the future" to the UK and argue their policy of cutting corporation tax will make the country more attractive for businesses, which will then in turn create jobs. The current government does have a strong (sorry) track record of creating lots and lots of jobs – but they tend to be more on the low-pay, no-contract side of things.

Labour wants to “deliver investment and skills across the whole country” to make sure that job creation is more balanced and not just focused in the South East. It also wants to outlaw unpaid internships, which it says will help make sure that the people getting the best experience aren't just the people who can afford it.

Taxes

If you’re still registered as a resident in the UK, you’ll have to pay income tax, even though you’re earning abroad. This is what each party’s saying about it:

The Conservatives have said that "low taxes" is one of their big principles of a "strong economy". They won’t raise VAT, and have said they'll try and make sure the whole tax system is simpler for everybody.

Labour talk about tax all the time. But unless you’re earning over £80,000, you’re off the hook. If you are though, watch out – Labour want to increase income tax on high earners and corporations to fund everything from free school meals to more hospitals. The Greens haven’t said much on tax but seem to agree with most of Labour’s ideas.

The Lib Dems want to add a penny per every pound you pay in income tax, and use the money to fund the NHS.

Healthcare

If you visit the UK and get sick, you’ll still have a right to access the NHS. Here’s what each party has to say on it:

The Lib Dems have promised to treat mental health problems as equal in the NHS, said they will support the introduction of a regulated cannabis market (basically means legalization) and said they will treat drug use as a health issue not a criminal one.

Labour has said they'll stop the government from putting private companies in charge of running some parts of the NHS service – something called 'privatization' which the Conservatives have been doing quite a lot of. They've said they'll treat mental health issues equally in the NHS, and will fuse together the support services that exist for elderly and disabled people with the running of the whole health system.

The Greens are on side with these ideas as well, saying they want to take private companies out of the health system all together. So does the Scottish National Party.

The Conservatives say they'll increase funding to the NHS by £8 billion over the next five years. They will also stop people who are not resident in the UK using the NHS for free, though say it will still be at a 'competitive' rate when compared with the health insurance you pay to access healthcare overseas. There's not much mention in the manifesto about the government's tactic of allowing private companies to privde some NHS services.

Brexit

It's the reason this general election was called in the first place, and if you’re living in Europe, it’s definitely going to have an effect on your right to stay there. Even if you’re living further away, the government’s position on Brexit will set the tone for relationships to foreign countries in a big way. Here's what each party has to say on it:

A lot of Conservatives (including Theresa May) were anti-Brexit before, but they're now pretty solidly pro. Theresa May is taking a pretty tough approach to talks so far, saying "no deal is better than a bad deal" – but at the same time, their manifesto says they want to keep as many of the agreements that let the UK trade with the EU without any extra fees as possible.  But however talks go, they'd definitely go ahead under a Conservative government.

The Lib Dems are on the opposite side of the spectrum – they're strongly against leaving the EU and say they'll do everything they can to protect the 'single market', which is the arrangement between EU countries where trade is made as simple as possible. They want another referendum when the deal is ready to give UK citizens a say on whether they're happy with it.

The Greens are on the Lib Dem side on this one, saying basically the same thing. So is the Scottish National Party – except they also want the Scots to have some kind of special arrangement with the EU after Brexit, seeing as the majority of Scots didn't want to leave in the first place.

Labour used to be pro-EU as well, but now they're kind of in a happy middle between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives – they want to make sure workers rights and access to the single market is protected, but they're against a second referendum.

If you're someone who makes their decision to vote based on how each party approaches the 'big issues' like poverty or inequality, climate change, or homelessness, rather than on the things that affect you directly, stay tuned for our piece next week comparing what each party has to say about those wider issues.

If you're someone who doesn't actually vote at all, because you don't think it matters – if that's the case, take a look at our video out next week about how governments link to your day to day.

We'll be updating these articles as more information becomes available.

Was that helpful? Anything else you want us to talk about in the run up to the election? Get in touch at hello@ecnmy.org