General Election 2024: What do voters think about the manifestos of the smaller parties?
The election might seem like a two-horse race, but other parties are jockeying for votes too.
We put their manifestos to the Sky News YouGov Voters Panel.
Representing different political backgrounds and more than 40 different constituencies, they pored over the promises and policies.
Reform UK
Reform UK doesn’t have a traditional manifesto, but its “contract” with voters certainly reads like one.
And it split our panel.
One voter described it as “xenophobia, racism and closed-mindedness”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
But another said: “They make it clear they stand for British citizens… a lot of people feel here in the UK that they are undermined and undervalued.”
Reform are mostly targeting Tory votes, and an interesting picture emerges when you look at the people who voted Conservative last time.
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From our panel, a fifth of former Tory voters felt Reform resonated.
“I pretty much agree with everything that I’ve seen on the Reform Party’s manifesto. I like their views on immigration, the income tax threshold, the cutting of EU laws, the cutting of foreign aid,” one voter said.
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SNP
In Scotland, the SNP want to talk about independence, but the Scottish voters on our panel found other things to focus on in the party’s manifesto.
SNP leader John Swinney speaking during the party’s manifesto launch. Pic: PA
One voter told us: “I definitely agree with the £15 minimum wage, [and] more assistance for the care sector.
“It’s a shame we don’t have enough seats up here to run Westminster because I think a lot of people in the UK would follow a lot of the policies the SNP put forward.”
But another was not convinced, saying: “Nothing about the SNP is relevant, realistic or anything really – it’s just made-up garbage.”
Plaid Cymru
In Wales, Plaid Cymru want to win the Welsh vote.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth
One voter said: “Whilst I appreciate that Plaid Cymru are looking at the interests of people in Wales in particular, I disagree with the statement around taking full control of the economy.
“I am rather concerned that they are not happy about the defence spending.”
Green Party
The Greens say they are fighting for a fairer world, but do their pledges persuade our panel?
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer. Pic: AP
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“The environment policies really stand out to me,” one panel member said.
“Although I plan to vote for the Green Party, I have to admit that I don’t like their manifesto, particularly their policies surrounding defence.
“I’d love to see them get somewhere, but the way voting works, it’s a bit of a wasted vote.”
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has warned that crypto will increasingly threaten traditional financial markets’ stability as the industry grows and becomes more entwined with traditional finance players.
“We cannot rule out that future sharp drops in crypto prices could have knock-on effects on our financial system,” ESMA’s executive director Natasha Cazenave said in an April 8 statement to the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.
Cazenave noted, however, that crypto currently only accounts for 1% of global financial assets and is not yet significant enough to cause major “spillover effects” into traditional financial markets.
She warned that interconnections between crypto and traditional markets are rapidly growing — particularly in the more crypto-friendly US — and called for closer monitoring.
“Crypto-assets markets evolve quickly, in an often unpredictable manner, and we need to keep a close eye on these developments,” Cazenave said, adding:
“Turmoil, even in small markets, can originate or catalyze broader stability issues in our financial system.”
Cazenave’s concerns ranged from spot crypto exchange-traded funds and stablecoin use to hacks, scams and scandals — highlighting the recent $1.4 billion Bybit exploit and FTX’s collapse in November 2022.
Today in the ECON Committee, the role of crypto assets in relation to financial market stability was discussed. The European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) were present.
I raised a critical question about the digital euro.… pic.twitter.com/KST7FRBhFF
— Engin Eroglu (@EnginEroglu_FW) April 8, 2025
The European Union has already implemented several measures to safeguard against crypto risks, most notably the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation that was rolled out last year.
While Cazenave said MiCA marked a “breakthrough” for crypto regulation, she added that there is “no such thing as a safe crypto-asset” and that more rules may need to be implemented to mitigate future risks.
Related: EU could fine Elon Musk’s X $1B over illicit content, disinformation
Her comments come as both crypto and the stock markets have experienced double-digit falls over the last few weeks as the Trump administration continues to follow through on its tariff plans.
Europe lags US in crypto adoption
While crypto adoption has accelerated in the US, Cazenave noted that over 95% of European banks remain on the sidelines, with no involvement in crypto-related activities.
However, retail participation is on the rise, with an estimated 10% to 20% of European investors having crypto exposure, which is in line with growing global interest, Cazenave said.
Most reports measuring US crypto adoption suggest that the range of adoption is between 15% and 28% of the population.
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Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal has been granted final court approval to settle a class-action lawsuit for $11 million with Astrals non-fungible token (NFT) buyers.
Florida federal court judge Federico Moreno granted approval of the settlement between O’Neal and the class group led by Daniel Harper in an April 1 order made available on April 8.
The deal created a fund of up to $11 million for eligible class members and awarded $2.9 million in attorney fees and costs. All those who purchased Astrals NFTs from May 2022 to Jan. 15 and those who purchased the project’s native GLXY tokens up until mid-January are eligible.
“The fee sought by lead class counsel has been reviewed and approved as fair and reasonable by plaintiffs,” Moreno’s order read.
O’Neal was hit with the lawsuit in May 2023 over his founding and promotion of the Solana-based Astrals NFT project, which the suit claimed was an “offer and sale of unregistered securities.”
The class group said they bought Astrals NFTs and “suffered investment losses” due to O’Neal’s “conduct” in promoting the project.
In August, Judge Moreno recognized that the class suit had alleged that the former NBA player was a seller of the NFTs. O’Neal agreed to the settlement in November.
Screenshot from court order on final settlement. Source: Courtlistener
NFT sales slump
The Astrals NFT collection consisted of 10,000 unique 3D digital collectibles created in April 2022 by the artist Damien Guimoneau in a Solana-based project that promoted a virtual world where users could socialize and play with others, including the basketball star.
Related: NFT sales plunge 63% in Q1, but Pudgy Penguins, Doodles buck trend
There has been no activity or sales from the collection for the past two years, according to NFT marketplace OpenSea.
Overall, NFT sales are still in deep bear market territory, with just $27 million sold as of April 7, down from more than $2 billion per week at the end of 2021, according to CryptoSlam.
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