The United Progressive Party has rolled out an ambitious 2026 manifesto built around 15 policy pillars, promising early action on the cost of living, water security, healthcare, education, roads, crime, agriculture and business reform if elected on April 30.
Upp Launches 2026 Manifesto
On its newly launched platform myupp.org, the party says it intends to begin work on all 15 pillars within its first 100 days in office.
Branded as a “People’s Platform,” the manifesto is framed as a response to what the party says is public fatigue with broken promises and rushed election-year pledges.
In his foreword, Political Leader Jamale Pringle says the document was shaped by public input and deliberately designed to avoid over-promising, presenting it instead as a set of commitments the party believes it can realistically deliver.
At the heart of the programme is relief for households struggling with high prices. The UPP says it would remove all taxes, duties and mark-ups on a redesigned basket of essential goods, restore the Dollar Barrel initiative twice yearly, maintain levies on junk food and sugary drinks, and boost salaries for non-established workers to a base of $2,700 a month. It also promises to review civil servants’ salaries and expand duty-free support for farmers as part of a broader food security push.
On roads and infrastructure, the party is proposing an Independent Roads Commission, a public accounting of the $100 million road loan and the 40 percent increase in licence fees, and a community-based rehabilitation plan. It also wants to begin a national street-naming and house-numbering programme, arguing that proper addressing is critical for emergency response and navigation.
Water security is another of the manifesto’s headline promises. The UPP says it would launch its Water Tanks and Accessories Programme, or WATA, within the first 100 days to improve household water storage and resilience. Healthcare commitments include reopening community clinics, restoring night clinic services for working families and reopening the All Saints Clinic within the first 100 days.
In education, the party promises free public education from kindergarten to A-Level and says it would sponsor CSEC English and Maths fees for all students. On crime and policing, it proposes rebranding the force as the Antigua and Barbuda Police Service and creating a Civilian Review Board with independent authority.
The manifesto also sets out proposals for agriculture, constitutional reform and economic development. These include rent-free 25-year farm allotments at Diamonds Estate and Christian Valley, 25 percent off APUA water rates for farms, constitutional amendments on dual citizenship electoral rights and fixed-date elections, and consultations with the Chamber of Commerce and Employers Federation within the first seven working days of taking office. The party also says it would review pensions, increase the People’s Benefit Card, introduce a Maintenance of Minors fund and revive the Development Bank.
Beyond the bread-and-butter promises, the UPP is also pitching several big-ticket ideas, including a Sir Vivian Richards Sports and Entertainment Complex, a National Youth Council, a “Bring Back Beautiful” national clean-up campaign, and a “No More Oil” policy under which all future power plants would be powered by renewables. Diaspora engagement is given its own section, with proposals for a Diaspora Affairs portfolio, a one-stop government services hub, a retirement village and the return of a Homecoming festival as part of Independence celebrations.
