Exclusive: leaked briefing note advises candidates not to sign up to non-approved pledges – but supporting shooting is allowed

Conservative candidates in the general election will be told not to sign up to specific pledges on protecting the NHS from privatisation and trade deals or tackling climate change, according to a leaked internal document from party headquarters.

The 11-page briefing note explains the party’s position on nine key areas and “strongly advises” prospective Tory MPs “against signing up to any pledges” unless they have been agreed from the centre.

However, supporting shooting is allowed “as an important part of rural life”, the document says.

Although the briefing sets out why signing up to certain pledges are unnecessary and could backfire, the demands from Tory HQ are likely to be seized on by opposition leaders, who insist the party cannot be trusted to keep its promises on certain important issues.

The document, titled “Issue campaign responses”, gives an insight into how candidates will be expected to stick to a strict script, with little wriggle room beyond the template responses provided for them.

Drafted by the Conservative research department last weekend, the memo acknowledges that candidates “will be asked to sign pledges on various campaign issues” and then sets out a cheat sheet of “substantive responses that can be used as a basis for a reply”.

The issues on which candidates have been told to avoid signing up to pledges include:

Trade deals with the NHS . The memo warns candidates to avoid signing any pledges to “protect our NHS from trade deals with new legislation which ends privatisation”. It says this kind of pledge would “give credence to factually inaccurate smears … The NHS is not for sale.” It says candidates should focus instead on “Jeremy Corbyn’s attempt to override the British people on Brexit”.

Climate change . Tory candidates are told that many campaigns to tackle climate change “contain unrealistic targets that would be impossible to achieve” and that it would be better to focus on “practical, reasonable steps to protect our planet while keeping bills down”. The memo claims Labour does not have a credible approach to the problem

Women’s state pension age . This highly charged issue could be a significant factor for women in the general election as the age for receiving a state pension rises from 60 to 65. Boris Johnson has promised to review the change, but the memo urges candidates not to engage on the issue. “Avoid signing [pledges],” it says. “Changes to the state pension age are part of a long overdue move towards gender equality and will put the pensions system on a more sustainable footing for future generations.”

Standing up for Brexit. The memo says it is unnecessary to pledge to stand up for Brexit because “a Conservative government with a functioning majority will immediately get Brexit done”.

Other pledges to avoid relate to private schools. Tory hopefuls are told they could say: “Labour’s plans to abolish private schools … would dramatically increase class sizes and do nothing for our children’s education.”

The memo says candidates “may sign if they deem appropriate to do so” pledges on shooting and river pollution. The template response on the former topic includes an acknowledgment that “for many people shooting is an important part of rural life … worth around £2bn to the economy, much of it in some of our remotest communities”.

River pollution pledges are deemed safe for endorsement, according to the memo, especially if they can be linked to Brexit. Candidates are told to say: “Leaving the EU is a defining opportunity for the UK to set its own course and take ambitious action to protect our natural environment for future generations.”

The briefing note urges candidates to alert party chiefs if they are asked to sign pledges on other topics. “If you have received a request to sign a pledge that is not included in this pack, please send to [omitted] for advice on a response.”

Asked about the document, a Conservative party spokesperson said: “It is commonplace for political parties to provide briefing.”

The party emphasised that it advised not signing pledges on trade deals and the NHS because “the NHS is not for sale and no trade agreement will change this fact”.