| Britain will be better with new Labour
'Our case is simple: that Britain can and must be better' 'The vision is
one of national renewal, a country with drive, purpose and energy' 'In
each area of policy a new and distinctive approach has been mapped out,
one that differs from the old left and the Conservative right. This is
why new Labour is new' 'New Labour is a party of ideas and ideals but
not of outdated ideology. What counts is what works. The objectives are
radical. The means will be modern' 'This is our contract with the
people'
I believe in Britain. It is a great country with a great history. The
British people are a great people. But I believe Britain can and must
be better: better schools, better hospitals, better ways of tackling
crime, of building a modern welfare state, of equipping ourselves for a
new world economy. I want a Britain that is one nation, with shared
values and purpose, where merit comes before privilege, run for the many
not the few, strong and sure of itself at home and abroad. I want a
Britain that does not shuffle into the new millennium afraid of the
future, but strides into it with confidence. I want to renew our
country's faith in the ability of its government and politics to deliver
this new Britain. I want to do it by making a limited set of important
promises and achieving them. This is the purpose of the bond of trust I
set out at the end of this introduction, in which ten specific
commitments are put before you. Hold us to them. They are our covenant
with you. I want to renew faith in politics by being honest about the
last 18 years. Some things the Conservatives got right. We will not
change them. It is where they got things wrong that we will make change.
We have no intention or desire to replace one set of dogmas by another.
I want to renew faith in politics through a government that will govern
in the interest of the many, the broad majority of people who work hard,
play by the rules, pay their dues and feel let down by a political
system that gives the breaks to the few, to an elite at the top
increasingly out of touch with the rest of us. And I want, above all, to
govern in a way that brings our country together, that unites our nation
in facing the tough and dangerous challenges of the new economy and
changed society in which we must live. I want a Britain which we all
feel part of, in whose future we all have a stake, in which what I want
for my own children I want for yours.
A new politics The reason for having created new Labour is to meet the
challenges of a different world. The millennium symbolises a new era
opening up for Britain. I am confident about our future prosperity, even
optimistic, if we have the courage to change and use it to build a
better Britain. To accomplish this means more than just a change of
government. Our aim is no less than to set British political life on a
new course for the future. People are cynical about politics and
distrustful of political promises. That is hardly surprising. There have
been few more gross breaches of faith than when the Conservatives under
Mr Major promised, before the election of 1992, that they would not
raise taxes, but would cut them every year; and then went on to raise
them by the largest amount in peacetime history starting in the first
Budget after the election. The Exchange Rate Mechanism as the
cornerstone of economic policy, Europe, health, crime, schools, sleaze �
the broken promises are strewn across the country's memory. The
Conservatives' broken promises taint all politics. That is why we have
made it our guiding rule not to promise what we cannot deliver; and to
deliver what we promise. What follows is not the politics of a 100 days
that dazzles for a time, then fizzles out. It is not the politics of a
revolution, but of a fresh start, the patient rebuilding and renewing of
this country � renewal that can take root and build over time. That is
one way in which politics in Britain will gain a new lease of life. But
there is another. We aim to put behind us the bitter political struggles
of left and right that have torn our country apart for too many decades.
Many of these conflicts have no relevance whatsoever to the modern world
� public versus private, bosses versus workers, middle class versus
working class. It is time for this country to move on and move forward.
We are proud of our history, proud of what we have achieved � but we
must learn from our history, not be chained to it.
New Labour The purpose of new Labour is to give Britain a different
political choice: the choice between a failed Conservative government,
exhausted and divided in everything other than its desire to cling on to
power, and a new and revitalised Labour Party that has been resolute in
transforming itself into a party of the future. We have rewritten our
constitution, the new Clause IV, to put a commitment to enterprise
alongside the commitment to justice. We have changed the way we make
policy, and put our relations with the trade unions on a modern footing
where they accept they can get fairness but no favours from a Labour
government. Our MPs are all now selected by ordinary party members, not
small committees or pressure groups. The membership itself has doubled,
to over 400,000, with half the members having joined since the last
election. We submitted our draft manifesto, new Labour new life for
Britain, to a ballot of all our members, 95 per cent of whom gave it
their express endorsement. We are a national party, supported today by
people from all walks of life, from the successful businessman or woman
to the pensioner on a council estate. Young people have flooded in to
join us in what is the fastest growing youth section of any political
party in the western world.
The vision We are a broad-based movement for progress and justice. New
Labour is the political arm of none other than the British people as a
whole. Our values are the same: the equal worth of all, with no one cast
aside; fairness and justice within strong communities. But we have
liberated these values from outdated dogma or doctrine, and we have
applied these values to the modern world. I want a country in which
people get on, do well, make a success of their lives. I have no time
for the politics of envy. We need more successful entrepreneurs, not
fewer of them. But these life-chances should be for all the people. And
I want a society in which ambition and compassion are seen as partners
not opposites � where we value public service as well as material
wealth. New Labour believes in a society where we do not simply pursue
our own individual aims but where we hold many aims in common and work
together to achieve them. How we build the industry and employment
opportunities of the future; how we tackle the division and inequality
in our society; how we care for and enhance our environment and quality
of life; how we develop modern education and health services; how we
create communities that are safe, where mutual respect and tolerance are
the order of the day. These are things we must achieve together as a
country. The vision is one of national renewal, a country with drive,
purpose and energy. A Britain equipped to prosper in a global economy of
technological change; with a modern welfare state; its politics more
accountable; and confident of its place in the world.
Programme: a new centre and centre-left politics In each area of policy
a new and distinctive approach has been mapped out, one that differs
both from the solutions of the old left and those of the Conservative
right. This is why new Labour is new. We believe in the strength of our
values, but we recognise also that the policies of 1997 cannot be those
of 1947 or 1967. More detailed policy has been produced by us than by
any opposition in history. Our direction and destination are clear. The
old left would have sought state control of industry. The Conservative
right is content to leave all to the market. We reject both approaches.
Government and industry must work together to achieve key objectives
aimed at enhancing the dynamism of the market, not undermining it. In
industrial relations, we make it clear that there will be no return to
flying pickets, secondary action, strikes with no ballots or the trade
union law of the 1970s. There will instead be basic minimum rights for
the individual at the workplace, where our aim is partnership not
conflict between employers and employees. In economic management, we
accept the global economy as a reality and reject the isolationism and
�go-it-alone' policies of the extremes of right or left. In education,
we reject both the idea of a return to the 11-plus and the monolithic
comprehensive schools that take no account of children's differing
abilities. Instead we favour all-in schooling which identifies the
distinct abilities of individual pupils and organises them in classes to
maximise their progress in individual subjects. In this way we modernise
the comprehensive principle, learning from the experience of its 30
years of application. In health policy, we will safeguard the basic
principles of the NHS, which we founded, but will not return to the
top-down management of the 1970s. So we will keep the planning and
provision of healthcare separate, but put planning on a longer-term,
decentralised and more co-operative basis. The key is to root out
unnecessary administrative cost, and to spend money on the right things
� frontline care. On crime, we believe in personal responsibility and in
punishing crime, but also tackling its underlying causes � so, tough on
crime, tough on the causes of crime, different from the Labour approach
of the past and the Tory policy of today. Over-centralisation of
government and lack of accountability was a problem in governments of
both left and right. Labour is committed to the democratic renewal of
our country through decentralisation and the elimination of excessive
government secrecy. In addition, we will face up to the new issues that
confront us. We will be the party of welfare reform. In consultation and
partnership with the people, we will design a modern welfare state based
on rights and duties going together, fit for the modern world. We will
stand up for Britain's interests in Europe after the shambles of the
last six years, but, more than that, we will lead a campaign for reform
in Europe. Europe isn't working in the way this country and Europe need.
But to lead means to be involved, to be constructive, to be capable of
getting our own way. We will put concern for the environment at the
heart of policy-making, so that it is not an add-on extra, but informs
the whole of government, from housing and energy policy through to
global warming and international agreements. We will search out at every
turn new ways and new ideas to tackle the new issues: how to encourage
more flexible working hours and practices to suit employees and
employers alike; how to harness the huge potential of the new
information technology; how to simplify the processes of the government
machine; how to put public and private sector together in partnership to
give us the infrastructure and transport system we need. We will be a
radical government. But the definition of radicalism will not be that of
doctrine, whether of left or right, but of achievement. New Labour is a
party of ideas and ideals but not of outdated ideology. What counts is
what works. The objectives are radical. The means will be modern. So the
party is transformed. The vision is clear. And from that vision stems a
modern programme of change and renewal for Britain. We understand that
after 18 years of one-party rule, people want change, believe that it is
necessary for the country and for democracy, but require faith to make
the change. We therefore set out in the manifesto that follows ten
commitments, commitments that form our bond of trust with the people.
They are specific. They are real. Judge us on them. Have trust in us and
we will repay that trust. Our mission in politics is to rebuild this
bond of trust between government and the people. That is the only way
democracy can flourish. I pledge to Britain a government which shares
their hopes, which understands their fears, and which will work as
partners with and for all our people, not just the privileged few. This
is our contract with the people.
Over the five years of a Labour government:
1 Education will be our number one priority, and we will increase
the share of national income spent on education as we decrease it on the
bills of economic and social failure
2 There will be no increase in the basic or top rates of income tax
3 We will provide stable economic growth with low inflation, and
promote dynamic and competitive business and industry at home and abroad
4 We will get 250,000 young unemployed off benefit and into work
5 We will rebuild the NHS, reducing spending on administration and
increasing spending on patient care
6 We will be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime, and
halve the time it takes persistent juvenile offenders to come to court
7 We will help build strong families and strong communities, and lay
the foundations of a modern welfare state in pensions and community care
8 We will safeguard our environment, and develop an integrated
transport policy to fight congestion and pollution
9 We will clean up politics, decentralise political power throughout
the United Kingdom and put the funding of political parties on a proper
and accountable basis
10 We will give Britain the leadership in Europe which Britain and
Europe need
We have modernised the Labour Party and we will modernise Britain. This
means knowing where we want to go; being clear-headed about the
country's future; telling the truth; making tough choices; insisting
that all parts of the public sector live within their means; taking on
vested interests that hold people back; standing up to unreasonable
demands from any quarter; and being prepared to give a moral lead where
government has responsibilities it should not avoid. Britain does
deserve better. And new Labour will be better for Britain.
A copy of the manifesto is available in Braille and on cassette. Please
phone 0171 277 3410
Visit Labour's general election website at http://www.labourwin97.org.uk
We will make education our number one priority
- Cut class sizes to 30 or under for 5, 6 and 7 year-olds - Nursery
places for all four year-olds - Attack low standards in schools - Access
to computer technology - Lifelong learning through a new University for
Industry - More spending on education as the cost of unemployment falls
Education has been the Tories' biggest failure. It is Labour's number
one priority. It is not just good for the individual. It is an economic
necessity for the nation. We will compete successfully on the basis of
quality or not at all. And quality comes from developing the potential
of all our people. It is the people who are our greatest natural asset.
We will ensure they can fulfil their potential. Nearly half of 11
year-olds in England and Wales fail to reach expected standards in
English and maths. Britain has a smaller share of 17 and 18 year-olds in
full-time education than any major industrial nation. Nearly two thirds
of the British workforce lack vocational qualifications. There are
excellent schools in Britain's state education system. But far too many
children are denied the opportunity to succeed. Our task is to raise the
standards of every school. We will put behind us the old arguments that
have bedevilled education in this country. We reject the Tories'
obsession with school structures: all parents should be offered real
choice through good quality schools, each with its own strengths and
individual ethos. There should be no return to the 11-plus. It divides
children into successes and failures at far too early an age. We must
modernise comprehensive schools. Children are not all of the same
ability, nor do they learn at the same speed. That means �setting'
children in classes to maximise progress, for the benefit of high-fliers
and slower learners alike. The focus must be on levelling up, not
levelling down. With Labour, the Department for Education and Employment
will become a leading office of state. It will give a strong and
consistent lead to help raise standards in every school. Standards, more
than structures, are the key to success. Labour will never put dogma
before children's education. Our approach will be to intervene where
there are problems, not where schools are succeeding. Labour will never
force the abolition of good schools whether in the private or state
sector. Any changes in the admissions policies of grammar schools will
be decided by local parents. Church schools will retain their
distinctive religious ethos. We wish to build bridges wherever we can
across education divides. The educational apartheid created by the
public/private divide diminishes the whole education system.
Zero tolerance of underperformance Every school has the capacity to
succeed. All Local Education Authorities (LEAs) must demonstrate that
every school is improving. For those failing schools unable to improve,
ministers will order a �fresh start' � close the school and start afresh
on the same site. Where good schools and bad schools coexist side by
side we will authorise LEAs to allow one school to take over the other
to set the underperforming school on a new path.
Quality nursery education guaranteed for all four year-olds Nursery
vouchers have been proven not to work. They are costly and do not
generate more quality nursery places. We will use the money saved by
scrapping nursery vouchers to guarantee places for four year-olds. We
will invite selected local authorities to pilot early excellence centres
combining education and care for the under-fives. We will set targets
for universal provision for three year-olds whose parents want it.
New focus on standards in primary schools Primary schools are the key to
mastering the basics and developing in every child an eagerness to
learn. Every school needs baseline assessment of pupils when they enter
the school, and a year-on-year target for improvement. We will reduce
class sizes for five, six and seven year-olds to 30 or under, by phasing
out the assisted places scheme, the cost of which is set to rise to �180
million per year. We must recognise the three �r's for what they are �
building blocks of all learning that must be taught better. We will
achieve this by improving the skills of the teaching force; ensuring a
stronger focus on literacy in the curriculum; and piloting literacy
summer schools to meet our new target that within a decade every child
leaves primary school with a reading age of at least 11 (barely half do
today). Our numeracy taskforce will develop equally ambitious targets.
We will encourage the use of the most effective teaching methods,
including phonics for reading and whole class interactive teaching for
maths.
Attacking educational disadvantage No matter where a school is, Labour
will not tolerate under-achievement. Public/private partnerships will
improve the condition of school buildings. There will be education
action zones to attack low standards by recruiting the best teachers and
head teachers to under-achieving schools; by supporting voluntary
mentoring schemes to provide one-to-one support for disadvantaged
pupils; and by creating new opportunities for children, after the age of
14, to enhance their studies by acquiring knowledge and experience
within industry and commerce. To attack under-achievement in urban
areas, we have developed a new scheme with the Premier League. In
partnerships between central government, local government and football
clubs, study support centres will be set up at Premier League grounds
for the benefit of local children. The scheme will be launched on a
pilot basis during the 1997/8 season. We support the greatest possible
integration into mainstream education of pupils with special educational
needs, while recognising that specialist facilities are essential to
meet particular needs.
Realising the potential of new technology Labour is the pioneer of new
thinking. We have agreed with British Telecom and the cable companies
that they will wire up schools, libraries, colleges and hospitals to the
information superhighway free of charge. We have also secured agreement
to make access charges as low as possible. For the Internet we plan a
National Grid for Learning, franchised as a public/private partnership,
which will bring to teachers up-to-date materials to enhance their
skills, and to children high-quality educational materials. We will use
lottery money to improve the skills of existing teachers in information
technology. In opposition, Labour set up the independent Stevenson
Commission to promote access for children to new technology. Its recent
report is a challenging programme for the future. We are urgently
examining how to implement its plans, in particular the development of
educational software through a grading system which will provide schools
with guarantees of product quality; and the provision for every child of
an individual email address. An independent standing committee will
continue to advise us on the implementation of our plans in government.
The role of parents We will increase the powers and responsibilities of
parents. There will be more parent governors and, for the first time,
parent representatives on LEAs. A major objective is to promote a
culture of responsibility for learning within the family, through
contracts between all schools and parents, defining the responsibilities
of each. National guidelines will establish minimum periods for homework
for primary and secondary school pupils. Teachers will be entitled to
positive support from parents to promote good attendance and sound
discipline. Schools suffer from unruly and disruptive pupils. Exclusion
or suspension may sometimes be necessary. We will, however, pilot new
pupil referral units so that schools are protected but these pupils are
not lost to education or the country.
New job description for LEAs The judge and jury of LEA performance will
be their contribution to raising standards. LEAs are closer to schools
than central government, and have the authority of being locally
elected. But they will be required to devolve power, and more of their
budgets, to heads and governors. LEA performance will be inspected by
Ofsted and the Audit Commission. Where authorities are deemed to be
failing, the secretary of state may suspend the relevant powers of the
LEA and send in an improvement team.
Grant maintained schools Schools that are now grant maintained will
prosper with Labour's proposals, as will every school. Tory claims that
Labour will close these schools are false. The system of funding will
not discriminate unfairly either between schools or between pupils. LEAs
will be represented on governing bodies, but will not control them. We
support guidelines for open and fair admissions, along the lines of
those introduced in 1993; but we will also provide a right of appeal to
an independent panel in disputed cases.
Teachers: pressure and support Schools are critically dependent on the
quality of all staff. The majority of teachers are skilful and
dedicated, but some fall short. We will improve teacher training, and
ensure that all teachers have an induction year when they first qualify,
to ensure their suitability for teaching. There will be a general
teaching council to speak for and raise standards in the profession. We
will create a new grade of teachers to recognise the best. There will,
however, be speedy, but fair, procedures to remove teachers who cannot
do the job. The strength of a school is critically dependent on the
quality of its head. We will establish mandatory qualifications for the
post. A head teacher will be appointed to a position only when fully
trained to accept the responsibility.
Higher education The improvement and expansion needed cannot be funded
out of general taxation. Our proposals for funding have been made to the
Dearing Committee, in line with successful policies abroad. The costs of
student maintenance should be repaid by graduates on an income-related
basis, from the career success to which higher education has
contributed. The current system is badly administered and payback
periods are too short. We will provide efficient administration, with
fairness ensured by longer payback periods where required.
Lifelong learning We must learn throughout life, to retain employment
through new and improved skills. We will promote adult learning both at
work and in the critical sector of further education. In schools and
colleges, we support broader A-levels and upgraded vocational
qualifications, underpinned by rigorous standards and key skills.
Employers have the primary responsibility for training their workforces
in job-related skills. But individuals should be given the power to
invest in training. We will invest public money for training in
Individual Learning Accounts which individuals � for example women
returning to the labour force � can then use to gain the skills they
want. We will kickstart the programme for up to a million people, using
�150 million of TEC money which could be better used and which would
provide a contribution of �150, alongside individuals making small
investments of their own. Employers will be encouraged to make voluntary
contributions to these funds. We will also promote the extension of the
Investors in People initiative into many more small firms. Our new
University for Industry, collaborating with the Open University, will
bring new opportunities to adults seeking to develop their potential.
This will bring government, industry and education together to create a
new resource whose remit will be to use new technology to enhance skills
and education. The University for Industry will be a public/private
partnership, commissioning software and developing the links to extend
lifelong learning.
Government spending on education The Conservatives have cut government
spending on education as a share of national income by the equivalent of
more than �3 billion as spending on the bills of economic and social
failure has risen. We are committed to reversing this trend of spending.
Over the course of a five-year Parliament, as we cut the costs of
economic and social failure we will raise the proportion of national
income spent on education.
We will promote personal prosperity for all - Economic stability to
promote investment - Tough inflation target, mortgage rates as low as
possible - Stick for two years within existing spending limits -
Five-year pledge: no increase in income tax rates - Long-term objective
of ten pence starting rate of income tax - Early Budget to get people
off welfare and into work
T he Conservatives have in 18 years created the two longest, deepest
recessions this century. We have experienced the slowest average growth
rate of any similar period since the second world war. There has been a
fundamental failure to tackle the underlying causes of inflation, of low
growth and of unemployment. These are: too much economic instability,
with wild swings from boom to bust too little investment in education
and skills, and in the application of new technologies too few
opportunities to find jobs, start new businesses or become self-employed
too narrow an industrial base and too little sense of common purpose in
the workplace or across the nation. Britain can do better. We must build
on the British qualities of inventiveness, creativity and adaptability.
New Labour's objective is to improve living standards for the many, not
just the few. Business can and must succeed in raising productivity.
This requires a combination of a skilled and educated workforce with
investment in the latest technological innovations, as the route to
higher wages and employment. An explicit objective of a Labour
government will be to raise the trend rate of growth by strengthening
our wealth-creating base. We will nurture investment in industry,
skills, infrastructure and new technologies. And we will attack
long-term unemployment, especially among young people. Our goal will be
educational and employment opportunities for all. Economic stability is
the essential platform for sustained growth. In a global economy the
route to growth is stability not inflation. The priority must be stable,
low-inflation conditions for long-term growth. The root causes of
inflation and low growth are the same � an economic and industrial base
that remains weak. Government cannot solve all economic problems or end
the economic cycle. But by spending wisely and taxing fairly, government
can help tackle the problems. Our goals are low inflation, rising living
standards and high and stable levels of employment. Spending and tax:
new Labour's approach The myth that the solution to every problem is
increased spending has been comprehensively dispelled under the
Conservatives. Spending has risen. But more spending has brought neither
greater fairness nor less poverty. Quite the reverse � our society is
more divided than it has been for generations. The level of public
spending is no longer the best measure of the effectiveness of
government action in the public interest. It is what money is actually
spent on that counts more than how much money is spent. The national
debt has doubled under John Major. The public finances remain weak. A
new Labour government will give immediate high priority to seeing how
public money can be better used. New Labour will be wise spenders, not
big spenders. We will work in partnership with the private sector to
achieve our goals. We will ask about public spending the first question
that a manager in any company would ask � can existing resources be used
more effectively to meet our priorities? And because efficiency and
value for money are central, ministers will be required to save before
they spend. Save to invest is our approach, not tax and spend. The
increase in taxes under the Conservatives is the most dramatic evidence
of economic failure. Since 1992 the typical family has paid more than
�2,000 in extra taxes � the biggest tax hike in peacetime history,
breaking every promise made by John Major at the last election. The
tragedy is that those hardest hit are least able to pay. That is why we
strongly opposed the imposition of VAT on fuel: it was Labour that
stopped the government from increasing VAT on fuel to 17.5 per cent.
Taxation is not neutral in the way it raises revenue. How and what
governments tax sends clear signals about the economic activities they
believe should be encouraged or discouraged, and the values they wish to
entrench in society. Just as, for example, work should be encouraged
through the tax system, environmental pollution should be discouraged.
New Labour will establish a new trust on tax with the British people.
The promises we make we will keep. The principles that will underpin our
tax policy are clear: to encourage employment opportunities and work
incentives for all to promote savings and investment and to be fair and
be seen to be fair. New Labour is not about high taxes on ordinary
families. It is about social justice and a fair deal. New Labour
therefore makes the following economic pledges.
Fair taxes There will be no return to the penal tax rates that existed
under both Labour and Conservative governments in the 1970s. To
encourage work and reward effort, we are pledged not to raise the basic
or top rates of income tax throughout the next Parliament. Our long-term
objective is a lower starting rate of income tax of ten pence in the
pound. Reducing the high marginal rates at the bottom end of the earning
scale � often 70 or 80 per cent � is not only fair but desirable to
encourage employment. This goal will benefit the many, not the few. It
is in sharp contrast to the Tory goal of abolishing capital gains and
inheritance tax, at least half the benefit of which will go to the
richest 5,000 families in the country. We will cut VAT on fuel to five
per cent, the lowest level allowed.
We renew our pledge not to extend VAT to food, children's clothes, books
and newspapers and public transport fares. We will also examine the
interaction of the tax and benefits systems so that they can be
streamlined and modernised, so as to fulfil our objectives of promoting
work incentives, reducing poverty and welfare dependency, and
strengthening community and family life.
No risks with inflation We will match the current target for low and
stable inflation of 2.5 per cent or less. We will reform the Bank of
England to ensure that decision-making on monetary policy is more
effective, open, accountable and free from short-term political
manipulation.
Strict rules for government borrowing We will enforce the �golden rule'
of public spending � over the economic cycle, we will only borrow to
invest and not to fund current expenditure. We will ensure that � over
the economic cycle � public debt as a proportion of national income is
at a stable and prudent level.
Stick to planned public spending allocations for the first two years of
office Our decisions have not been taken lightly. They are a recognition
of Conservative mismanagement of the public finances. For the next two
years Labour will work within the departmental ceilings for spending
already announced. We will resist unreasonable demands on the public
purse, including any unreasonable public sector pay demands.
Switch spending from economic failure to investment We will conduct a
central spending review and departmental reviews to assess how to use
resources better, while rooting out waste and inefficiency in public
spending. Labour priorities in public spending are different from Tory
priorities.
Tax reform to promote saving and investment We will introduce a new
individual savings account and extend the principle of TESSAs and PEPs
to promote long-term saving. We will review the corporate and capital
gains tax regimes to see how the tax system can promote greater
long-term investment.
Labour's welfare-to-work Budget We will introduce a Budget within two
months after the election to begin the task of equipping the British
economy and reforming the welfare state to get young people and the
long-term unemployed back to work. This welfare-to-work programme will
be funded by a windfall levy on the excess profits of the privatised
utilities, introduced in this Budget after we have consulted the
regulators.
We will help create successful and profitable businesses
- Backing business: skills, infrastructure, new markets - Gains for
consumers with tough competition law - New measures to help small
businesses - National minimum wage to tackle low pay - Boost local
economic growth with Regional Development Agencies - A strong and
effective voice in Europe
New Labour offers business a new deal for the future. We will leave
intact the main changes of the 1980s in industrial relations and
enterprise. We see healthy profits as an essential motor of a dynamic
market economy, and believe they depend on quality products, innovative
entrepreneurs and skilled employees. We will build a new partnership
with business to improve the competitiveness of British industry for the
21st century, leading to faster growth. Many of the fundamentals of the
British economy are still weak. Low pay and low skills go together:
insecurity is the consequence of economic instability; the absence of
quality jobs is a product of the weakness of our industrial base; we
suffer from both high unemployment and skills shortages. There is no
future for Britain as a low wage economy: we cannot compete on wages
with countries paying a tenth or a hundredth of British wages. We need
to win on higher quality, skill, innovation and reliability. With
Labour, British and inward investors will find this country an
attractive and profitable place to do business. New Labour believes in a
flexible labour market that serves employers and employees alike. But
flexibility alone is not enough. We need �flexibility plus': plus higher
skills and higher standards in our schools and colleges plus policies to
ensure economic stability plus partnership with business to raise
investment in infrastructure, science and research and to back small
firms plus new leadership from Britain to reform Europe, in place of the
current policy of drift and disengagement from our largest market plus
guaranteeing Britain's membership of the single market � indeed opening
up further markets inside and outside the EU � helping make Britain an
attractive place to do business plus minimum standards of fair
treatment, including a national minimum wage plus an imaginative
welfare-to-work programme to put the long-term unemployed back to work
and to cut social security costs.
A reformed and tougher competition law Competitiveness abroad must begin
with competition at home. Effective competition can bring value and
quality to consumers. As an early priority we will reform Britain's
competition law. We will adopt a tough �prohibitive' approach to deter
anti-competitive practices and abuses of market power. In the utility
industries we will promote competition wherever possible. Where
competition is not an effective discipline, for example in the water
industry which has a poor environmental record and has in most cases
been a tax-free zone, we will pursue tough, efficient regulation in the
interests of customers, and, in the case of water, in the interests of
the environment as well. We recognise the need for open and predictable
regulation which is fair both to consumers and to shareholders and at
the same time provides incentives for managers to innovate and improve
efficiency.
Reinvigorate the Private Finance Initiative Britain's infrastructure is
dangerously run down: parts of our road and rail network are seriously
neglected, and all too often our urban environment has been allowed to
deteriorate. Labour pioneered the idea of public/private partnerships.
It is Labour local authorities which have done most to create these
partnerships at local level. A Labour government will overcome the
problems that have plagued the PFI at a national level. We will set
priorities between projects, saving time and expense; we will seek a
realistic allocation of risk between the partners to a project; and we
will ensure that best practice is spread throughout government. We will
aim to simplify and speed up the planning process for major
infrastructure projects of vital national interest. We will ensure that
self-financing commercial organisations within the public sector � the
Post Office is a prime example � are given greater commercial freedom to
make the most of new opportunities.
Backing small business The number of small employers has declined by
half a million since 1990. Support for small businesses will have a
major role in our plans for economic growth. We will cut unnecessary red
tape; provide for statutory interest on late payment of debts; improve
support for high-tech start-ups; improve the quality and relevance of
advice and training through a reformed Business Links network and the
University for Industry; and assist firms to enter overseas markets more
effectively.
Local economic growth Prosperity needs to be built from the bottom up.
We will establish one-stop regional development agencies to co-ordinate
regional economic development, help small business and encourage inward
investment. Many regions are already taking informal steps to this end
and they will be supported.
Strengthen our capability in science, technology and design The UK must
be positively committed to the global pursuit of new knowledge, with a
strong science base in our universities and centres of excellence
leading the world. The Dearing Committee represents a significant
opportunity to promote high-quality standards in science teaching and
research throughout UK higher education. We support a collaborative
approach between researchers and business, spreading the use of new
technology and good design, and exploiting our own inventions to boost
business in the UK.
Promoting new green technologies and businesses There is huge potential
to develop Britain's environmental technology industries to create jobs,
win exports and protect the environment. Effective environmental
management is an increasingly important component of modern business
practice. We support a major push to promote energy conservation �
particularly by the promotion of home energy efficiency schemes, linked
to our environment taskforce for the under-25s. We are committed to an
energy policy designed to promote cleaner, more efficient energy use and
production, including a new and strong drive to develop renewable energy
sources such as solar and wind energy, and combined heat and power. We
see no economic case for the building of any new nuclear power stations.
Key elements of the 1980s trade union reforms to stay There must be
minimum standards for the individual at work, including a minimum wage,
within a flexible labour market. We need a sensible balance in
industrial relations law � rights and duties go together. The key
elements of the trade union legislation of the 1980s will stay � on
ballots, picketing and industrial action. People should be free to join
or not to join a union. Where they do decide to join, and where a
majority of the relevant workforce vote in a ballot for the union to
represent them, the union should be recognised. This promotes stable and
orderly industrial relations. There will be full consultation on the
most effective means of implementing this proposal.
Partnership at work The best companies recognise their employees as
partners in the enterprise. Employees whose conditions are good are more
committed to their companies and are more productive. Many unions and
employers are embracing partnership in place of conflict. Government
should welcome this. We are keen to encourage a variety of forms of
partnership and enterprise, spreading ownership and encouraging more
employees to become owners through Employee Share Ownership Plans and
co-operatives. We support too the Social Chapter of the EU, but will
deploy our influence in Europe to ensure that it develops so as to
promote employability and competitiveness, not inflexibility.
A sensibly set national minimum wage There should be a statutory level
beneath which pay should not fall � with the minimum wage decided not on
the basis of a rigid formula but according to the economic circumstances
of the time and with the advice of an independent low pay commission,
whose membership will include representatives of employers, including
small business, and employees. Every modern industrial country has a
minimum wage, including the US and Japan. Britain used to have minimum
wages through the Wages Councils. Introduced sensibly, the minimum wage
will remove the worst excesses of low pay (and be of particular benefit
to women), while cutting some of the massive �4 billion benefits bill by
which the taxpayer subsidises companies that pay very low wages.
We will get the unemployed from welfare to work
- Stop the growth of an �underclass' in Britain - 250,000 young
unemployed off benefit and into work - Tax cuts for employers who create
new jobs for the long-term unemployed - Effective help for lone parents
T here are over one million fewer jobs in Britain than in 1990. One in
five families has no one working. One million single mothers are trapped
on benefits. There is a wider gap between rich and poor than for
generations. We are determined not to continue down the road of a
permanent have-not class, unemployed and disaffected from society. Our
long-term objective is high and stable levels of employment. This is the
true meaning of a stakeholder economy � where everyone has a stake in
society and owes responsibilities to it. The best way to tackle poverty
is to help people into jobs � real jobs. The unemployed have a
responsibility to take up the opportunity of training places or work,
but these must be real opportunities. The government's workfare
proposals � with a success rate of one in ten � fail this test. Labour's
welfare-to-work programme will attack unemployment and break the spiral
of escalating spending on social security. A one-off windfall levy on
the excess profits of the privatised utilities will fund our ambitious
programme.
Every young person unemployed for more than six months in a job or
training We will give 250,000 under-25s opportunities for work,
education and training. Four options will be on offer, each involving
day-release education or training leading to a qualification:
private-sector job: employers will be offered a �60-a-week rebate for
six months work with a non-profit voluntary sector employer, paying a
weekly wage, equivalent to benefit plus a fixed sum for six months
full-time study for young people without qualifications on an approved
course a job with the environment taskforce, linked to Labour's
citizens' service programme. Rights and responsibilities must go hand in
hand, without a fifth option of life on full benefit.
Every 16 and 17 year-old on the road to a proper qualification by the
year 2000 Nearly a third of young people do not achieve an NVQ level two
qualification by age 19. All young people will be offered part-time or
full-time education after the age of 16. Any under-18 year-old in a job
will have the right to study on an approved course for qualifications at
college. We will replace the failed Youth Training scheme with our new
Target 2000 programme, offering young people high-quality education and
training.
Action on long-term unemployment New partnerships between government and
business, fully involving local authorities and the voluntary sector,
will attack long-term joblessness. We will encourage employers to take
on those who have suffered unemployment for more than two years with a
�75-a-week tax rebate paid for six months, financed by the windfall
levy. Our programme for the phased release of past receipts from council
house sales will provide new jobs in the construction industry.
Lone parents into work Today the main connection between unemployed lone
parents and the state is their benefits. Most lone parents want to work,
but are given no help to find it. New Labour has a positive policy. Once
the youngest child is in the second term of full-time school, lone
parents will be offered advice by a proactive Employment Service to
develop a package of job search, training and after-school care to help
them off benefit.
Customised, personalised services We favour initiatives with new
combinations of available benefits to suit individual circumstances. In
new and innovative �Employment Zones', personal job accounts will
combine money currently available for benefits and training, to offer
the unemployed new options � leading to work and independence. We will
co-ordinate benefits, employment and career services, and utilise new
technology to improve their quality and efficiency.
Fraud Just as we owe it to the taxpayer to crack down on tax avoidance,
so we must crack down on dishonesty in the benefit system. We will start
with a clampdown on Housing Benefit fraud, estimated to cost �2 billion
a year, and will maintain action against benefit fraud of all kinds.
We will save the NHS
- 100,000 people off waiting lists - End the Tory internal market - End
waiting for cancer surgery - Tough quality targets for hospitals -
Independent food standards agency - New public health drive - Raise
spending in real terms every year � and spend the money on patients not
bureaucracy
Labour created the NHS 50 years ago. It is under threat from the
Conservatives. We want to save and modernise the NHS. But if the
Conservatives are elected again there may well not be an NHS in five
years' time � neither national nor comprehensive. Labour commits itself
anew to the historic principle: that if you are ill or injured there
will be a national health service there to help; and access to it will
be based on need and need alone � not on your ability to pay, or on who
your GP happens to be or on where you live. In 1990 the Conservatives
imposed on the NHS a complex internal market of hospitals competing to
win contracts from health authorities and fundholding GPs. The result is
an NHS strangled by costly red tape, with every individual transaction
the subject of a separate invoice. After six years, bureaucracy swallows
an extra �1.5 billion per year; there are 20,000 more managers and
50,000 fewer nurses on the wards; and more than one million people are
on waiting lists. The government has consistently failed to meet even
its own health targets. There can be no return to top-down management,
but Labour will end the Conservatives' internal market in healthcare.
The planning and provision of care are necessary and distinct functions,
and will remain so. But under the Tories, the administrative costs of
purchasing care have undermined provision and the market system has
distorted clinical priorities. Labour will cut costs by removing the
bureaucratic processes of the internal market. The savings achieved will
go on direct care for patients. As a start, the first �100 million saved
will treat an extra 100,000 patients. We will end waiting for cancer
surgery, thereby helping thousands of women waiting for breast cancer
treatment.
Primary care will play a lead role In recent years, GPs have gained
power on behalf of their patients in a changed relationship with
consultants, and we support this. But the development of GP fundholding
has also brought disadvantages. Decision-making has been fragmented.
Administrative costs have grown. And a two-tier service has resulted.
Labour will retain the lead role for primary care but remove the
disadvantages that have come from the present system. GPs and nurses
will take the lead in combining together locally to plan local health
services more efficiently for all the patients in their area. This will
enable all GPs in an area to bring their combined strength to bear upon
individual hospitals to secure higher standards of patient provision. In
making this change, we will build on the existing collaborative schemes
which already serve 14 million people. The current system of
year-on-year contracts is costly and unstable. We will introduce three-
to five-year agreements between the local primary care teams and
hospitals. Hospitals will then be better able to plan work at full
capacity and co-operate to enhance patient services.
Higher-quality services for patients Hospitals will retain their
autonomy over day-to-day administrative functions, but, as part of the
NHS, they will be required to meet high-quality standards in the
provision of care. Management will be held to account for performance
levels. Boards will become more representative of the local communities
they serve. A new patients' charter will concentrate on the quality and
success of treatment. The Tories' so-called �Efficiency Index' counts
the number of patient �episodes', not the quality or success of
treatment. With Labour, the measure will be quality of outcome, itself
an incentive for effectiveness. As part of our concern to ensure
quality, we will work towards the elimination of mixed-sex wards. Health
authorities will become the guardians of high standards. They will
monitor services, spread best practice and ensure rising standards of
care. The Tory attempt to use private money to build hospitals has
failed to deliver. Labour will overcome the problems that have plagued
the Private Finance Initiative, end the delays, sort out the confusion
and develop new forms of public/private partnership that work better and
protect the interests of the NHS. Labour is opposed to the privatisation
of clinical services which is being actively promoted by the
Conservatives. Labour will promote new developments in telemedicine �
bringing expert advice from regional centres of excellence to
neighbourhood level using new technology.
Good health A new minister for public health will attack the root causes
of ill health, and so improve lives and save the NHS money. Labour will
set new goals for improving the overall health of the nation which
recognise the impact that poverty, poor housing, unemployment and a
polluted environment have on health. Smoking is the greatest single
cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK. We will
therefore ban tobacco advertising. Labour will establish an independent
food standards agency. The �3.5 billion BSE crisis and the E. coli
outbreak which resulted in serious loss of life, have made unanswerable
the case for the independent agency we have proposed.
NHS spending The Conservatives have wasted spending on the NHS. We will
do better. We will raise spending on the NHS in real terms every year
and put the money towards patient care. And a greater proportion of
every pound spent will go on patient care not bureaucracy.
An NHS for the future The NHS requires continuity as well as change, or
the system cannot cope. There must be pilots to ensure that change
works. And there must be flexibility, not rigid prescription, if
innovation is to flourish. Our fundamental purpose is simple but hugely
important: to restore the NHS as a public service working co-operatively
for patients, not a commercial business driven by competition.
We will be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime
- Fast-track punishment for persistent young offenders - Reform Crown
Prosecution Service to convict more criminals - Police on the beat not
pushing paper - Crackdown on petty crimes and neighbourhood disorder -
Fresh parliamentary vote to ban all handguns
Under the Conservatives, crime has doubled and many more criminals get
away with their crimes: the number of people convicted has fallen by a
third, with only one crime in 50 leading to a conviction. This is the
worst record of any government since the Second World War � and for
England and Wales the worst record of any major industrialised country.
Last year alone violent crime rose 11 per cent. We propose a new
approach to law and order: tough on crime and tough on the causes of
crime. We insist on individual responsibility for crime, and will attack
the causes of crime by our measures to relieve social deprivation. The
police have our strong support. They are in the front line of the fight
against crime and disorder. The Conservatives have broken their 1992
general election pledge to provide an extra 1,000 police officers. We
will relieve the police of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens to get more
officers back on the beat.
Youth crime Youth crime and disorder have risen sharply, but very few
young offenders end up in court, and when they do half are let off with
another warning. Young offenders account for seven million crimes a
year. Far too often young criminals offend again and again while waiting
months for a court hearing. We will halve the time it takes to get
persistent young offenders from arrest to sentencing; replace widespread
repeat cautions with a single final warning; bring together Youth
Offender Teams in every area; and streamline the system of youth courts
to make it far more effective. New parental responsibility orders will
make parents face up to their responsibility for their children's
misbehaviour.
Conviction and sentencing The job of the Crown Prosecution Service is to
prosecute criminals effectively. There is strong evidence that the CPS
is over-centralised, bureaucratic and inefficient, with cases too often
dropped, delayed, or downgraded to lesser offences. Labour will
decentralise the CPS, with local crown prosecutors co-operating more
effectively with local police forces. We will implement an effective
sentencing system for all the main offences to ensure greater
consistency and stricter punishment for serious repeat offenders. The
courts will have to spell out what each sentence really means in
practice. The Court of Appeal will have a duty to lay down sentencing
guidelines for all the main offences. The attorney general's power to
appeal unduly lenient sentences will be extended. The prison service now
faces serious financial problems. We will audit the resources available,
take proper ministerial responsibility for the service, and seek to
ensure that prison regimes are constructive and require inmates to face
up to their offending behaviour.
Disorder The Conservatives have forgotten the �order' part of �law and
order'. We will tackle the unacceptable level of anti-social behaviour
and crime on our streets. Our �zero tolerance' approach will ensure that
petty criminality among young offenders is seriously addressed.
Community safety orders will deal with threatening and disruptive
criminal neighbours. Labour has taken the lead in proposing action to
tackle the problems of stalking and domestic violence. Child protection
orders will deal with young children suffering neglect by parents
because they are left out on their own far too late at night. Britain is
a multiracial and multicultural society. All its members must have the
protection of the law. We will create a new offence of racial harassment
and a new crime of racially motivated violence to protect ethnic
minorities from intimidation.
Drugs The vicious circle of drugs and crime wrecks lives and threatens
communities. Labour will appoint an anti-drugs supremo to co-ordinate
our battle against drugs across all government departments. The �drug
czar' will be a symbol of our commitment to tackle the modern menace of
drugs in our communities. We will pilot the use of compulsory drug
testing and treatment orders for offenders to ensure that the link
between drug addiction and crime is broken. This will be paid for by
bringing remand delays down to the national targets. We will attack the
drug problem in prisons. In addition to random drug testing of all
prisoners we will aim for a voluntary testing unit in every prison for
prisoners ready to prove they are drug-free.
Victims Victims of crime are too often neglected by the criminal justice
system. We will ensure that victims are kept fully informed of the
progress of their case, and why charges may have been downgraded or
dropped. Greater protection will be provided for victims in rape and
serious sexual offence trials and for those subject to intimidation,
including witnesses.
Prevention We will place a new responsibility on local authorities to
develop statutory partnerships to help prevent crime. Local councils
will then be required to set targets for the reduction of crime and
disorder in their area.
Gun control In the wake of Dunblane and Hungerford, it is clear that
only the strictest firearms laws can provide maximum safety. The
Conservatives failed to offer the protection required. Labour led the
call for an outright ban on all handguns in general civilian use. There
will be legislation to allow individual MPs a free vote for a complete
ban on handguns. Labour is the party of law and order in Britain today.
We will strengthen family life
- Help parents balance work and family - Security in housing and help
for homeowners - Tackle homelessness using receipts from council house
sales - Dignity and security in retirement - Protect the basic state
pension and promote secure second pensions
We will uphold family life as the most secure means of bringing up our
children. Families are the core of our society. They should teach right
from wrong. They should be the first defence against anti-social
behaviour. The breakdown of family life damages the fabric of our
society. Labour does not see families and the state as rival providers
for the needs of our citizens. Families should provide the day-to-day
support for children to be brought up in a stable and loving
environment. But families cannot flourish unless government plays its
distinctive role: in education; where necessary, in caring for the
young; in making adequate provision for illness and old age; in
supporting good parenting; and in protecting families from lawlessness
and abuse of power. Society, through government, must assist families to
achieve collectively what no family can achieve alone. Yet families in
Britain today are under strain as never before. The security once
offered by the health service has been undermined. Streets are not safe.
Housing insecurity grows. One in five non-pensioner families has no one
working; and British men work the longest hours in Europe. The clock
should not be turned back. As many women who want to work should be able
to do so. More equal relationships between men and women have
transformed our lives. Equally, our attitudes to race, sex and sexuality
have changed fundamentally. Our task is to combine change and social
stability.
Work and family Families without work are without independence. This is
why we give so much emphasis to our welfare-to-work policies. Labour's
national childcare strategy will plan provision to match the
requirements of the modern labour market and help parents, especially
women, to balance family and working life. There must be a sound balance
between support for family life and the protection of business from
undue burdens � a balance which some of the most successful businesses
already strike. The current government has shown itself wholly
insensitive to the need to help develop family-friendly working
practices. While recognising the need for flexibility in implementation
and for certain exemptions, we support the right of employees not to be
forced to work more than 48 hours a week; to an annual holiday
entitlement; and to limited unpaid parental leave. These measures will
provide a valuable underpinning to family life. The rights of part-time
workers have been clarified by recent court judgements which we welcome.
We will keep under continuous review all aspects of the tax and benefits
systems to ensure that they are supportive of families and children. We
are committed to retain universal Child Benefit where it is universal
today � from birth to age 16 � and to uprate it at least in line with
prices. We are reviewing educational finance and maintenance for those
older than 16 to ensure higher staying-on rates at school and college,
and that resources are used to support those in most need. This review
will continue in government on the guidelines we have already laid down.
Security in housing Most families want to own their own homes. We will
also support efficiently run social and private rented sectors offering
quality and choice. The Conservatives' failure on housing has been
twofold. The two thirds of families who own their homes have suffered a
massive increase in insecurity over the last decade, with record
mortgage arrears, record negative equity and record repossessions. And
the Conservatives' lack of a housing strategy has led to the virtual
abandonment of social housing, the growth of homelessness, and a failure
to address fully leaseholder reform. All these are the Tory legacy.
Labour's housing strategy will address the needs of homeowners and
tenants alike. We will reject the boom and bust policies which caused
the collapse of the housing market. We will work with mortgage providers
to encourage greater provision of more flexible mortgages to protect
families in a world of increased job insecurity. Mortgage buyers also
require stronger consumer protection, for example by extension of the
Financial Services Act, against the sale of disadvantageous mortgage
packages. The problems of gazumping have reappeared. Those who break
their bargains should be liable to pay the costs inflicted on others, in
particular legal and survey costs. We are consulting on the best way of
tackling the problems of gazumping in the interests of responsible home
buyers and sellers.
The rented housing sector We support a three-way partnership between the
public, private and housing association sectors to promote good social
housing. With Labour, capital receipts from the sale of council houses,
received but not spent by local councils, will be re-invested in
building new houses and rehabilitating old ones. This will be phased to
match the capacity of the building industry and to meet the requirements
of prudent economic management. We also support effective schemes to
deploy private finance to improve the public housing stock and to
introduce greater diversity and choice. Such schemes should only go
ahead with the support of the tenants concerned: we oppose the
government's threat to hand over council housing to private landlords
without the consent of tenants and with no guarantees on rents or
security of tenure. We value a revived private rented sector. We will
provide protection where most needed: for tenants in houses in multiple
occupation. There will be a proper system of licensing by local
authorities which will benefit tenants and responsible landlords alike.
We will introduce �commonhold', a new form of tenure enabling people
living in flats to own their homes individually and to own the whole
property collectively. We will simplify the current rules restricting
the purchase of freeholds by leaseholders.
Homelessness Homelessness has more than doubled under the Conservatives.
Today more than 40,000 families in England are in expensive temporary
accommodation. The government, in the face of Labour opposition, has
removed the duty on local authorities to find permanent housing for
homeless families. We will impose a new duty on local authorities to
protect those who are homeless through no fault of their own and are in
priority need. There is no more powerful symbol of Tory neglect in our
society today than young people without homes living rough on the
streets. Young people emerging from care without any family support are
particularly vulnerable. We will attack the problem in two principal
ways: the phased release of capital receipts from council house sales
will increase the stock of housing for rent; and our welfare-to-work
programme will lead the young unemployed into work and financial
independence.
Older citizens We value the positive contribution that older people make
to our society, through their families, voluntary activities and work.
Their skills and experience should be utilised within their communities.
That is why, for example, we support the proposal to involve older
people as volunteers to help children learn in pre-school and
after-school clubs. In work, they should not be discriminated against
because of their age. The provision of adequate pensions in old age is a
major challenge for the future. For today's pensioners Conservative
policies have created real poverty, growing inequality and widespread
insecurity. The Conservatives would abolish the state-financed basic
retirement pension and replace it with a privatised scheme, with a vague
promise of a means-tested state guarantee if pensions fall beneath a
minimum level. Their proposals mean there will be no savings on welfare
spending for half a century; and taxes will have to rise to make
provision for new privately funded pensions. Their plans require an
additional �312 billion between now and 2040 through increased taxes or
borrowing, against the hope of savings later, with no certainty of
security in retirement at the end. We believe that all pensioners should
share fairly in the increasing prosperity of the nation. Instead of
privatisation, we propose a partnership between public and private
provision, and a balance between income sourced from tax and invested
savings. The basic state pension will be retained as the foundation of
pension provision. It will be increased at least in line with prices. We
will examine means of delivering more automatic help to the poorest
pensioners � one million of whom do not even receive the Income Support
which is their present entitlement. We will encourage saving for
retirement, with proper protection for savings. We will reform the
Financial Services Act so that the scandal of pension mis-selling �
600,000 pensions mis-sold and only 7,000 people compensated to date �
will not happen again. Too many people in work, particularly those on
low and modest incomes and with changing patterns of employment, cannot
join good-value second pension schemes. Labour will create a new
framework � stakeholder pensions � to meet this need. We will encourage
new partnerships between financial service companies, employers and
employees to develop these pension schemes. They will be approved to
receive people's savings only if they meet high standards of value for
money, flexibility and security. Labour will promote choice in pension
provision. We will support and strengthen the framework for occupational
pensions. Personal pensions, appropriately regulated, will remain a good
option for many. Labour will retain SERPS as an option for those who
wish to remain within it. We will also seek to develop the
administrative structure of SERPS so as to create a �citizenship
pension' for those who assume responsibility as carers, as a result lose
out on the pension entitlements they would otherwise acquire, and
currently end up on means-tested benefits. We overcame government
opposition to pension splitting between women and men on divorce. We
will implement this in government. We aim to provide real security for
families through a modern system of community care. As people grow
older, their need for care increases. The Conservative approach is to
promote private insurance and privatisation of care homes. But private
insurance will be inaccessible to most people. And their policy for
residential homes is dogmatic and will not work. We believe that local
authorities should be free to develop a mix of public and private care.
We recognise the immense amount of care provision undertaken by family
members, neighbours and friends. It was a Labour MP who piloted the 1995
Carers Act through Parliament. We will establish a Royal Commission to
work out a fair system for funding long-term care for the elderly. We
will introduce a �long-term care charter' defining the standard of
services which people are entitled to expect from health, housing and
social services. We are committed to an independent inspection and
regulation service for residential homes, and domiciliary care. Everyone
is entitled to dignity in retirement. Under the Tories, the earnings
link for state pensions has been ended, VAT on fuel has been imposed,
SERPS has been undermined and community care is in tatters. We will set
up a review of the central areas of insecurity for elderly people: all
aspects of the basic pension and its value, second pensions including
SERPS, and community care. The review will ensure that the views of
pensioners are heard. Our watchword in developing policy for pensions
and long-term care will be to build consensus among all interested
parties.
We will help you get more out of life
- Every government department a �green' department - Efficient and clean
transport for all - New arts and science talent fund for young people -
Reform the lottery - Improve life in rural areas - Back World Cup bid
The millennium is the time to reaffirm our responsibility to protect and
enhance our environment so that the country we hand on to our children
and our grandchildren is a better place in which to live. It also
provides a natural opportunity to celebrate and improve the contribution
made by the arts, culture and sport to our nation. We need a new and
dynamic approach to the �creative economy'. The Department of National
Heritage will develop a strategic vision that matches the real power and
energy of British arts, media and cultural industries.
Protecting the environment Our generation, and generations yet to come,
are dependent on the integrity of the environment. No one can escape
unhealthy water, polluted air or adverse climate change. And just as
these problems affect us all, so we must act together to tackle them. No
responsible government can afford to take risks with the future: the
cost is too high. So it is our duty to act now. The foundation of
Labour's environmental approach is that protection of the environment
cannot be the sole responsibility of any one department of state. All
departments must promote policies to sustain the environment. And
Parliament should have an environmental audit committee to ensure high
standards across government. Throughout this manifesto, there are
policies designed to combine environmental sustainability with economic
and social progress. They extend from commitments at local level to give
communities enhanced control over their environments, to initiatives at
international level to ensure that all countries are contributing to the
protection of the environment. A sustainable environment requires above
all an effective and integrated transport policy at national, regional
and local level that will provide genuine choice to meet people's
transport needs. That is what we will establish and develop.
Railways The process of rail privatisation is now largely complete. It
has made fortunes for a few, but has been a poor deal for the taxpayer.
It has fragmented the network and now threatens services. Our task will
be to improve the situation as we find it, not as we wish it to be. Our
overriding goal must be to win more passengers and freight on to rail.
The system must be run in the public interest with higher levels of
investment and effective enforcement of train operators' service
commitments. There must be convenient connections, through-ticketing and
accurate travel information for the benefit of all passengers. To
achieve these aims, we will establish more effective and accountable
regulation by the rail regulator; we will ensure that the public subsidy
serves the public interest; and we will establish a new rail authority,
combining functions currently carried out by the rail franchiser and the
Department of Transport, to provide a clear, coherent and strategic
programme for the development of the railways so that passenger
expectations are met. The Conservative plan for the wholesale
privatisation of London Underground is not the answer. It would be a
poor deal for the taxpayer and passenger alike. Yet again, public assets
would be sold off at an under-valued rate. Much-needed investment would
be delayed. The core public responsibilities of the Underground would be
threatened. Labour plans a new public/private partnership to improve the
Underground, safeguard its commitment to the public interest and
guarantee value for money to taxpayers and passengers.
Road transport A balanced transport system must cater for all the
familiar modes of transport: cars � whether owned, leased or shared;
taxis; buses; bicycles and motorcycles. All needs must be addressed in
transport planning to ensure the best mix of all types of transport,
offer quality public transport wherever possible and help to protect the
environment. The key to efficient bus services is proper regulation at
local level, with partnerships between local councils and bus operators
an essential component. There must be improved provision and enforcement
of bus lanes. Better parking facilities for cars must be linked to
convenient bus services to town centres. Road safety is a high priority.
Cycling and walking must be made safer, especially around schools. We
remain unpersuaded by the case for heavier, 44-tonne lorries mooted by
the Conservatives. Our concern is that they would prove dangerous and
damaging to the environment. Our plans to reduce pollution include
working with the automotive industry to develop �smart', efficient and
clean cars for the future, with substantially reduced emission levels.
The review of vehicle excise duty to promote low-emission vehicles will
be continued. We will conduct an overall strategic review of the roads
programme against the criteria of accessibility, safety, economy and
environmental impact, using public/private partnerships to improve road
maintenance and exploiting new technology to improve journey
information.
Shipping and aviation The Tory years have seen the near-extinction of
Britain's merchant fleet. Labour will work with all concerned in
shipping and ports to help develop their economic potential to the full.
The guiding objectives of our aviation strategy will be fair
competition, safety and environmental standards. We want all British
carriers to be able to compete fairly in the interests of consumers.
Life in our countryside Labour recognises the special needs of people
who live and work in rural areas. The Conservatives do not. Public
services and transport services in rural areas must not be allowed to
deteriorate. The Conservatives have tried to privatise the Post Office.
We opposed that, in favour of a public Post Office providing a
comprehensive service. Conservative plans would mean higher charges for
letters and put rural post offices under threat. We favour a moratorium
on large-scale sales of Forestry Commission land. We recognise that the
countryside is a great natural asset, a part of our heritage which calls
for careful stewardship. This must be balanced, however, with the needs
of people who live and work in rural areas. The total failure of the
Conservatives to manage the BSE crisis effectively and to secure any
raising of the ban on British beef has wreaked havoc on the beef and
dairy industries. The cost to the taxpayer so far is �3.5 billion.
Labour aims to reform the Common Agricultural Policy to save money, to
support the rural economy and enhance the environment. Our initiatives
to link all schools to the information superhighway will ensure that
children in rural areas have access to the best educational resources.
Our policies include greater freedom for people to explore our open
countryside. We will not, however, permit any abuse of a right to
greater access. We will ensure greater protection for wildlife. We have
advocated new measures to promote animal welfare, including a free vote
in Parliament on whether hunting with hounds should be banned by
legislation. Angling is Britain's most popular sport. Labour's anglers'
charter affirms our long-standing commitment to angling and to the
objective of protecting the aquatic environment.
Arts and culture The arts, culture and sport are central to the task of
recreating the sense of community, identity and civic pride that should
define our country. Yet we consistently undervalue the role of the arts
and culture in helping to create a civic society � from amateur theatre
to our art galleries. Art, sport and leisure are vital to our quality of
life and the renewal of our economy. They are significant earners for
Britain. They employ hundreds of thousands of people. They bring
millions of tourists to Britain every year, who will also be helped by
Labour's plans for new quality assurance in hotel accommodation. We
propose to set up a National Endowment for Science and the Arts to
sponsor young talent. NESTA will be a national trust � for talent rather
than buildings � for the 21st century. NESTA will be partly funded by
the lottery; and artists who have gained high rewards from their
excellence in the arts and wish to support young talent will be
encouraged to donate copyright and royalties to NESTA.
Sport A Labour government will take the lead in extending opportunities
for participation in sports; and in identifying sporting excellence and
supporting it. School sports must be the foundation. We will bring the
government's policy of forcing schools to sell off playing fields to an
end. We will provide full backing to the bid to host the 2006 football
World Cup in England. A Labour government will also work to bring the
Olympics and other major international sporting events to Britain.
A people's lottery The lottery has been a financial success. But there
has been no overall strategy for the allocation of monies; and no
co-ordination among the five distributor bodies about the projects
deserving to benefit from lottery funding. For example, the
multi-million-pound expenditure on the Churchill papers caused national
outrage. A Labour government will review the distribution of lottery
proceeds to ensure that there is the widest possible access to the
benefits of lottery revenues throughout the UK. Labour has already
proposed a new millennium commission to commence after the closure of
the Millennium Exhibition, to provide direct support for a range of
education, environment and public health projects, including those
directed at children's play, a project currently excluded from lottery
benefit. Because the lottery is a monopoly intended to serve the public
interest, it must be administered efficiently and economically. When the
current contract runs out, Labour will seek an efficient not-for-profit
operator to ensure that the maximum sums go to good causes.
Media and broadcasting Labour aims for a thriving, diverse media
industry, combining commercial success and public service. We will
ensure that the BBC continues to be a flagship for British creativity
and public service broadcasting, but we believe that the combination of
public and private sectors in competition is a key spur to innovation
and high standards. The regulatory framework for media and broadcasting
should reflect the realities of a far more open and competitive economy,
and enormous technological advance, for example with digital television.
Labour will balance sensible rules, fair regulation and national and
international competition, so maintaining quality and diversity for the
benefit of viewers.
Citizens' service for a new millennium An independent and creative
voluntary sector, committed to voluntary activity as an expression of
citizenship, is central to our vision of a stakeholder society. We are
committed to developing plans for a national citizens' service
programme, to tap the enthusiasm and commitment of the many young people
who want to make voluntary contributions in service of their
communities. The millennium should harness the imagination of all those
people who have so much to offer for the benefit of the community. We do
not believe programmes should be imposed from the top down, but on the
contrary wish to encourage a broad range of voluntary initiatives
devised and developed by people within their own communities.
We will clean up politics
- End the hereditary principle in the House of Lords - Reform of party
funding to end sleaze - Devolved power in Scotland and Wales - Elected
mayors for London and other cities - More independent but accountable
local government - Freedom of information and guaranteed human rights
The Conservatives seem opposed to the very idea of democracy. They
support hereditary peers, unaccountable quangos and secretive
government. They have debased democracy through their MPs who have taken
cash for asking questions in the House of Commons. They are opposed to
the development of decentralised government. The party which once
opposed universal suffrage and votes for women now says our constitution
is so perfect that it cannot be improved. Our system of government is
centralised, inefficient and bureaucratic. Our citizens cannot assert
their basic rights in our own courts. The Conservatives are afflicted by
sleaze and prosper from secret funds from foreign supporters. There is
unquestionably a national crisis of confidence in our political system,
to which Labour will respond in a measured and sensible way.
A modern House of Lords The House of Lords must be reformed. As an
initial, self-contained reform, not dependent on further reform in the
future, the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of
Lords will be ended by statute. This will be the first stage in a
process of reform to make the House of Lords more democratic and
representative. The legislative powers of the House of Lords will remain
unaltered. The system of appointment of life peers to the House of Lords
will be reviewed. Our objective will be to ensure that over time party
appointees as life peers more accurately reflect the proportion of votes
cast at the previous general election. We are committed to maintaining
an independent cross-bench presence of life peers. No one political
party should seek a majority in the House of Lords. A committee of both
Houses of Parliament will be appointed to undertake a wide-ranging
review of possible further change and then to bring forward proposals
for reform. We have no plans to replace the monarchy.
An effective House of Commons We believe the House of Commons is in need
of modernisation and we will ask the House to establish a special Select
Committee to review its procedures. Prime Minister's Questions will be
made more effective. Ministerial accountability will be reviewed so as
to remove recent abuses. The process for scrutinising European
legislation will be overhauled. The Nolan recommendations will be fully
implemented and extended to all public bodies. We will oblige parties to
declare the source of all donations above a minimum figure: Labour does
this voluntarily and all parties should do so. Foreign funding will be
banned. We will ask the Nolan Committee to consider how the funding of
political parties should be regulated and reformed. We are committed to
a referendum on the voting system for the House of Commons. An
independent commission on voting systems will be appointed early to
recommend a proportional alternative to the first-past-the-post system.
At this election, Labour is proud to be making major strides to rectify
the under-representation of women in public life.
Open government Unnecessary secrecy in government leads to arrogance in
government and defective policy decisions. The Scott Report on arms to
Iraq revealed Conservative abuses of power. We are pledged to a Freedom
of Information Act, leading to more open government, and an independent
National Statistical Service.
Devolution: strengthening the Union The United Kingdom is a partnership
enriched by distinct national identities and traditions. Scotland has
its own systems of education, law and local government. Wales has its
language and cultural traditions. We will meet the demand for
decentralisation of power to Scotland and Wales, once established in
referendums. Subsidiarity is as sound a principle in Britain as it is in
Europe. Our proposal is for devolution not federation. A sovereign
Westminster Parliament will devolve power to Scotland and Wales. The
Union will be strengthened and the threat of separatism removed. As soon
as possible after the election, we will enact legislation to allow the
people of Scotland and Wales to vote in separate referendums on our
proposals, which will be set out in white papers. These referendums will
take place not later than the autumn of 1997. A simple majority of those
voting in each referendum will be the majority required. Popular
endorsement will strengthen the legitimacy of our proposals and speed
their passage through Parliament. For Scotland we propose the creation
of a parliament with law-making powers, firmly based on the agreement
reached in the Scottish Constitutional Convention, including defined and
limited financial powers to vary revenue and elected by an additional
member system. In the Scottish referendum we will seek separate
endorsement of the proposal to create a parliament, and of the proposal
to give it defined and limited financial powers to vary revenue. The
Scottish parliament will extend democratic control over the
responsibilities currently exercised administratively by the Scottish
Office. The responsibilities of the UK Parliament will remain unchanged
over UK policy, for example economic, defence and foreign policy. The
Welsh assembly will provide democratic control of the existing Welsh
Office functions. It will have secondary legislative powers and will be
specifically empowered to reform and democratise the quango state. It
will be elected by an additional member system. Following majorities in
the referendums, we will introduce in the first year of the Parliament
legislation on the substantive devolution proposals outlined in our
white papers.
Good local government Local decision-making should be less constrained
by central government, and also more accountable to local people. We
will place on councils a new duty to promote the economic, social and
environmental well-being of their area. They should work in partnership
with local people, local business and local voluntary organisations.
They will have the powers necessary to develop these partnerships. To
ensure greater accountability, a proportion of councillors in each
locality will be elected annually. We will encourage democratic
innovations in local government, including pilots of the idea of elected
mayors with executive powers in cities. Although crude and universal
council tax capping should go, we will retain reserve powers to control
excessive council tax rises. Local business concerns are critical to
good local government. There are sound democratic reasons why, in
principle, the business rate should be set locally, not nationally. But
we will make no change to the present system for determining the
business rate without full consultation with business. The funnelling of
government grant to Conservative-controlled Westminster speaks volumes
about the unfairness of the current grant system. Labour is committed to
a fair distribution of government grant. The basic framework, not every
detail, of local service provision must be for central government.
Councils should not be forced to put their services out to tender, but
will be required to obtain best value. We reject the dogmatic view that
services must be privatised to be of high quality, but equally we see no
reason why a service should be delivered directly if other more
efficient means are available. Cost counts but so does quality. Every
council will be required to publish a local performance plan with
targets for service improvement, and be expected to achieve them. The
Audit Commission will be given additional powers to monitor performance
and promote efficiency. On its advice, government will where necessary
send in a management team with full powers to remedy failure. Labour
councils have been at the forefront of environmental initiatives under
Local Agenda 21, the international framework for local action arising
from the 1992 Earth Summit. A Labour government will encourage all local
authorities to adopt plans to protect and enhance their local
environment. Local government is at the sharp end of the fight against
deprivation. Ten years after the Conservatives promised to improve the
inner cities, poverty and social division afflict towns and outer
estates alike. A Labour government will join with local government in a
concerted attack against the multiple causes of social and economic
decline � unemployment, bad housing, crime, poor health and a degraded
environment.
London London is the only Western capital without an elected city
government. Following a referendum to confirm popular demand, there will
be a new deal for London, with a strategic authority and a mayor, each
directly elected. Both will speak up for the needs of the city and plan
its future. They will not duplicate the work of the boroughs, but take
responsibility for London-wide issues � economic regeneration, planning,
policing, transport and environmental protection. London-wide
responsibility for its own government is urgently required. We will make
it happen.
The regions of England The Conservatives have created a tier of regional
government in England through quangos and government regional offices.
Meanwhile local authorities have come together to create a more
co-ordinated regional voice. Labour will build on these developments
through the establishment of regional chambers to co-ordinate transport,
planning, economic development, bids for European funding and land use
planning. Demand for directly elected regional government so varies
across England that it would be wrong to impose a uniform system. In
time we will introduce legislation to allow the people, region by
region, to decide in a referendum whether they want directly elected
regional government. Only where clear popular consent is established
will arrangements be made for elected regional assemblies. This would
require a predominantly unitary system of local government, as presently
exists in Scotland and Wales, and confirmation by independent auditors
that no additional public expenditure overall would be involved. Our
plans will not mean adding a new tier of government to the existing
English system.
Real rights for citizens Citizens should have statutory rights to
enforce their human rights in the UK courts. We will by statute
incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law to bring
these rights home and allow our people access to them in their national
courts. The incorporation of the European Convention will establish a
floor, not a ceiling, for human rights. Parliament will remain free to
enhance these rights, for example by a Freedom of Information Act. We
will seek to end unjustifiable discrimination wherever it exists. For
example, we support comprehensive, enforceable civil rights for disabled
people against discrimination in society or at work, developed in
partnership with all interested parties. Labour will undertake a
wide-ranging review both of the reform of the civil justice system and
Legal Aid. We will achieve value for money for the taxpayer and the
consumer. A community legal service will develop local, regional and
national plans for the development of Legal Aid according to the needs
and priorities of regions and areas. The key to success will be to
promote a partnership between the voluntary sector, the legal profession
and the Legal Aid Board. Every country must have firm control over
immigration and Britain is no exception. All applications, however,
should be dealt with speedily and fairly. There are, rightly, criteria
for those who want to enter this country to join husband or wife. We
will ensure that these are properly enforced. We will, however, reform
the system in current use to remove the arbitrary and unfair results
that can follow from the existing �primary purpose' rule. There will be
a streamlined system of appeals for visitors denied a visa. The system
for dealing with asylum seekers is expensive and slow � there are many
undecided cases dating back beyond 1993. We will ensure swift and fair
decisions on whether someone can stay or go, control unscrupulous
immigration advisors and crack down on the fraudulent use of birth
certificates.
Northern Ireland Labour's approach to the peace process has been
bipartisan. We have supported the recent agreements between the two
governments � the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the Downing Street Declaration
and the Framework Document. The government has tabled proposals which
include a new devolved legislative body, as well as cross-border
co-operation and continued dialogue between the two governments. There
will be as great a priority attached to seeing that process through with
Labour as under the Conservatives, in co-operation with the Irish
government and the Northern Ireland parties. We will expect the same
bipartisan approach from a Conservative opposition. We will take
effective measures to combat the terrorist threat. There is now general
acceptance that the future of Northern Ireland must be determined by the
consent of the people as set out in the Downing Street Declaration.
Labour recognises that the option of a united Ireland does not command
the consent of the Unionist tradition, nor does the existing status of
Northern Ireland command the consent of the Nationalist tradition. We
are therefore committed to reconciliation between the two traditions and
to a new political settlement which can command the support of both.
Labour will help build trust and confidence among both Nationalist and
Unionist traditions in Northern Ireland by acting to guarantee human
rights, strengthen confidence in policing, combat discrimination at work
and reduce tensions over parades. Labour will also foster economic
progress and competitiveness in Northern Ireland, so as to reduce
unemployment.
We will give Britain leadership in Europe
- Referendum on single currency - Lead reform of the EU - Retain
Trident: strong defence through NATO - A reformed United Nations -
Helping to tackle global poverty
Britain, though an island nation with limited natural resources, has for
centuries been a leader of nations. But under the Conservatives
Britain's influence has waned. With a new Labour government, Britain
will be strong in defence; resolute in standing up for its own
interests; an advocate of human rights and democracy the world over; a
reliable and powerful ally in the international institutions of which we
are a member; and will be a leader in Europe. Our vision of Europe is of
an alliance of independent nations choosing to co-operate to achieve the
goals they cannot achieve alone. We oppose a European federal
superstate. There are only three options for Britain in Europe. The
first is to come out. The second is to stay in, but on the sidelines.
The third is to stay in, but in a leading role. An increasing number of
Conservatives, overtly or covertly, favour the first. But withdrawal
would be disastrous for Britain. It would put millions of jobs at risk.
It would dry up inward investment. It would destroy our clout in
international trade negotiations. It would relegate Britain from the
premier division of nations. The second is exactly where we are today
under the Conservatives. The BSE fiasco symbolises their failures in
Europe. The third is the path a new Labour government will take. A fresh
start in Europe, with the credibility to achieve reform. We have set out
a detailed agenda for reform, leading from the front during the UK
presidency in the first half of 1998: Rapid completion of the single
market: a top priority for the British presidency. We will open up
markets to competition; pursue tough action against unfair state aids;
and ensure proper enforcement of single market rules. This will
strengthen Europe's competitiveness and open up new opportunities for
British firms. High priority for enlargement of the European Union to
include the countries of central and eastern Europe and Cyprus, and the
institutional reforms necessary to make an enlarged Europe work more
efficiently. Urgent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. It is
costly, vulnerable to fraud and not geared to environmental protection.
Enlargement and the World Trade talks in 1999 will make reform even more
essential. We will seek a thorough overhaul of the Common Fisheries
Policy to conserve our fish stocks in the long-term interests of the UK
fishing industry. Greater openness and democracy in EU institutions with
open voting in the Council of Ministers and more effective scrutiny of
the Commission by the European Parliament. We have long supported a
proportional voting system for election to the European Parliament.
Retention of the national veto over key matters of national interest,
such as taxation, defence and security, immigration, decisions over the
budget and treaty changes, while considering the extension of Qualified
Majority Voting in limited areas where that is in Britain's interests.
Britain to sign the Social Chapter. An �empty chair' at the negotiating
table is disastrous for Britain. The Social Chapter is a framework under
which legislative measures can be agreed. Only two measures have been
agreed � consultation for employees of large Europe-wide companies and
entitlement to unpaid parental leave. Successful companies already work
closely with their workforces. The Social Chapter cannot be used to
force the harmonisation of social security or tax legislation and it
does not cost jobs. We will use our participation to promote
employability and flexibility, not high social costs.
The single currency Any decision about Britain joining the single
currency must be determined by a hard-headed assessment of Britain's
economic interests. Only Labour can be trusted to do this: the Tories
are riven by faction. But there are formidable obstacles in the way of
Britain being in the first wave of membership, if EMU takes place on 1
January 1999. What is essential for the success of EMU is genuine
convergence among the economies that take part, without any fudging of
the rules. However, to exclude British membership of EMU forever would
be to destroy any influence we have over a process which will affect us
whether we are in or out. We must therefore play a full part in the
debate to influence it in Britain's interests. In any event, there are
three pre-conditions which would have to be satisfied before Britain
could join during the next Parliament: first, the Cabinet would have to
agree; then Parliament; and finally the people would have to say �Yes'
in a referendum.
Strong defence through NATO The post-Cold War world faces a range of new
security challenges � proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the
growth of ethnic nationalism and extremism, international terrorism, and
crime and drug trafficking. A new Labour government will build a strong
defence against these threats. Our security will continue to be based on
NATO. Our armed forces are among the most effective in the world. The
country takes pride in their professionalism and courage. We will ensure
that they remain strong to defend Britain. But the security of Britain
is best served in a secure world, so we should be willing to contribute
to wider international peace and security both through the alliances to
which we belong, in particular NATO and the Western European Union, and
through other international organisations such as the UN and the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Labour will
conduct a strategic defence and security review to reassess our
essential security interests and defence needs. It will consider how the
roles, missions and capabilities of our armed forces should be adjusted
to meet the new strategic realities. The review we propose will be
foreign policy led, first assessing our likely overseas commitments and
interests and then establishing how our forces should be deployed to
meet them.
Arms control A new Labour government will retain Trident. We will press
for multilateral negotiations towards mutual, balanced and verifiable
reductions in nuclear weapons. When satisfied with verified progress
towards our goal of the global elimination of nuclear weapons, we will
ensure that British nuclear weapons are included in multilateral
negotiations. Labour will work for the effective implementation of the
Chemical Weapons Convention and for a strengthening of the Biological
Weapons Convention. Labour will ban the import, export, transfer and
manufacture of all forms of anti-personnel landmines. We will introduce
an immediate moratorium on their use. Labour will not permit the sale of
arms to regimes that might use them for internal repression or
international aggression. We will increase the transparency and
accountability of decisions on export licences for arms. And we will
support an EU code of conduct governing arms sales. We support a strong
UK defence industry, which is a strategic part of our industrial base as
well as our defence effort. We believe that part of its expertise can be
extended to civilian use through a defence diversification agency.
Leadership in the international community A new Labour government will
use Britain's permanent seat on the Security Council to press for
substantial reform of the United Nations, including an early resolution
of its funding crisis, and a more effective role in peacekeeping,
conflict prevention, the protection of human rights and safeguarding the
global environment. The Commonwealth provides Britain with a unique
network of contacts linked by history, language and legal systems.
Labour is committed to giving renewed priority to the Commonwealth in
our foreign relations. We will seize the opportunity to increase trade
and economic co-operation and will also build alliances with our
Commonwealth partners to promote reform at the UN and common action on
the global environment. Britain has a real opportunity to provide
leadership to the Commonwealth when we host the heads of government
meeting in Britain at the end of 1997.
Promoting economic and social development Labour will also attach much
higher priority to combating global poverty and underdevelopment.
According to the World Bank, there are 1.3 billion people in the world
who live in absolute poverty, subsisting on less than US$1 a day, while
35,000 children die each day from readily preventable diseases. Labour
believes that we have a clear moral responsibility to help combat global
poverty. In government we will strengthen and restructure the British
aid programme and bring development issues back into the mainstream of
government decision-making. A Cabinet minister will lead a new
department of international development. We will shift aid resources
towards programmes that help the poorest people in the poorest
countries. We reaffirm the UK's commitment to the 0.7 per cent UN aid
target and in government Labour will start to reverse the decline in UK
aid spending. We will work for greater consistency between the aid,
trade, agriculture and economic reform policies of the EU. We will use
our leadership position in the EU to maintain and enhance the position
of the poorest countries during the renegotiation of the Lom�
Convention. We will support further measures to reduce the debt burden
borne by the world's poorest countries and to ensure that developing
countries are given a fair deal in international trade. It is our aim to
rejoin UNESCO. We will consider how this can be done most effectively
and will ensure that the cost is met from savings elsewhere.
Human rights Labour wants Britain to be respected in the world for the
integrity with which it conducts its foreign relations. We will make the
protection and promotion of human rights a central part of our foreign
policy. We will work for the creation of a permanent international
criminal court to investigate genocide, war crimes and crimes against
humanity.
A new environmental internationalism Labour believes that the threats to
the global climate should push environmental concerns higher up the
international agenda. A Labour government will strengthen co-operation
in the European Union on environmental issues, including climate change
and ozone depletion. We will lead the fight against global warming,
through our target of a 20 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide
emissions by the year 2010. Labour believes the international
environment should be safeguarded in negotiations over international
trade. We will also work for the successful negotiation of a new
protocol on climate change to be completed in Japan in 1997.
Leadership, not isolation There is a sharp division between those who
believe the way to cope with global change is for nations to retreat
into isolationism and protectionism, and those who believe in
internationalism and engagement. Labour has traditionally been the party
of internationalism. Britain cannot be strong at home if it is weak
abroad. The tragedy of the Conservative years has been the squandering
of Britain's assets and the loss of Britain's influence. A new Labour
government will use those assets to the full to restore Britain's pride
and influence as a leading force for good in the world. With effective
leadership and clear vision, Britain could once again be at the centre
of international decision-making instead of at its margins.
This manifesto contains the detail of our plans. We have promised only
what we know we can deliver.Britain deserves better and the following
five election pledges will be the first steps towards a better
Britain. If you would like to help us build that better Britain, join us
by calling 0990 300 900.
cut class sizes to 30 or under for 5, 6 and 7 year-olds by using money
from the assisted places scheme
fast-track punishment for persistent young offenders by halving the time
from arrest to sentencing
cut NHS waiting lists by treating an extra 100,000 patients as a first
step by releasing �100 million saved from NHS red tape
get 250,000 under-25 year-olds off benefit and into work by using money
from a windfall levy on the privatised utilities
no rise in income tax rates, cut VAT on heating to 5 per cent and
inflation and interest rates as low as possible
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