Build a high tech economy - Build a high tech economy, supporting businesses and industry to create 1 million more skilled jobs and modernising our infrastructure with High-Speed Rail, a Green Investment Bank and broadband access for all.

Protect frontline services - Protect frontline investment in policing, schools, childcare and the NHS, with a new guarantee of cancer test results within a week.

Strengthen fairness in communities - Strengthen fairness in communities through an Australian style points-based system to control immigration; guaranteed education, apprenticeships and jobs for young people; and a crack down on anti-social behaviour.

Hull has been transformed since 1997. The number of pupils gaining 5 good GSCEs has gone from just 20% to over 65%; the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for treatment has fallen by 90%; 20 new Children’s Centres have been opened and extra police and PSCOs have helped to reduce crime dramatically both nationally and locally..

All these achievements would be at risk under a Conservative Government.

Britain is at a turning point. As we emerge from the global recession, we have a choice to make. The Tories would have let the recession run its course repeating the devastation of the 80s and 90s. Cameron and Osborne almost uniquely in the Western World called for spending cuts at the height of the recession. Now they advocate deep cuts over the coming year thus jeopardising the recovery. The Party that gave us 2-year NHS waiting lists, high crime rates, pensioner poverty and crumbling schools say they’ve changed. They haven’t.   

We have a choice between the age of austerity under the Conservatives and an age of opportunity under Labour.

The Liberal Democrats can’t win a general election (which is just as well given their plans to abolish the Child Trust Fund, legalise cannabis and restrict the use of the DNA database which has helped the police solve so many crimes). A vote for them will let in the Tories.

Vote Labour for jobs and growth, to secure the recovery and protect public services.

Check against delivery

You know somebody asked me the other day what my secret weapon was for the election.

I think they were expecting me to say those airbrushed posters –

The greatest money Labour never spent.

But do you know what our secret weapon actually is?

Our beliefs, and the policies that flow from them.

Because this election will be won or lost not on who has the best PR but whose values best reflect the aspirations of Britain’s mainstream majority.

And the coming contest is a big choice; a choice about who’s best for Britain’s future.

And you have to ask yourself, why am I looking forward to this contest more than David Cameron?

It’s because only New Labour has a plan for Britain - substantial, costed, practical - how we can realise Britain’s values in a future fai r for all.

And yes New Labour has a record we can be proud of, that in every community in the country we see new schools, new hospitals, more teachers, more doctors, more nurses, more police, new Children’s Centres.

That’s the change the Tories never talk about, but that’s the change we see:

- The NHS renewed and lives saved;

- Jobs created and families held together and;

- Schools built and potential unlocked.

Yes we can be proud of the Britain we’ve been building together – dreams achieved, ambitions realised, hopes fulfilled and lives changed.

We should be proud but never satisfied, because our work is not yet done.

And elections are not verdicts on the past –they are choices for the future. And we will go in to this election fighting for causes every inch as great and every inch as noble as any a government has fought for before.

Because we are fighting today for an ideal as visionary as the National Health Service – the dream of a National Care Service to take the fear out of old age.

And we are fighting for a future where for the first time every single young person of this generation has the guarantee of training or a job.

And we are fighting for a future where Britain is not isolated but a leader of Europe, a country that has led the world and will continue to lead the world on protecting our planet and securing justice for its poor.

And with the investment we are making we are fighting for a future we have never dared hope for before – one where we beat cancer … in this generation.

And today we are setting out our plan to build a future fair for all:

First, we must secure the recovery,

Not put it at risk.

Second, we must support new industries & future jobs.

Third, as we reduce the deficit by half, we must protect and not cut frontline services.

And fourth, we must stand up for the many not the few.

And I wan t to talk to you today about how I have changed and what I have learned. For me, the lesson of the crisis is that we need to renew our faith in the Britain that believes in hard work, enterprise and responsibility.

It’s the Britain of the family who work hard, pay their way and play their part. Of the business that takes an apprentice although times are tight. Of the communities that stick together even when the going is hard.

And I’ve concluded that the very values that made our country great – the values of fairness and responsibility - are the surest foundations of our future success.

Markets are essential. They help us grow as a nation, they give us the resources to fight poverty, ignorance and disease and they serve the cause of freedom and prosperity.

But it is now more clear than ever that markets need morals. Without that they go astray and can lead us to focus on the price of things, not the value of things. They can cause people to take reckless risks for which others pay the price.

So we need to say anew that markets should serve the public and not the other way around.

So we are ensuring that the public money that was put into the nation’s banks is fully repaid.

We have raised the tax rate on earnings above £150,000 and set a 50% tax on this year’s bonuses over £25,000.

We have restructured our banks and are ensuring they have the capital they need.

And we are now discussing with other countries the prospect of a global levy on banks which would help achieve our domestic objectives as well as tackle global poverty and climate change.

We are making these changes because Britain needs to rebuild. We need and will renew the economy, renew our infrastructure and renew our industrial base.

And that is why we have decided that as a nation and a government that we will back British scientists, invest in renewable energy, give priority to biotechnology and adv anced manufacturing, encourage digital and creative industries.

It is Labour which has a vision of a new economy, a decade in which Britain can lead and succeed.

We are determined to reduce the deficit that emerged as a consequence of the world recession and that is why we have already announced tax changes.

And we will take tough action on spending, not just efficiency drives but cuts in some areas. But our bottom line is we will protect the front line… our schools, our hospitals, our police.

And it is only Labour who are prepared to offer direct support to the business community of a total of one billion pounds so that every family and every business in Britain has access to the newest high speed broadband as we become the world-leading digital economy.

Only Labour who have a plan to make Britain a world leader in a four-trillion dollar market for green, clean energy goods and services, opening up the prospects of 400,000 new green jobs for t he British people.

And only Labour who is lifting the number of apprenticeships from 65,000 in 1997 to nearly a quarter of a million this year and only Labour who are targeting investment in manufacturing centres around the regions to help UK businesses develop the best-selling products of the future.

And so my message to the people of Britain today is simple.

I know that Labour hasn’t done everything right. And I know – really, I know – that I’m not perfect.

But I know where I come from, I know what I stand for, and I know who I came into politics to represent. And if you, like me, are from Britain’s mainstream majority – from an ordinary family that wants to get on and not simply get by, then my message to you today is simple; take a second look at us…and take a long hard look at them.

Take a second look at how we’re creating jobs – and take a long hard look at how the day after the election their policies would put the r ecovery and your jobs at risk.

Take a second look at our NHS guarantees and take a long hard look at their plans to cut your right to see a cancer specialist within two weeks, cut your right to see a GP in the evenings and at weekends, cut your right to get your operation in the shortest possible time.

Take a second look at how we will improve the prospects for your children – and a take a long hard look at their plans that hurt middle class families. Plans to cut your Child Tax Credits, cut your child’s trust fund, cut your Children’s Centres and cut the budget of your schools.

Can they really say they understand the needs of mainstream Britain when they would kick away the ladders of opportunity that guarantee young people training or a job?

Can they really say they understand the needs of mainstream Britain when they think those most in need of a tax cut are the 3000 wealthiest estates?

When they now vote to keep hereditary seats in the Ho use of Lords?

When they think legalising fox-hunting is a priority?

When they think that Manchester is like the wire?

And when they state that 54%, more than half the girls in Birmingham and Liverpool are pregnant by the time they’re 18?

Can they claim they know the aspirations of mainstream Britain when they so clearly understand so little of how we live?

When it comes to the most vulnerable people in our society, if you put partisan point scoring before a consensus on social care, real families really suffer.

If you frighten people with made up figures on crime, real families really suffer.

And if you talk Britain down in the middle of a recession and undermine confidence, real families really suffer.

Because government is not a game.

Because when you peel away the veneer and actually look at what their policies mean, what you see is not the new economics of the future, it’s the same old Conservative economics of the 1980s. How can they be the party of change, when they haven’t even changed themselves?

And it is precisely because they have not changed, that they cannot and will not join the emerging progressive consensus of the British people which is coming together around the big challenges our country must meet and master in this new decade.

Just consider climate change – a huge challenge facing humanity on which we agree with the scientists, the green campaigners and the business leaders that urgent action is vital, but which the Tory party high command now says is not even a top ten policy priority.

Or think about our industrial policy and our British jobs of the future. Take one example – high speed rail, a project of vital importance to the future of our country, of vital importance here in the West Midlands – but the Tories have chosen to put short term political calculations ahead of the national interest.

Or take the debate on social care   how can they be the party of change, when yesterday they boycotted the charities and experts and campaign groups trying to find the common ground for the future of social care.

Or take the renewal of politics, like reforming the way we elect Parliament, where we made common cause with liberals and reformers– a cause where the big progressive majority was for change –only the Tories ruled out any change at all.

All they have done is to change their appearance, to give the appearance of change.

But where the challenges for the future are greatest and the need for change the most urgent, the Conservative Party have become again what their historical role has always been; to set themselves against the change the country needs, the change the British people want to see.

And so I say today to every progressive in Britain – of every hue and every background – if you believe in a progressive future fair for all, then New Labour is your home.

If you believe in

- securing the recovery, not putting it at risk – then New Labour is your home

If you believe in

- protecting and not cutting frontline services – then New Labour is your home

If you believe in

- supporting new industries & future jobs and not simply leaving them to chance – then New Labour is your home and

If you believe in

- standing up for the many, not the few – then New Labour is your home.

And so to those who are beginning to wonder how to use their vote, ask yourself whether at heart you believe in fairness and individual opportunity. Ask whether you want to keep on the road to economic recovery or to return to the same old social divisions of the Tory years.

And so today I issue a call to every progressive to come together to fight for the values we cherish and the country we love.

This campaign is not going to be won somewhere else by someone else - it’s going to be won street by stre et, school-gate by school-gate, workplace by workplace – it’s going to be won by you.

If you believe in taking this country forwards not backwards then Labour are the change-makers in this election. And that is why Labour supporters are campaigning with all the fire and fervour of people who’ve got not just candidates but a cause, not just an election to win but a future to fight for.

So don’t ever stop believing that every single child has worth. That every single person has something to contribute. That a prosperous country can be a fair one too.

And don’t ever stop believing that everything you do in the coming weeks will matter. That you can make the difference.

Don’t ever stop believing that a future fair for all is in your hands.

Ours to shape.

Ours to build.

And ours to win.

Ends

In the Pre Budget Report, the Chancellor set out our three-point plan to:

1)     secure the recovery and go for growth

2)     take tough choices necessary to halve the deficit in four years

3)     protect vital frontline public services

 After the worst economic crisis in 60 years, and a deep and painful recession, it is vital that Government’s actions are decisive. That way, we reject the decade of low-growth and austerity the Conservatives offer, and set out instead how we can have a richer and fairer country, built on thriving industry and first class public services.

Today Labour shows we have both the values and the experience to get this right. We extend support to those still coping with the effects of recession and announce new measures for growth. And we make tough choices on tax and spend that allow us to halve the deficit while protecting our top priorities: the NHS, Schools, Childcare and Police.

Our actions will not be painless, but nor will they be reckless. This is a balanced package that is the best economic approach for long term stability and above all, fair, in line with Labour values.

The Conservatives would give unfunded and unfair tax cuts to the wealthiest – including a giveaway of £200,000 to each of the 3,000 wealthiest estates. And they would hit the mainstream majority hard to pay for these tax cuts – scrapping Labour’s patient guarantees, including a guarantee for patients suspected of cancer to see a specialist within two weeks. Scrapping the Child Trust Fund for those on incomes as little as £16,000 and cutting Child Tax Credits for those on modest incomes.

The Tory proposals to start cutting now and to cut deeper are dangerous. Their plans risk choking off the recovery before its secured. Yet they refuse to come clean on how fast they would cut. But if they halved the deficit in 3 years instead of 4, they would need to find a further £26 billion – equivalent to over half the schools budget or a VAT rise of 5.5p. They are not being straight with the British public. In 1992 they promised no new taxes before an election – and then hit middle Britain with 22 tax rises once they got in.

Summary of Key Measures

Secure Recovery & Go For Growth

Today, Labour has shown it is the only party in British politics that puts securing the recovery first and introduces new measures to stimulate economic growth  

·        We will continue support to keep people in work and in their homes by:

§         Guaranteeing every young person out of work for more than six months with a job, training or college place; and a new Better Off in Work Credit to make work pay

§         A freeze on the standard interest rate for Support for Mortgage Interest Payments (SMI) for a further 6 months to help those who have lost a job or income stay in their homes

§         National rollout of the Money Guidance scheme to give financial advice to over 1 million financially excluded in the 12 months from March 2010

·        We will continue support to businesses manage tough times by:

§         continued support for the economy and continued efforts to get lending flowing again such as Customer Charters at RBS and Lloyds which improve lending to SME’s

§         extend the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme until March 201, worth another £500 million of loan guarantees to SMEs, on top of the £1 billion 8,800 SMEs to date; extend HMRC’s Time To Pay scheme that allows firms to defer tax if needed;

§         new help for Mutuals and for Islamic Finance

·        And we announce new measures that “go for growth”:

§         Supporting small businesses by freezing small business corporation tax at 21% and launching the Growth Capital Fund for SMEs which will give them new access to finance

§         A new £400 million “green growth” package that will create new industries and new jobs by including money for infrastructure, offshore wind, carbon capture and storage and electric transport. This also means more money for Warm Front and a new Boiler Scrappage scheme where people can trade in energy inefficient boilers and get £300 off the cost of a new green version

Halve the Deficit in Four Years

Today Labour has shown it is the only party in British politics with a proper plan to halve the deficit as opposed to the reckless and evasive position of the Conservative Party. The Chancellor announced:

§     A tax rise package that is fair, meaning that combined with the last Budget and PBR over half the additional revenue raised comes from the wealthiest 2% of people

o    A one off payroll tax on bank bonuses to deter bumper bonuses

o    A freeze on the Inheritance Tax threshold at £325,000;

o    1/2 p rise in employer and employee national insurance contributions, with higher earners paying more too

§     A spending cut package that has been carefully worked through

o    A below inflation pay settlement across all public sector workers and reform to public sector pensions

o    A series of tough programme measures to tighten our belts such as reforming legal aid, scaling back government support to students from wealthier families, and cracking down on fraud and error in access to social housing

o    New efficiency savings from Monday’s Smarter Government command paper of £11bn annually by 2012/13, on top of the £26.5bn already saved since the Gershon Review in 2004 including cutting quangos, and marketing and consultancy budgets

§     The introduction of the Fiscal Responsibility Act which requires Government to halve the deficit in four years

Protect Public Services

Today, Labour has shown it is the only party in British politics deeply committed to protecting frontline public services by announcing that even in tough times, we will protect in real terms:

§         investment in the NHS frontline in the next 3 years

§         investment in Sure Start in the next 3 years

§         investment in frontline schools in the next 3 years

§         investment in the police which will ensure that the number of police can be protected over the next 3 years

and we will commit whatever funds are required for the war in Afghanistan and fulfil our ambitions on overseas aid.

To listen to or read the Chancellor’s speech in full, or for more detail on the report, go to the Pre Budget Report microsite at: http://prebudget.treasury.gov.uk/

At its heart is the conviction that government can be a force for good - to secure economic prosperity and build a fairer society. Not small government or big government, but smarter – reformed and responsive – government.

Our focus, as ever, is economic growth, locking in the recovery and forging a stronger, fairer, Britain for the many not the few.

This is a difficult period for our country, but we are optimistic. Britain has a bright future, not of austerity but progress, based on the country’s greatest strength: the talent and enterprise of the people.

Investing for the future: building tomorrow’s economy today

We will ensure that the banking crisis we have experienced over the last two years should never again come at a cost to the living standards of Britain’s families. Instead we will rebuild banking so that it supports the economy and offers fairer finances for businesses and consumers.

So we will transform the way the financial sector is policed, through the Financial Services Bill, with banks themselves and not the taxpayer made to pay for bank failings. Part of this is about ensuring we have a tough supervisory regime; we will ensure the Tripartite system is strengthened, is more transparent and is accountable to parliament, with a legal duty on the Financial Services Authority to promote financial stability, to regulate bankers pay (including a power which allows the FSA to tear up future contracts which do not comply with the rules) and a requirement for banks to organise themselves to deal with possible future difficulties – so called ‘living wills’.

Reform also means empowering consumers to hold banks to account by taking collective action to get redress. We will require the financial services sector to fund independent consumer advice and education and ban credit card companies from sending consumers unsolicited credit card cheques.

As the economic recovery is established, we will legislate to require reductions in government borrowing in a fair and responsible way with the Fiscal Responsibility Bill. This will ensure the national debt returns to a sustainable level, with the Government accountable to Parliament rather than a new quango.

And as a key part of our strategy for growth, we will promote targeted investment that creates jobs and builds a modern green infrastructure for the digital age. The Digital Economy Bill is a key part of Labour’s active industrial strategy and will maintain and build on Britain’s leading position in the digital sector. It includes measures to ensure a competitive, modernised digital communications infrastructure, protect intellectual property and maintain plurality in regional news.

The Energy Bill will bring about a financial support mechanism to demonstrate carbon capture and storage at a commercial scale. It will also establish a mandatory social price support scheme to help more of the most vulnerable households with their energy bills, and requires the regulator, Ofgem, to ensure consumers get a better, fairer deal and access to secure, low carbon energy supplies.

Better protection for businesses, communities and homes from the risks of extreme weather as a result of climate change will be provided by the Flood and Water Management Bill. And the Child Poverty Bill will enshrine in law the Government’s commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020, defining what this means.

Fair chances for all: building the next generation of public services

A better Britain means world class public services underpinned by guarantees not gambles. So we are moving to a system, building on the achievements of the last 12 years, where patients, parents and local communities have enforceable rights over the services they receive - and front line staff have more freedom to shape services.

The Children, Schools and Families Bill will provide guarantees for parents and pupils, setting out what they can expect, with School Report Cards letting parents know how their school is performing and a new duty on local authorities to act when parents are unhappy. Where standards are unacceptably low, Ministers will be able to direct a local authority to issue a warning notice to a school and to close any school which fails to comply with a warning notice. We will also set out in law new guarantees for pupils and parents at all state schools, including curriculum reforms to equip young people with the skills they need to succeed, and a new entitlement to one-to-one tuition for children falling behind.

The Social Care Bill means the dignity of a new national care service: free personal care in their own homes for those with the highest need. From next October more than 275,000 of those with the greatest needs will be protected for good from charges and top-up fees for care in their own homes, funded by making the tough choices necessary to secure efficiencies in lower priority programmes. To help more people meet this aspiration we will also next year, begin to offer 130,000 older people needing care for the first time, six weeks of more personal intensive support designed to help all who want to remain in their homes. This will mean that those who have suffered from a stroke, fall or hospital stay will have the best possible opportunity to return to their homes and the intensive support to give them dignity confidence in doing so.

Fair rules: building a strong society

On crime, we will prioritise new ways to tackle the anti-social behaviour that still blights some estates and neighbourhoods. The Crime and Security Bill will protect communities by making parents take responsibility for their child’s antisocial behaviour, imposing parenting orders when a young person has breached an ASBO. The Bill will cut the time police spend on stop and search forms, help victims of domestic violence by allowing police to bar suspected perpetrators from their homes for fixed periods, set a six-year time limit on DNA record-keeping for adults whom are arrested but not charged, and introduce compulsory licensing for wheel clamping businesses.

The Digital Economy Bill will protect children through new age ratings for computer games. The Bribery Bill will equip prosecutors and courts to deal effectively with bribery at home and abroad.

With the Equality Bill (carried over) we will introduce a new public sector duty to narrow the gap between rich and poor, ban age discrimination outside the workplace, and introduce reporting for large employers on gender pay. And we will enact the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 to provide agency workers equal treatment with permanent staff on pay and holidays after 12 weeks in a job.

Rebuilding trust in a modern, democratic Britain

We must also restore confidence in our democratic institutions. The Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill (carried over) contain measures to rebuild trust in our democracy by putting the civil service on a statutory footing, provide a power for the House of Lords to expel a member and end the by-election of hereditary peers. The draft House of Lords Reform Bill will set out how the Government will bring about a wholly or substantially elected second chamber of Parliament.

Britain in a fairer, safer world

We will also ensure a better world by extending Britain’s influence as a global force for good. Fulfilling our responsibilities means we must remain at the heart of Europe and a leading member of the wider international community. And a safer Britain means continuing to tackle the terrorist threat at source – in the borderlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Bill will implement in UK law the Convention on Cluster Munitions that bans the use, development production, stockpiling, retention or transfer of cluster munitions. And the draft International Development Bill will make binding the Government’s commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of gross national income on international development by 2013.

Labour is determined not to repeat the Tory policies of the past which left families and communities scarred for generations. That is why Labour is investing £5 billion now to help people get back to work - £5 billion which the Tories oppose.

If we don’t act now, it will cost us all more in the long term. Labour’s choice is to invest billions in people’s future now. The Tories oppose giving people this extra help and would cut back on the support available to people during the downturn. Unlike the Tories we do not believe that unemployment is ever “a price worth paying.”

Independent experts recognise the disaster the Tories would cause. According to Professor David Blanchflower (former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England), George Osborne’s plans would lead to unemployment reaching 5 million.

Contrary to the claims in Cameron’s speech last night, yesterday the Conservatives voted against greater responsibilities in the benefit system that will help parents into work, and help cut child poverty. They also want to abolish the New Deal for Lone Parents. The reality is they don’t support more responsibilities because they won’t support the extra rights to support that come too. The Tories aren’t serious about cutting poverty or welfare reform.

Today’s figures show that many in the UK are suffering the effects of the recession.  But there are signs that our actions to help the unemployed are starting to work. 

Labour’s active welfare state is working. In stark contrast to previous recessions, people aren’t being dumped on inactive benefits like incapacity benefit, and Government action has helped to protect up to 500,000 jobs during this recession. 

Background to Labour Market Statistics

This month’s Labour Force Survey covers July 2009 to September 2009.  The claimant count and Jobcentre Plus vacancy count dates were 8^th and 2^nd October respectively.

The number of people in work rose this quarter

• nearly 29 million people were in work in July to September.
• employment level in July-September was 6 thousand higher than the previous quarter and 490 thousand lower than in the same quarter last year.
• the employment rate is 72.5%, down 0.1 percentage points on the quarter and down 1.9 percentage points on the year

The number of people claiming JSA has risen this month

• claimant unemployment was 1,639.5 thousand in October 2009, up 12.9 thousand on the level in September, and up 632.7 thousand on the year. 
• the claimant unemployment rate, at 5.1%, is virtually unchanged on the month and up 1.9 percentage points on the year.
• inflows to JSA were 361.4 thousand in October, up 4.0 thousand on the month and up 80.8 thousand on the year. The number of people leaving JSA increased to 333.9 thousand, down 1.3 thousand on the month and up 104.5 thousand on the year.
• In the year to May 2009, the number of people claiming employment support allowance/incapacity benefits rose by 25,600 to 2.6 million.  More recent provisional estimates suggest that there were 2.63 million claimants in September 2009, unchanged on the month but up slightly from the level a few months ago.

ILO unemployment has risen this quarter

• 2.46 million people were ILO unemployed in the July to September quarter, up by 30 thousand on the April to June period and up 629 thousand on the same quarter last year. 
• the ILO unemployment rate is 7.8%, up 0.1 percentage points on the quarter and up 2.0 percentage points on the year.

·        International ILO unemployment: ILO unemployment (7.8%) is below EU average and below that of US, Canada, France and Spain

The number of 18-24 year olds who are unemployed has increased

·         746 thousand 18-24 year olds were ILO unemployed in the July to September quarter, this is up by 24 thousand on the April to June period and up 165 thousand on the same quarter last year.

·         Of the 943 thousand unemployed under 25 year olds, 267 thousand are in full time education.

The level of economic inactivity is up on the quarter and up on the year

• the economic inactivity rate is 21.1%, up 0.1 percentage points on the quarter and up 0.2 percentage points on the year.
• excluding students, inactivity as a proportion of the working age population is unchanged at 15.3% on the quarter but down 0.2 percentage points over the last year.

There are still many vacancies available, and the number of redundancies has fallen back this quarter:

• There were 205 thousand redundancies in June to August, down 63 thousand on the previous quarter and up 49 thousand on the previous year.
• ONS’s vacancy survey estimates an average of 428 thousand unfilled vacancies in the three months to October 2009, down a thousand on the quarter and down 154 thousand on the year.
• In the last month Jobcentre Plus has taken on average over 10,000 new vacancies every working day and many more come up through other recruitment channels.

Labour’s help for people when they need it most

·        As unemployment has increased, Labour has stepped up the support for people losing their jobs - £5bn of extra investment.

·        The Tories oppose this help because they oppose spending any more money to help people through the downturn. Real help costs real money.

Before redundancies happen

We give help to people at risk of redundancy to find a new job, even before they become unemployed through our Rapid Response Service (RRS). Opposed by the Tories.

Day One of Unemployment

We have invested to guarantee that everyone looking for work will get, from day one: help and advice on finding a new job, help to write a new CV and fill in job applications; help on retraining and skills advice; help with their rent and with their mortgage from 13 weeks; help to access to the new vacancies recorded by Jobcentre Plus every working day. We are recruiting thousands of new Jobcentre Plus staff to help people into work. Opposed by the Tories.

From 3 Months Unemployed:

People will get extra help with mortgage payments (SMI) to help them keep their homes when they lose their job. We are giving twice as much help, paid earlier. In addition, we step up the help we give with wider job search and more intensive support from advisers. Opposed by the Tories.

From 6 months unemployed:

We know that the majority of people move off Jobseekers Allowance within 6 months, but we are guaranteeing more help for those that don’t. We are promising every jobseeker more support if they have not managed to find a new job within six months.  As well as extra funds for Jobcentre Plus to allow them to provide more intensive and personalised support, we are offering:

·        “Employers’ Golden Hellos”: incentives of up to £2500 (£1000 in Scotland and Wales) paid to employers to recruit and train unemployed people

·        New training places: extra funding for training places to help unemployed people get new skills to maximise their chances of getting jobs from the 500,000 vacancies in the economy.

·        Work-focused volunteering options: opportunities to volunteer to help people back into work habits

·        Help to set up a business – advice on creating a business plan, plus funding for the first months of trading.

Backing Young Britain

The joint campaign with business, public sector bodies and charities runs over the next few months.  It recognises that times are tough – but calls on everyone to play their part. We want to give young people leaving school or university a chance and to harness the talent of the future for Britain’s organisations.  This will help young people get into the jobs market – and benefit business into the bargain.

We are calling on employers, on businesses and other organisations to make a commitment to support young people in at least one of the following ways:

• work with a partnership to bid for one of the 100,000 jobs for young people from the Future Jobs Fund
• offer a volunteering place or a volunteer mentor for school or university leavers;
• provide work experience places to help young people learn about work, make contacts and fill their CV
• consider a young person for a job through a work trial
• offer an internship for a graduate
• provide an apprenticeship for 16-24 year olds
• join a Local Employment Partnership to make sure job vacancies are advertised to local unemployed people

 Labour’s Guarantee for young people:

·        Labour will protect Britain’s young people from the effects of the global recession by offering work or training for every 18 to 24 year old who is in danger of becoming long term unemployed.

·        We are funding 250,000 jobs in the public and private sectors, including a ‘Future Jobs Fund’ that will enable local authorities and third sector groups to develop innovative ideas for jobs that will make Britain a better place.

·        The Future Jobs Fund will provide 150,000 new jobs, at least at a National Minimum Wage level, around two thirds of which will be directed at young people. The remaining jobs will be focussed at areas of particularly high unemployment.

·        The Fund is already open for business and we are working with councils and voluntary groups on developing new jobs through the fund and, by January next year, every 18 to 24 year old who is approaching 12 months unemployment or more will be guaranteed a new job, training or paid work experience place.

·        We are calling on every local authority, voluntary sector and social enterprise to bring forward their ideas of jobs they could offer - we want organisations to come to us with proposals and we hope that bidders can match funds, alongside the £6,700 we will provide.

·        In addition to the Future Jobs Fund we will offer 100,000 jobs opportunities in the sectors of the future that will help Britain grow.

·        Despite the recession, many sectors still have vacancies and others will grow over the coming years. In these areas we will set aside posts for young job seekers and offer them pre-employment training and a recruitment subsidy, so talented young people can take up interesting jobs and gain vital work experience for jobs of the future.