When the dust has settled on a turbulent few weeks in politics, it will become increasingly clear that, in the recent comprehensive spending review, Labour has laid out a set of spending plans that will place the party in a fundamentally strong position at the next election.
The CSR sets the government’s course for the next three years. It is both a progressive and ambitious course, prioritising the historic causes that go the heart of Labour’s mission: tackling poverty here and abroad; investing in the public realm; lifting aspiration and extending life chances. But, unlike the spending plans of others, Labour’s programme is also affordable, with every single proposal costed in detail.
No one doubts the ability of David Cameron and George Osborne to generate a good headline. But the enemy they now face is time. People have time to scrutinise in detail those head-turning plans unveiled at the Tory conference. Over time, their credibility problem will grow as they are challenged on exactly how they will fund the extremely generous tax promises made. Labour’s challenge is to get on with the job of government and show that our CSR can bring tangible benefits to all parts of the country.
On education, for instance, we are now in a position to provide a Sure Start children’s centre in every community, and extend the universal free entitlement to early years education from 12 and a half to 15 hours a week. Our programme to rebuild more primary schools has been brought forward and the funding is in place to offer targeted one-to-one tuition for children falling behind. Its purpose is clear: to help develop the potential and talent of every child, regardless of where they live or who their parents are.
It is not just in education where we have such ambitions. The government is committed to dealing with the inequalities in health and life expectancy that are still present around the country. To that end, this spending review announced funding to provide for regular health checks for everyone, with an emphasis on greater GP access so that people can get an appointment with their GP at a time and date that suits them and their family.
As well as highlighting our domestic priorities, Labour’s spending plans demonstrate our international commitment, a cause that many in this country championed two years ago through Make Poverty History. We have a good message to tell all those who joined that campaign: the Labour government is fulfilling its pledge to reach the UN target of 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income to be spent on overseas development assistance by 2013.
By 2010, Labour will have increased the aid budget from 0.26 per cent of GNI in 1997 to 0.56 per cent by 2010; under the Tories, it halved in real terms. So, the next time you hear someone saying that voting makes no difference, and that political parties are all the same, you could do worse than refer them to these figures.
As the media constantly looks for the new and the next challenge, we risk forgetting just how far we have travelled as a government. In 1997, people used to die on waiting lists: this CSR period will see Labour call time on waiting lists in the NHS’ 60th anniversary year. In 1997, over three million children lived in poverty: 600,000 children have since been lifted out of poverty and we are on course to eradicating child poverty altogether.
This CSR therefore looks forward with a renewed sense of purpose, building on Labour’s recent achievements. When people look at the detail, and consider the 10-year record on which it builds, they will see a progressive and inspiring agenda for the future.