Thank you Lorna for that kind introduction – and for all the work you do for Progress, for the Party and to support the Middle East peace process.

And let me also say this – you are very much missed at Westminster.

And I for one am very much hoping we can persuade you to return to the House of Commons at the next General Election… once again as a Labour MP.

And to Jim, let me say today:

All of us – Ministers, MPs, councillors, trade unionists, party members – all of us will be coming back to this constituency in the months ahead to help you see off George Galloway and Respect and keep the new Poplar and Limehouse seat Labour.

And thank you also to Progress for organising today’s Conference.
Over the last few years you have gone from strength to strength.

And I know that my area of education and children’s policy is a real priority for Progress members – and I am very pleased to be working with Jessica Asato on her plans for a Progress Network of School Governors.

Only last Monday I met up with a Labour Governor – and our PPC for Bethnal Green and Bow – Rushanara Ali – when I visited the excellent Tower Hamlets FE College just up the road to launch the IT diploma.

And I saw at that College how the life chances of young people are being transformed – right here in Tower Hamlets – the most improved local authority for education in the last ten years anywhere in the country – and delivered by Labour local government.

And our recent announcement, with the Mayor Ken Livingstone, that Crossrail will go ahead, will benefit not just Canary Wharf where we meet today… but the whole of the East of London and the Thames Gateway.

But I know that there is much more we need to do together to make sure that the young people of this community can benefit from the investment and jobs that are coming into this area now and will do so in the build up to the 2012 Olympics and beyond.

Friends, it has been quite a busy four months since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister.

In his first few weeks, the government set the agenda on constitutional reform, student finance, health and education – and dealt with the July terrorist attack, the floods and the foot and mouth outbreak which dominated August.

Five weeks ago, when we last met at the Progress Rally in Bournemouth, we were riding high – with many people saying it was the most united and optimistic Conference they could remember.

Since then – what can I say – it’s been a bit up and down. And we have made some mistakes.

But for all the sound and fury of the past few weeks, it is still our party that has been setting the policy agenda – not taking the easy, short-term course, not just chasing headlines, but showing how a Labour Government will meet the long-term challenges our country faces.

So in the last few weeks we have seen:

– The Prime Minister’s speech on liberty and the reform of our constitution;
– Plans for a deep clean of every hospital and for the first time to vaccinate young women against cervical cancer;
– And an expansion of our Diploma programme as we radically reform our qualifications system.

And I believe that as a Party and a Government we have shown the strength to deal with difficult times and keep setting the agenda and responding to the concerns of the British people.

Transition

But stand back and ask yourselves: where were we a year ago?

After nearly 10 years in power many commentators doubted that this Party could deliver a stable, united and orderly transition.

They said it couldn’t be done – that history was not on our side.

Remember every past transition of a Party in power?

from Churchill to Eden
Macmillan to Douglas-Home
Wilson to Callaghan
Thatcher to Major

Each one of those went badly wrong.

And in every one of those past failed transitions, the economy was weak and failing, the governing party was fundamentally divided and – because they looked in on themselves – they lost touch with the concerns of the electorate.

But over the last year, we have confounded the pessimists.

And why can we buck the trend of history?

– because despite global turbulence, our economy is still fundamentally strong and stable

– because while there are of course debates on difficult issues, our party is fundamentally united – we are not ideologically divided

– and because our Party, new Labour, is still in touch with the concerns of the British people.

And also because Tony Blair – who led our Party to three election victories and helped to transform this country over a remarkable decade – he made a commitment that no previous Prime Minister has ever made: that he would deliver a stable and orderly transition.

And this Party – all of us here today – owe him a huge debt of gratitude for all that he achieved over the last 13 years and for his leadership over the last year.

The Tories

And what of the Tories?

Remember where David Cameron was a year ago?

– Trying to claim the Tories were a changed party

– Trying to portray themselves as in the centre-ground of British politics

– Claiming they would not be making promises of tax cuts they could not afford

– Desperate to show they were not the same old Conservative Party – anti-European, extreme, anti-public services, opportunist and divided – and that the right-wing leadership of the Hague, Duncan Smith and Howard era was behind them.

How long ago that seems now.

– First we had the u-turn on grammar schools – as David Cameron first rejected and then backed more academic selection.

– Then a back to basics family tax policy that would penalise children whose parents are separated, widowed or divorced.

– Then promises of billions of pounds of inheritance tax cuts for the very richest and billions of pounds of extra spending too – uncosted commitments that would leave a £6 billion black hole in the public finances – putting at risk our economic stability and investment in public services.

– And on Europe, a commitment to re-negotiate the EU treaty and the Social Chapter – a more anti-European approach than any previous Tory leader since we entered the Common Market, an approach which would inevitably lead to Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.

So for all the talk of Cameron challenging and changing his own party, for all the talk of policy review groups and fresh ideas – what we’ve actually seen is the re-emergence of the same old Conservative Party with the same old ideas.

Just look at the last week:

– First we saw a reheated policy of English votes for English laws, which David Davis himself said would lead to a constitutional crisis and which we know would plunge us into chaos and instability, and set us on a course for the break-up of the Union.

Whether it’s 400 years of Union, or 35 years of European membership, or 10 years of unprecedented economic stability, David Cameron is willing to put them all at risk in his pursuit of an easy headline.

– And then David Cameron launched a supposedly grown-up conversation about immigration – which turned out to be just scaremongering and playing to people’s fears without any solution to speak of.

Friends, we know that immigration – over recent decades and throughout the course of British history – has strengthened our society and our economy.

But it is also right that we have a controlled immigration system.

And that is why Liam Byrne is:

– boosting our border controls with an electronic system to count people in and out of the country

– introducing a new points based system to control who can come here to work and study

– and making ID cards compulsory for all foreign nationals.

And we will support local authorities in managing the impact of migration and demands on local services.

So let us be clear: it is Labour which is leading the grown-up debate on immigration.

Future challenges

And in the coming months we will continue to lead and set out our vision for change.

Our task is to show the British people:

– how we will change Britain to meet the big challenges facing our country

– why our Labour values make us best placed to meet these challenges

– and that we will always be on the side of the British people.

And in the Queen’s Speech next week we will set out our programme

– to respond to the rising aspirations of the British people
– to ensure security for all
– to entrust more power to Parliament and the people
– and to build a Britain where everybody can rise as far as their talents will take them.

And we will put the concerns of families in every part of our country first.

Their concerns – education, the NHS, security, affordable housing, a strong economy – will be the Government’s priorities.

So the Queen’s Speech will continue the work of change:

– putting affordable housing within the reach of the many and not just the few

– extending educational opportunity to all our young people

– making the NHS more focussed around the needs of the individual patient;

– helping all children get the best possible start in life

– protecting the environment;

– building stronger communities and tackling crime and terrorism;

– and further strengthening Parliament and making the Government more accountable to the people.

And in each of these areas we will ask:

– What progress have we made?
– What are the challenges we face?
– What are the obstacles that still hold us back?
– And how is it that our values – of social justice, opportunity for all and strong communities working together – mean that we have the answers and not the Tories.

Health

Take health.

We know that our unprecedented investment and reform has delivered:

– 1 million more operations each year
– 100 new hospitals
– and reduced mortality rates, particularly for cancer and heart disease.

But despite this progress there are still huge challenges. As Alan Johnson has said:

– there are still stubborn health inequalities
– we have an ageing society and obesity is on the rise
– and while new technology brings us new opportunities, patients have higher expectations of what a 21st century health service should provide.

And Lord Darzi’s recent report helps chart the way ahead:

– with new GP services in areas with the poorest provision
– a more personalised NHS which fits around people’s lifestyles today

– and a clear remit for the NHS not just to treat ill health but to prevent it

And as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the NHS next year, we will defend the Labour values on which it was founded – a free and universal service, based on need not ability to pay – our NHS the best insurance policy in the world.

And where are the Tories?

They oppose our 18 week target from GP referral to treatment.

The black hole in their spending plans puts at risk our future investment in the NHS.

And we know the health policy David Cameron really wants is the patients passport he dreamed up for Michael Howard at the last election – to let those who can afford it opt out and pay to jump the queue – a two tier Tory health service.

Education and children

And as with health, so with education and children’s policy.

We have made real progress over the last ten years:

– 600,000 children lifted out of poverty
– this year our best ever results at Key Stage 2, GCSE and A-level
– and 1,100 schools new schools built or rebuilt

But there is still much to do. It is still the case that:

– while GCSE results are rising faster for children entitled to free school meals – poorer children are still only half as likely to get five good GCSE passes

– and too many young people are leaving school without the skills or qualifications they need to get on.

So while over the last ten years our education system has been transformed – from below average to above average – we have not yet got to the world class education system for all we need.

We have more to do to break the link between how well you do at school and where you live or the income of your family.

And our task is to break down the obstacles which still prevent too many children and young person from making the most of their talents.

Obstacles which, if we do not address them, will hold Britain back.

So in the crucial early years:

– We need to expand affordable childcare and free nursery provision – and as we build a Children’s Centre in every community, we have to make sure that Sure Start reaches out to the most disadvantaged families too.

At primary school:

– We need more one to one tuition, personalised learning and catch up support so that every child can master the basics in reading, writing and maths.

– And because we know that what happens outside the classroom is critical to promoting opportunity we will tackle poverty, support parents and promote the health and well being of children so we can drive up standards for all.

And in secondary schools:

As Gordon said this week – we will intervene earlier to tackle failing schools

– We want more collaboration and mergers between successful schools and weaker ones, with local authorities putting Academies at the centres of local school improvement plans.

And at 14-19:
– We have to break out of the old two tier divide where academic qualifications were seen as ‘excellent’ and vocational learning was second class.

– And with the support of universities and employers I believe Diplomas can bridge this divide and could become the qualification of choice over the next decade.

And on family policy:

– We need to do even more to support parents in the challenging but incredibly important job of bringing up children in today’s busy and complex world

– We will continue to promote and support flexible working so that all parents, including fathers, can spend more time with their children.

– Extending maternity leave and developing a new carers strategy to help the millions of families who are caring for sick and older relatives.

– And we will set out our next steps when we publish our Children’s Plan next month.

And in each of these areas, where do the Tories stand?

– On early years, they oppose Sure Start and use every opportunity to do it down.

– In primary schools, instead of intervening early to support struggling kids they want 11 year olds who aren’t making the grade to be held back in primary school for an extra year – an unworkable policy that was condemned by both parents and teachers, and which would simply divide kids like the old 11 plus.

– and in secondary education, the truth just keeps seeping out. As Boris Johnson told the Tory Conference, he wants to see a return to “good old-fashioned academic selection”.

– And on family policy, David Cameron – who voted against extending maternity leave and giving parents of young children the right to request flexible working – now wants a two-tier family tax policy which would penalise children where parents are separated, widowed or divorced.

Two-tier Britain

So David Cameron’s problem is not just

– That he is inexperienced

– That he’s lurching to the right

– Or that the £6 billion black hole in his spending plans would put our investment in public services and economic stability at risk

David Cameron is not on the side of the majority of the British people.

As we have now seen, whether it’s on families, health or education, the Tories vision is a vision of a two-tier Britain.

Just look at the way the Tories opposed our reforms and attacked our new Diplomas last week – saying that ‘excellence’ should be reserved for the few.

Not only is this out of touch with the demands of big employers and universities, it is a backward-looking view which would entrench forever the old division between vocational and academic learning.

And it’s this belief that excellence can only be for the few and not the many that means the Tories oppose our plans to expand the number of young people going to Universities.

And it’s this belief that excellence can only be for the few which means that as we prepare to set out next week the biggest educational reform in the last fifty years – to provide education or training for every young person until their 18th birthday – the Tories still won’t back our reform.

The truth is David Cameron stands for a two-tier Britain, two tiers of opportunity – not just holding young people back from reaching their full potential, but holding the whole country back from what we can achieve together.

Conclusion

So friends, we know it is Labour that stands for excellence and opportunity for all and not just some.

That is our vision.

And over the weeks and months ahead as we
– develop our policy
– set out our plans
– and implement the change that will transform Britain

It is our commitment to oppose the Tory vision of a two-tier Britain and instead break down the barriers to opportunity for all which means today, Labour is not just the Party of the Union, but the true ‘one nation’ party in British politics.

It is our values and our vision which will deliver the change that Britain needs and win the trust of the British people.