The Labour Party manifesto 2005 

Contents 
Preface by Tony Blair...........................................................
................. 4 New Labour's record: 
The contract delivered........................................ 10 Chapter 1 
Economy: Rising prosperity in an opportunity society .......................... 
14

Chapter 2 
Education: 
More children making the grade......................................... 30

Chapter 3 
Crime and security: Safe communities, secure borders........................... 
42

Chapter 4 
Our NHS: Free to all, personal to each 
................................................ 56

Chapter 5 
Older people: Secure today, 
prepared for the future................................ 68

Chapter 6 
Families: Choice and support at work and at home .............................. 
74

Chapter 7 
International policy:
A stronger country in a secure, sustainable and just world..................... 
82

Chapter 8 
Quality of life: 
Excellence for all........................................................... 92

Chapter 9 
Democracy: Power devolved, 
citizens empowered.................................102




Preface Tony Blair New Labour's 2005 manifesto applies 
the unchanging values of our party to the new priorities of the British people. 
It is a plan to improve the lives of hard­working families and prepare our 
country for success in a fast­changing world. Our case rests on one idea more 
than any other – that it is the duty of government to provide opportunity and 
security for all in a changing world. Every chapter relates back to that goal: 
breaking down the barriers that stop people fulfilling their talent, extending 
opportunity to every corner of the United Kingdom, building communities 
strong and safe for those who play by the rules. On the firm foundations we 
have laid since 1997, our programme will embed a new progressive 
consensus in our country. This preface is my personal message. 
45 
Eight years ago, I offered new leadership – fresh, idealistic, energetic, 
but untested.You voted for change and gave me the chance to serve. 
In our first term we banished the demons of ten per cent interest rates, 
mass unemployment, wages of £1.50 an hour, and outside toilets in our schools. 
We put Labour values into action. And we banished Labour demons too: 
we showed we could run the economy well, cut crime, and 
stand up for Britain abroad.We proved our competence. 
Four years ago, I said we needed to continue the modernisation of our economy, 
coupled with investment and reform to achieve change in public services. 
At the end of this second term we have delivered an 
unprecedented period of stability and growth, we have increased 
investment and we have embarked on a radical programme of reform 
to put the people themselves in the driving seat of our public services. We 
have made difficult decisions – about health policy, student finance, 
and secondary school reform. In the process we have proved our resilience. Now 
we go to the people not only having delivered on our promises, 
but also setting new and more ambitious goals for our 
public services and our country. 
But Britain can be better still. 
I know the change is possible. Not just because I have studied the sta­tistics, 
but because I have seen it with my own eyes, across the length 
and breadth of the United Kingdom. 
I have spoken to NHS staff in Coventry, Edinburgh and Swansea, who tell me how 
their new hospital and the new funding is letting them improve 
care for their patients. 
I have heard teachers in Bexley, Middlesbrough and Sheffield tell me 
how they no longer have to work in crumbling classrooms without 
Preface Tony Blair 
books and computers – and pupils show me, with pride, round their 
sparkling new school. 
I have met youngsters in Blackpool and London whose lives have been 
transformed by the New Deal – once written off, they are now full of 
confidence and ambition. 
I've been to communities in Southampton and Darlington where the 
Sure Start programme is helping overcome disadvantage and seen for 
myself the remarkable revival of our great cities. 
I have met aid workers in Africa who tell me how this country is 
improving the lives of the poorest on our planet. 
These are not the fantasy of politicians.They are the stories of real life 
in our country and abroad. Not for everyone. Not everywhere. But for 
enough people and in enough places for us to know it is not a fluke. 
Personal prosperity and the good society; the fruit of partnership 
between the British people and a government on their side. 
Now we have to decide whether to go forward or back. 
Britain is on the right track.We will not change direction. Neither will we 
rest on our laurels. Our third­term opportunity is to build on the 
progress we have made.That progress, 
first as a party then in govern­ment began with the insight that the only way to
 advance decent progressive values was to develop a new policy agenda. 
Our under­standing of the world and the great changes underway in our society 
led us to reject the false choices of the past.This is the foundation stone 
of new Labour. 
I believe that in our third term we can embed a new progressive con­sensus. 
One that reflects the mission of our movement, and the hopes 
7 
and values of our people. And as much as the pursuit of this consensus 
represents an unprecedented opportunity for progressive politics, so it 
will be bitterly opposed by those who seek to take us back to the divi­sions of 
the past. 
In our third term we will forge an even stronger bond between the 
goals of economic progress and social justice. No going back to fiscal 
irresponsibility. No going back to a Conservative government that says 
mass unemployment is a price worth paying. Going forward instead to 
an opportunity economy, spreading prosperity through high 
employment and welfare reform, spreading opportunity through 
widening access to university and training, spreading ownership 
through the Child Trust Fund and expanding homeownership. 
In our third term we will make public services safe for a generation. No 
going back to one­size­fits­all monolithic services. No going back 
to the Tory years of cuts and privatisation. Going forward instead to 
services free to all, personal to each: 
breaking once and for all the drop­out culture in education and the waiting­list
 culture in health, 
by rais­ing investment and driving innovation through diversity of provision 
and power in the hands of the patient, the parent and the citizen. 
In our third term we will cement a new social contract with rights 
matched by responsibilities. No going back to 'no such thing as socie­ty'. 
Going forward instead to power and resources in the hands of the 
law­abiding majority. A government committed both to abolishing 
child poverty and to putting the values of individual responsibility and duty at 
the very heart of policy. 
In our third term we will show that our national interest can only be pursued by 
engaging with the world's great challenges. No going back 
to a Britain marginalised and weak. 
Going forward to a stronger coun­try in a safer, fairer world. 
Leading on Africa, leading on the 
Preface Tony Blair 
environment, at the heart of Europe, working together to tackle terror 
and spread peace and justice. 
We do not duck the tough choices – from independence for the Bank 
of England to the tax rise we made for the NHS, to the war in Iraq.We 
made decisions because we believed them right – not because they 
were destined to be popular. 
But we refuse to accept false choices.The British people never wanted 
to choose between wealth creation and social justice.They never want­ed to choos
e between national security and overseas aid. They never 
wanted to choose between equal rights and protection from crime. 
These are the false choices that landed us with economic decline and 
social division. 
The British people have the capacity to make this a great country. Our 
ideals are undimmed: extend opportunity to all, demand responsibili­ty from all, 
secure justice for all. Our policies are refreshed: never has a 
governing party proposed a more wide­ranging programme of change 
for the country. Our vision is clear: 
a country more equal in its oppor­tunities, more secure in its communities, 
more confident in its future. It is our social contract: we help you, 
you help yourself; you benefit and the country benefits. 
So now, I fight my last election as Leader of my party and Prime 
Minister of our country. My call is a passionate one: 
let's togeth­er make irreversible the positive changes that are happening in 
our country. Let's make the values of social justice and a fair deal 
for all the governing ideal of our country not just for some time 
but for all time. People freed from barriers of class, building a 
better future for themselves and for the country. Self­interest 
and national interest together. 
89 

New Labour's record: 


The contract delivered Our country is changing for the better, 
because we fulfilled the promises of our 1997 and 2001 manifestos. Here is what 
has changed. 
¦ Prosperity for all 
Britain now has a stable, growing economy with the lowest inflation 
since the 1960s. 
Since 1997, two million more people are in work, and the UK has the 
lowest unemployment for 30 years.Tax credits and the minimum wage 
are ensuring that work pays for everyone. 
Because of this we are saving £5 billion a year on the costs of unem­ployment –
 that's £84 for every citizen in Britain – money that is being 
invested in frontline services such as schools and hospitals. 
There are over one million more homeowners, 
saving on average near­ly £4,000 a year, 
thanks to the lowest mortgage rates for 40 years. 
Since 1997, average incomes have increased by 19 per cent and the 
income of a typical family has increased by 17 per cent, 
with living stan­dards rising in double digits for every part of the income spec
trum. 
There are 300,000 more businesses, providing jobs and increased prosperity. 
There are two million fewer children and nearly two million fewer pensioners 
living in absolute poverty. 
¦ World­class public services 
Investment in public services is up – an extra £1,000 per pupil per 
year in real terms since 1997, and spending on the NHS has more 
than doubled to £69 billion.There are over 28,000 more teachers and 
105,000 extra teaching assistants and support staff. The National 
Health Service now has 79,000 more nurses and over 27,000 more doctors. 
And public servants – from nurses to police officers –
 are bet­ter rewarded for their work. 
Our ten­year­old pupils are ranked third best in the world in literacy 
and are the fastest improving in numeracy. 
Since the introduction of free entry, visits to our national museums 
and galleries have risen by 75 per cent. 
Deaths from heart disease are down by 27 per cent and cancer deaths 
are down by 12 per cent. 
¦ A modern welfare state 
Thanks to our New Deal, long­term youth unemployment has been 
virtually eradicated, with over half a million young people helped into work. 
By October 2005, families with children will be on average £1,400 a 
year better off as a result of our tax and benefit measures compared to 1997. 
Thanks to our reforms pensioner households are on average £1,500 a 
year better off, rising to £2,000 for the poorest third. 
Maternity leave has increased to 26 weeks and maternity pay has almost doubled. 
There are 1.2 million more older people in employment.The employ­ment rate for p
eople aged between 50 and pension age has increased 
by over five percentage points to 70 per cent. 
¦ Strong and safe communities 
Crime has fallen by 30 per cent overall, with almost five million fewer 
crimes a year than in 1997. 
New Labour's record: The contract delivered 
There are record numbers of police, nearly 13,000 more, assisted by 
4,600 new Community Support Officers. 
New powers to tackle anti­social behaviour have been introduced, with 
nearly 4,000 Anti­Social Behaviour Orders issued so far and nearly 
66,000 fixed penalty notices. 
We have halved the time from arrest to sentencing for persistent young offenders
. 
More than 80 per cent of initial decisions on asylum claims are now 
processed in two months. 
¦ Britain strong in the world 
Britain's interests are at the heart of an enlarged European Union, with 
economic reform putting jobs first. 
Our international aid budget for the world's poorest countries has 
more than doubled. 
We have successfully pressed for the restarting of world trade talks 
which will focus on the needs of developing countries. 
Our strong, effective and responsive armed forces are ensuring the 
defence of Britain's interests. 
We introduced greenhouse­gas trading to cut pollution – the first country 
to do so – reducing emissions by 9.8 million tonnes in the first two years. 

Chapter 1 
Economy: Rising prosperity in an opportunity society 
Forward to increased prosperity, not back to boom and bust 
1979­1997: Interest rates average over ten per cent 
1997­2005: Britain, the fourth largest economy in the world, 
with the longest ever period of continuous growth 
2010: Full employment in every region and nation 
Britain forward not back 
Labour's economic record is unprecedented – the highest employment ever, 
longest period of uninterrupted growth in modern history, 
lowest sustained interest and inflation rates for a generation. 
Our economic policies will build on the plat­form of stability and growth in thr
ee ways: 
entrenching a low­debt/high­employment economy which generates investment 
in public services; supporting  enterprise and wealth creation 
by making Britain the best place to do business; and helping 
every part of Britain and every person in Britain to con­tribute to and gain fro
m the strength of our economy. 
And as we work globally to tackle climate change we recognise the challenge and 
the opportunity of achieving sustainable development at home. 
¦ The new Labour case 
Our economic record has finally laid to rest the view that Labour could 
not be trusted with the economy. We are winning the argument that 
economic dynamism and social justice must go hand in hand. In the future the 
countries that do best will be those with a shared purpose 
about the long­term changes and investments they need to make – and have 
the determination to equip their people for that future. So, we 
approach new challenges with a progressive strategy for growth. In our 
third term we will build new ladders of social mobility and advance­ment on the 
firm foundations of stability, investment and growth. 
¦ Low debt and high employment 
In the last eight years we have pioneered a British way to economic sta­bility. 
Our economy has grown in every quarter with this Government. 
Interest rates have averaged 5.3 per cent since 1997, saving mortgage payers 
on average nearly £4,000 per year compared to the Tory years. 
Only with Labour, which constructed this framework, 
will this continue.We will maintain our inflation target at two per cent.We will 
continue to meet our fiscal rules: over the economic cycle, 
we will bor­row only to invest, and keep net debt at a stable and prudent level. 
¦ Public spending and taxation 
The longest period of uninterrupted economic growth in modern 
times has enabled the Government to deliver the longest period of sus­tained inv
estment in public services for a generation. Social security 
bills for unemployment have been halved since 1997, saving £5 billion a year, 
and we are also saving £4 billion a year on debt interest pay­ments. 
Over the ten­year period 1997­98 to 2007­08, real­terms 
investment per year in education will have risen by 4.8 per cent and in 
health by 6.5 per cent. 
'We are winning the argument that 
economic dynamism and social 
justice must go hand in hand.' 
Every pound we invest goes further because of our drive for efficiency 
and reform. Labour will complete the implementation of Sir Peter 
Gershon's recommendations to improve public­service efficiency and root out wast
e, liberating over £21 billion for investment in front­line services. 
Labour believes tax policy should continue to be governed by the 
health of the public finances, the requirement for public investment 
and the needs of families, business and the environment. 
We will not raise the basic or top rates of income tax in the next 
Parliament.We renew our pledge not to extend VAT to food, children's 
Economy: Rising prosperity in an opportunity society 
clothes, books, 
newspapers and public transport fares.We will contin­ue to make targeted tax cut
s for families and to support work. As a 
result of personal tax and benefit measures introduced since 1997, by 
October 2005 families with children will be on average £1,400 a year 
better off in real terms. Living standards in Britain have been rising, on 
average, by 2.5 per cent per year since 1997 –
 a total increase of nearly 20 per cent. 
We want a tax regime that supports British business. That is why we 
have cut corporation tax to its lowest ever level, introduced the best 
regime of capital gains tax in any industrialised country, 
and intro­duced a new Research and Development tax credit. 
¦ Full employment 
Our goal is employment opportunity for all – the modern definition of 
full employment. Britain has more people in work than ever before, 
with the highest employment rate in the G7. Our long­term aim is to 
raise the employment rate to 80 per cent. And, 
as we move more peo­ple from welfare to work, 
the savings on unemployment benefits will 
go towards investing more in education. 
We will make work pay. With Labour's tax credits a family with two 
children pays no net tax until their earnings reach £21,000. 
We will implement the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission 
to raise the minimum wage to £5.05 from October 2005 and £5.35 
from October 2006. 
The New Deals and the creation of JobCentre Plus have made a major 
contribution to cutting unemployment. 
The active welfare state created since 1997 is working. 
The Tories trebled the number on incapacity benefits. We will help 
people who can work into rehabilitation and eventually into employ­ment, 
recognising the practical assistance to disabled people of the 
Access to Work scheme. We will build on the successful Pathways to 
Work programme and reform Incapacity Benefit, 
with the main ele­ments of the new benefit regime in place from 2008. 
The majority of 
claimants with more manageable conditions will be required to engage 
in both work­focused interviews and in activity to help them prepare 
for a return to work.Those with the most severe conditions will also be 
encouraged to engage in activity and should receive more money than now. 
We will continue to welcome new independent and voluntary 
sector partners to provide job­seeking services. 
¦ Supporting enterprise 
Government does not create wealth but it must support the wealth creators. 
That is why our priorities are the national infrastructure of skills, science, 
regulation and planning, and transport.The economy of 
the future will be based on knowledge, innovation and creativity.That 
applies both to manufacturing and services. 
In a fast changing global economy, government cannot postpone or 
prevent change.The modern role for government –
 the case for a mod­ern employment and skills policy –
 is to equip people to succeed, to be on their side, 
helping them become more skilled, 
adaptable and flexi­ble for the job ahead rather than the old Tory way of walkin
g away leaving people unaided to face change. 
Successful manufacturing industries are vital to our future prosperity. 
The Labour Government backs manufacturing: 
from launch invest­ment for Airbus A380 Super Jumbo to the successful Manufactur
ing Advisory 
Service helping 13,000 of our smaller manufacturing busi­nesses in its first yea
r. In a third term we will continue to do so. 
Public procurement is a big opportunity for business in Britain and 


'In our third term we 
will build new ladders 
of social mobility and
advancement on the firm
foundations of stability,
investment and growth.'

the source of many jobs.We will promote a public procurement strat­egy that safe
guards UK jobs and skills, under EU rules, to ensure that 
British industry can compete fairly with the rest of Europe. 
Britain has some of the strongest capital markets in the world. We are 
determined they – and our financial services industry – should prosper. 
We will ensure that companies have the right framework of 
corporate governance and relationships with the institutions that invest 
our pension funds and savings in them. 
¦ Skills at work 
Our reforms to 14­19 education (see chapter 2) will raise the quality 
and quantity of apprenticeships and vocational education.We are now 
putting in place a comprehensive and ambitious strategy to help every­one get on
 at work: 
* 
All adults to get free access to basic skills in literacy,language and numeracy. 

* 
A new national programme, working with employers, to ensure that 
employees who did not reach GCSE standard (level 2) at school will get 
time off for free training up to level 2. 

* 
A new partnership between government and employers to fund workplace 
training at level 3 (technician level) 

* 
A genuinely employer­driven training system – in every sector there will 
be a Sector Skills Council determining the training strategy and a leading 
edge Skills Academy. 

* 
A nationwide system of advice – bringing together support on skills, jobs 
and careers – helping people to get on at work. 

* 
A 
strong partnership with trade unions to boost workplace training includ­ing a ne
w TUC Academy and continued support for Union Learning Reps. 


¦ Supporting science 
The alliance of scientific research and business creativity is key to our 
continued prosperity. 
Economy: Rising prosperity in an opportunity society 
Looking ahead, we are committed to a ten­year strategy on science 
and innovation that will continue to invest in our science and industri­al base 
at least in line with trend GDP. Our ambition now is to raise the 
UK's total private and public sector investment in research and devel­opment, 
as a proportion of national income, from its current 1.9 per 
cent to 2.5 per cent by 2014. 
Our pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are world leaders. 
We have created one of the world's best environments for stem­cell research. 
We have now passed legislation to protect our researchers 
from the activities of animal rights extremists. 
Across a range of environmental issues –
 from soil erosion to the deple­tion of marine resources, from 
water scarcity to air pollution – it is 
clear now not just that economic activity is their cause but that these 
problems in themselves threaten future economic activity and growth. 
We will continue to work with the environmental goods and services sector –
 which is already worth £25 billion to the economy to promote 
new green technologies and industries in the UK and internationally, 
and use the purchasing power of government to support environmen­tal improvement
. 
¦ Competition, planning and regulation 
Competition is a driving force for innovation. Our competition regime 
has been toughened with independent competition bodies and stronger penalties. 
To the benefit of business and household consumers we 
are liberalis­ing the postal services market, 
while protecting the universal service at a uniform tariff. 
As we said in our policy document Britain is Working, we have given 
the Royal Mail greater commercial freedom and have no plans to privatise it. 
Our ambition is to see a publicly owned Royal Mail fully 
restored to good health, providing customers with an excellent service 
and its employees with rewarding employment. We will review the 
impact on the Royal Mail of market liberalisation, 
which is being pro­gressively introduced under the Postal Services Act 2000 and 
which allows alternative carriers to the Royal Mail to offer postal services. 
We have reformed our energy markets to make them open and com­petitive. 
And we are a leading force in the campaign to make Europe's 
energy markets the same. Our wider energy policy has created a 
framework that places the challenge of climate change – as well as the 
need to achieve security of supply – at the heart of our energy policy. 
We have a major programme to promote renewable energy, as part of a 
strategy of having a mix of energy sources from nuclear power sta­tions to clean
 coal to micro­generators. 
We will only regulate where necessary and will set exacting targets for 
reducing the costs of administering regulations. We will rationalise 
business inspections.The merger of the Inland Revenue and Customs 
and Excise will cut the administrative costs of tax compliance for small 
businesses. 
We will take further action in Europe to ensure that EU regulations are 
proportionate and better designed.We strongly support the creation of 
an EU single market in services to match the single market in goods – 
and want an effective directive to provide real benefits to consumers 
and new opportunities to British business.We will protect our employ­ment standa
rds. In developing the directive we will want to avoid any 
undermining of our regulatory framework. 
We will continue to work to protect the rights of consumers, bringing 
forward proposals to strengthen and streamline consumer advocacy. 
We look forward to action from the banking industry to remove delays 
Economy: Rising prosperity in an opportunity society 
in processing cheques and other payments and, if necessary, 
will legis­late to ensure this early in the next Parliament. 
There are many bank accounts that are lying dormant and unclaimed, 
often because people have forgotten about them or because the owner has died. 
We will work with the financial services industry to establish a 
common definition and a comprehensive record of unclaimed assets. 
We will then expect banks, over the course of the Parliament, to either 
reunite those assets with their owners or to channel them back into the 
community. 
An effective planning regime protects the environment while promot­ing economic 
growth – and does so quickly and responsively. In the next term, 
we will ensure that our planning system continues to pro­tect the sustainability
 of local and regional environments – and we will 
continue to develop a regime which is simpler, 
faster and more respon­sive to local and business needs including the need to cr
eate jobs and regenerate our cities. 
¦ Fostering entrepreneurship 
There are 300,000 more businesses now than in 1997.We are tackling 
barriers to financing for small and growing businesses – especially 
enterprises in deprived areas. Through Business Links we will offer start­ups, 
social enterprises and small businesses access to tailored 
intensive support and coaching.To foster the entrepreneurs of tomor­row, 
by 2006 every school in the country will offer enterprise educa­tion, 
and every college and university should be twinned with a business champion. 
¦ Modern transport infrastructure 
An efficient transport system is vital to the country's future, to our 
economy and to our quality of life.We welcome the freedom that addi­tional trave
l provides and support the continuing development of a 
competitive and efficient freight sector. Investment, better management 
of road and rail, and planning ahead are vital to deal with the pressures 
on the system in a way that respects our environmental objectives. 
We have doubled transport spending since 1997 and will increase it 
year on year – committing over £180 billion in public money between now 
and 2015 as well as private investment. The Eddington Review 
will work with the Government to advise on how this investment 
should be targeted – in particular, where transport is vital to underpin 
economic growth. 
We are now taking charge of setting the strategy for rail to further raise 
the standard of service and reliability. We will examine options for 
increasing capacity, including a new generation of high­speed trains 
on intercity routes and a new life for rural branch lines as community 
railways.We are committed to continuing to work to develop a funding 
and finance solution for the Crossrail project; 
and will look at the fea­sibility and affordability of a new North­South high­sp
eed link. 
We will support light­rail improvements where they represent value 
for money and are part of the best integrated transport solution. To that end, 
we are working with cities across the country and have com­mitted £520 million t
o Manchester for Metrolink.We will support the 
continuing upgrade of the London Underground and the extension of 
the East London line. 
Major investment is planned to expand capacity on the M1, M6 and M25. We 
must also manage road space better. We are examining the 
potential benefits of a parallel Expressway on the M6 corridor.We will 
introduce car­pool lanes for cars with more than one passenger on 
suitable roads and explore other ways to lock in the benefit of new capacity. 
We will complete the introduction of Traffic Management 
Officers to keep traffic flowing. Because of the long­term nature of 
Economy: Rising prosperity in an opportunity society 
transport planning, we will seek political consensus in tackling conges­tion, 
including examining the potential of moving away from the cur­rent system of mot
oring taxation towards a national system of road­pricing. 
We will give all over­60s, and disabled people, free off­peak local bus 
travel and give local authorities the freedom to provide more generous 
schemes.We will continue to support growth in bus provision includ­ing innovatio
n in school transport, with greater opportunity for local 
authorities to control their bus networks where they are demonstrating 
value for money and taking strong measures to tackle congestion. To 
facilitate improved public transport provision, we will explore giving 
Passenger Transport Executives greater powers over local transport. 
We will continue funding local authorities and voluntary groups to 
make cycling and walking more attractive.We are committed to reduc­ing child dea
ths and serious injuries on the road by 50 per cent, and we 
will continue to work to reduce dangerous driving, especially drink 
driving and uninsured driving. We will work with industry to make 
travel on public transport safer and more secure. 
Government will continue to support technological innovation to 
reduce carbon emissions such as the hydrogen fuel­cell buses in 
London.We will explore the scope for further use of economic instru­ments as wel
l as other measures to promote lower vehicle emissions. 
We will continue to support air travel by implementing the balanced 
policies set out in our aviation white paper.We are committed to using the UK's 
2005 presidency of the European Union to promote the 
inclusion of aviation in the EU's emissions trading scheme. 
For shipping, our introduction of the tonnage tax has led to a trebling 
in size of the fleet since 1997. We want more ships to fly the British flag, 
to boost jobs and training, and to increase shipping and port capacity. 
¦ Opportunity for all 
We are determined to spread the benefits of enterprise to every com­munity in th
e country. Every regional economy has different strengths, 
and Regional Development Agencies now play an essential role in 
regional economic development. 
'Our economy has grown in every quarter under this Government.' 
We have given local authorities a direct incentive to promote local 
business creation, allowing them to keep up to £1 billion over three 
years of increased rate revenues to spend on their own priorities. 
The Local Enterprise Growth Initiative will work through local 
authorities to remove barriers to enterprise in the most deprived 
areas of England. 
In 1997, many parts of our towns and cities were suffering from 
deeply entrenched and multiple disadvantage.To tackle this we estab­lished a ten
­year programme, the New Deal for Communities, empowering local communities –
 and this is already delivering 
improvements in education outcomes and crime reduction. 
No area in our country should be excluded from the opportunity to get ahead, 
to benefit from improving public services, and to be secure and safe. We 
will maintain our commitment to tackling issues of worklessness, low skills, 
crime, poor environment and health in our poorest neighbourhoods. 
Economy: Rising prosperity in an opportunity society 
¦ Fairness at work 
Since 1997, the Labour Government has introduced new rights for 
people at work and new opportunities for trade unions to represent 
their members.We see modern, growing trade unions as an important 
part of our society and economy.They provide protection and advice 
for employees, and we welcome the positive role they have played in 
developing a modern model of social partnership with business repre­sentatives.T
he Labour Party has agreed a set of policies for the work­place (the Warwick Agr
eement) and we will deliver them in full.They 
will be good for employees and for the economy. 
We have introduced, for the first time, an entitlement for every 
employee to four weeks' paid holiday, and we propose to extend this 
by making it additional to bank holiday entitlement. 
¦ Promoting equality at work 
A 
strong economy draws on the talents of all.We have extended legis­lation to prot
ect people from discrimination at work to cover not only gender, disability, 
race and ethnicity but also religion and sexual orien­tation and – from 2006 –
 age. Labour has transformed legal rights for disabled people. We 
will empower disabled people further by joining 
up services and expanding personalised budgets. 
We will take further action to narrow the pay and promotion gap 
between men and women. The Women and Work Commission will 
report to the Prime Minister later this year. 
We will implement the National Employment Panel's report 
on meas­ures to promote employment and small business growth for ethnic 
and faith minorities. We will take forward the Strategy for Race 
Equality to ensure that we combat discrimination on the grounds of 
race and ethnicity across a range of services. The Equalities Review 
reporting to the Prime Minister in 2006 will make practical recommendations on t
he priorities for tackling disadvantage and pro­moting equality of opportunity f
or all groups. 
¦ Thriving rural areas 
Since 1997, Labour has made it more difficult to close rural schools, 
put in £750 million to support rural post offices and introduced a 50 per cent r
ate relief on village shops.Through our £51 million Rural 
Bus Subsidy Grant we have delivered over 2,200 new bus services in 
rural areas this year. 
We set targets for the creation of affordable homes in rural areas, which 
we have now exceeded.We will explore how to ensure a proportion of 
all new housing development is made available and affordable to local 
residents and their families. 
Because of our success in achieving extensive reforms in the Common 
Agricultural Policy (CAP), 2005 will be the first year for decades when 
farmers will be free to produce for the market and not simply for sub­sidy. 
We will continue to push for further reform of the CAP in the next Parliament, 
starting with the sugar regime. 
We will continue to promote the competitiveness of the whole food sector, 
and assure the safety and quality of its products.We will intro­duce an explicit
 policy for schools, hospitals and government offices to 
consider local sourcing of fresh produce.We will continue to improve 
the environmental performance of agriculture, rewarding every farmer in 
England for environmental protection and enhancement work 
through our new Stewardship schemes.We will also promote biomass, 
bio­fuels and non­food crops.We will work to tackle diffuse water pol­lution thr
ough addressing impacts across water catchments without 
the costs falling on water customers. 
Under difficult circumstances, Labour is working with the fishing 
Economy: Rising prosperity in an opportunity society 
industry to create a sustainable long­term future for the fishing com­munities o
f the United Kingdom. We have reformed the Common 
Fisheries Policy and will continue to protect the marine environment 
and ensure fish stocks and their exploitation are set at sustainable levels. 
We will introduce the Animal Welfare Bill as soon as possible in the 
new Parliament. 
The choice for 2010 
The Conservatives are the party of high interest rates, high infla­tion, 
mass unemployment and house repossessions. 
Their tax­and­spend promises do not add up; and they would cut £35 
billion from public investment. With new Labour, Britain can 
seize the opportunities of globalisation, 
creating jobs and pros­perity for people up and down the country. 
We can only do so if we build a clear sense of shared national economic purpose, 
not just around economic stability but also investment in infrastruc­ture, 
skills, science and enterprise.The choice is to go forward to 
economic stability, rising prosperity and wider opportunities with new Labour. 
Or go back to the bad old days of Tory cuts, insecurity and instability. 

Chapter 2 
Education: More children making the grade Forward to personalised learning, 
not back to mass failure 
1997: 42nd in the World Education League 2005: 
Third best in the world for literacy at age ten and fastest improving for maths 
2010: Every 16­year­old offered school, college, training or apprenticeship 
Britain forward not back 
Education is still our number one priority. In our first term, 
we transformed recruitment, training and methods of teach­ing, 
with record results in primary schools. In our second 
term we have driven fundamental reform in secondary provi­sion –
 more teachers and support staff, more money, 
special­ist schools and the Academies programmes. Our plan now is 
to tailor our education system to individual pupil needs, with 
parents supporting teachers and support staff in further rais­ing standards.That
 means music, art, sport and languages as 
well as English and maths in primary school; 
a good second­ary school for every child, 
with modern buildings and excel­lent specialist teaching; 
catch­up support for all children who need it; 
the guarantee of a sixth­form place, apprenticeship or further education at 16; 
sufficient quality and quantity in higher education. 
At each stage we send a clear message – 
every child has a right to a good education, but no child has 
the right to disrupt the education of other children. 
¦ The new Labour case 
For generations our country has been held back by an education sys­tem that 
excelled for the privileged few but let down the majority. 
Every child can and should be able to fulfil their potential. We will 
achieve this by uniting our commitment to equal opportunities for all 
children with a reform programme which gives every child and young person, 
from pre­school to sixth­form or apprenticeship and beyond, 
the personalised package of learning and support they need. In a third term, 
we will entrench high expectations for every child, ensure the 
flexibility of provision to meet all needs and make parents true part­ners 
as we aim for the highest ever school standards. 
¦ Every pupil with better teaching 
There is no greater responsibility than teaching the next generation. 
Head teachers, teachers and support staff deserve support and 


'Our plan now is to 
tailor our education 
system to individual 
pupil needs, with parents supporting teachers and support staff in further 
raising standards.' 
Education: More children making the grade 
respect.There are now over 28,000 more teachers and 105,000 more 
support staff than in 1997; graduate teacher applications are up 70 per cent; 
average salaries are up by more than 30 per cent. 
The remodel­ling of the school workforce is benefiting staff and helping to tail
or provision to pupil need.We will now go further –
 to intensify in­serv­ice training for teachers, 
to widen further routes into teaching, to help more teachers 
and pupils get the benefit of the range of support staff now working in schools, 
from learning mentors to music and arts specialists. The goal is clear: 
every pupil with extra support in their 
weakest subjects and extra opportunities in their strongest. 
We want to see every pupil mastering the basics. 
If they are not mas­tered by 11, 
there will be extra time in the secondary curriculum to get them right: 
schools will be judged on how pupils do in English and maths at the ages of 11, 
14 and 16. 
We want every pupil to be stretched, including the brightest, so we will 
develop extended projects at A­level, 
harder A­level questions to chal­lenge the most able, 
and give universities the individual module marks 
– as well as overall grades – of A­level students. 
¦ Every school with more money and effective leadership 
Since 1997, school funding has risen by £1,000 per pupil. Education 
spending that was 4.7 per cent of national income in 1997 will rise to 
5.5 per cent this year. We will continue to raise the share of national 
income devoted to education. And we will continue to recognise the 
additional needs of disadvantaged pupils. 
We will also ensure funda­mental reform in the way the money is spent. 
Funding will be allocat­ed on a multi­year timescale.There will be a dedicated n
ational schools budget set by central government, 
with a guaranteed per pupil increase for every school. 
Heads and governors will be in control. Successful 
schools and colleges will have the independence to take decisions about 
how to deploy resources and develop their provision. Schools 
will work together to raise standards. New provision will be created 
where standards are too low or innovation is needed. Local authorities 
have a vital role in championing the parent interest and providing sup­port serv
ices. 
A strong, effective governing body is essential to the success of every 
school and governors must be given support to help them play this role. 
We will allow more flexibility in the structure of governing bod­ies, 
including the ability to have smaller governing bodies, of ten members or less, 
to streamline management while strengthening the position of parents. 
¦ Parents as partners 
Our aim for the education system is to nurture the unique talents of 
every child. But children and schools do best with real and effective 
parental engagement. 
Parents should have the information and support they need to encourage their chi
ldren, from the first reading book to the key choices they make at 14 and 16. 
And parents should 
be central to the process of assessing school performance and driving 
improvement, as well as their vital role in promoting good behaviour 
and raising the quality of school meals (see chapter 4). 
All schools should have good home­school links, building on the new 
school and pupil profiles. 
Some schools are using ICT to make con­tact between parents and schools easier a
nd better for both sides. We will encourage all schools to follow suit. 
Ofsted now actively seeks the views of parents when undertaking inspections. 
Ofsted will be given new powers to respond to parental 
complaints and where necessary 
to close failing schools or replace fail­ing management. 
Education: More children making the grade 
¦ Enriching primary schools 
International studies show that our ten­year­olds are the third highest 
achievers in literacy in the world and the fastest improving in maths. 
Three­quarters of 11­year­olds now reach high standards in reading, 
writing and maths. 
We will intensify our literacy and numeracy pro­gramme to help an extra 50,000 p
upils achieve high standards at age 11, 
reaching our targets of 85 per cent of pupils succeeding at the basics. 
All primary school children will have access to high­quality tuition in 
the arts, music, sport and foreign languages. We have set aside funds 
for this purpose, 
working with head teachers to develop support pro­grammes and modernise the scho
ol workforce. 
We have abolished infant class sizes of more than 30, and almost all 
primary schools have gained improved facilities since 1997. We will now 
upgrade primary schools nationwide in a 15­year Building 
Schools for the Future programme, 
including under­fives and child­care facilities where needed. 
Primary schools will become the base for a 
massive expansion of out­of­school provision (see chapter 6). 
Foundation schools operate within the local family of state schools, and 
are funded in the same way as others, but manage their own assets and 
employ their staff directly.We will allow successful primary schools, like 
secondary schools, to become foundation schools by a simple vote of 
their governing body following consultation with their parents. 
¦ Every secondary school an independent specialist school 
We want all secondary schools to be independent specialist schools with a 
strong ethos, high­quality leadership, good discipline (including school 
uniforms), setting by ability and high­quality facilities as the norm. 
The way to achieve this is not a return to the 11­plus or a free­for­all 
on admissions policies. It is to ensure that independent specialist 

'…we will entrench high expectations for every child, provide the flexibility of 
provision to meet all needs and make parents true partners as we aim for 
the highest ever school standards.' 
Education: More children making the grade 
schools tailor education to the needs, interests and aptitudes of each 
pupil within a fair admissions system. 
There are over 2,000 specialist schools – schools which teach the entire 
national curriculum and also have a centre of excellence.Their results 
are improving faster than those of non­specialist schools. We want 
every secondary school to become a specialist school and existing spe­cialist sc
hools will be able to take on a second specialism. Over time all 
specialist schools will become extended schools, with full programmes 
of after­school activities. 
Every part of the country will benefit, over fifteen years, from the 
Building Schools for the Future programme.This is a once in a gener­ation progra
mme to equip the whole country with modern secondary education facilities, 
open five days a week, ten hours a day. 
Good schools will be able to expand their size and also their influence 
– by taking over less successful schools. We will develop a system to 
create rights for successful schools to establish sixth­form provision 
where there is pupil and parent demand, extending quality and choice 
for local students. 
Britain has a positive tradition of independent providers within the 
state system, including church and other faith schools. Where new 
educational providers can help boost standards and opportunities in a 
locality we will welcome them into the state system, subject to parental demand, 
fair funding and fair admissions. 
We strongly support the new Academies movement. Seventeen of 
these independent non­selective schools are now open within the state system; 
their results are improving sharply, and 50 more are in the pipeline. 
Within the existing allocation of resources our aim is that at 
least 200 Academies will be established by 2010 in communities where 
low aspirations and low performance are entrenched. 
We will encourage more small schools and boarding schools as ways of 
helping the most disadvantaged children.We will make sure schools in 
deprived areas receive the resources they need. To enable all young 
people to enjoy the opportunities previously enjoyed by the few, we are 
developing a nationwide week­long summer residential programme 
for school students.We support partnership between the state and pri­vate sector
s to bridge the unhealthy historic divide between the two. 
¦ Good discipline 
Every pupil has the right to learn without disruption; no teacher should be 
subject to abuse or disrespect. We have given head teachers the 
powers needed to maintain discipline and the highest standards of 
conduct.Violent behaviour, including the use of knives will not be tol­erated. 
We are also working with schools and teacher organisations to 
implement a zero tolerance approach to lower­level disruption. The 
number of places in out­of­school units has almost doubled, and the 
quality of provision has been enhanced. We will give head teachers 
within each locality direct control of the budgets for out­of­school provision, 
so they can expand and improve it as needed. We will 
encourage more dedicated provision for disruptive and excluded pupils, 
including by charities and voluntary groups with expertise in this area, 
and no school will become a dumping ground for such pupils. 
Parents have a duty to get their children to attend school. We have 
introduced parenting orders and fines and will continue to advocate 
truancy sweeps. 
¦ Special educational needs 
Children with special educational needs require appropriate resources 
and support from trained staff. For some this will be in mainstream 
Education: More children making the grade 
schools; for others, it will be in special schools. Parents should have 
access to the special education appropriate for their child. It is the role 
of local authorities to make decisions on the shape of local provision, in 
consultation with local parents. 
¦ No more dropping out at 16 
The historic problems of our education system at 14­plus have been an 
academic track that has been too narrow and a vocational offer too weak. 
We are determined to raise the status and quality of vocational educa­tion. 
Beyond the age of 14, GCSEs and A­levels will be the foundation 
of the system in which high­quality vocational programmes will be 
available to every pupil. Designed in collaboration with employers, 
specialised diplomas will be established in key areas of the economy, 
leading to apprenticeships, to further and higher education and to jobs 
with training.We will review progress on the development of the 14­19 
curriculum in 2008. 
We will not let economic disadvantage stand in the way of young peo­ple staying 
in education beyond the age of 16. We have rolled out 
Educational Maintenance Allowances, 
providing lower income stu­dents with a £30­a­week staying­on allowance.We belie
ve that every­one up to the age of 19 should be learning, so we will expand 
sixth­form, college and apprenticeship places, 
and ensure that all 16­to 19­year­olds in employment get access to training. 
We believe that every 16­ to 19­year­old should have dedicated super­vision and 
support, including in the further education sector. We will support 
sixth­form colleges and expect FE colleges to have dedicated 
centres for 16­ to 19­year­olds. 
Further education is vital to vocational lifelong learning. Achieving a 
transformation of FE colleges requires both our increased investment 
and serious reform. 
Every FE college will develop a centre for voca­tional excellence, 
and we will establish new skills academies led by 
leading entrepreneurs and employers from the relevant skill sectors. 
Sir Andrew Foster's review will help shape the reform process. 
¦ Children's Trusts 
Ofsted reports show that local government is continuing to improve 
the vital services on which schools and families rely. Education and 
social services should collaborate to help youngsters, especially the 
most vulnerable, achieve their potential. Local government should be 
the champion of parents and high­quality provision, including special 
needs education, school transport, and other support services. We are 
reforming local education authorities to form Children's Trusts to pro­vide seam
less support to children and families and work in partner­ship with the private 
and voluntary sectors. 
¦ World­class higher education, open to all 
Universities are critical to Britain's future prosperity.We need a bigger, 
better higher education system.We are investing £1 billion more in the 
science base, and increasing public spending on higher education by 
34 per cent in real terms. But graduates and employers must also play 
their part. Our funding reforms will generate £1 billion of extra funds by 2010; 
the abolition of up­front fees and the creation of grants will 
help poorer students. A quarter of the income from the new student 
finance system will go to bursaries for students from poorer families. 
The maximum annual fee paid by students will not rise above £3,000 
(uprated annually for inflation) during the next Parliament. 
As school standards rise we maintain our aim for 50 per cent of young 
people to go on to higher education by 2010. Two­year foundation 
degrees in vocational disciplines have a key part to play. 
PhD students are vital to universities and the nation's research base. 
Education: More children making the grade 
The number of PhD students in the UK has risen by nearly 10,000 since 1997, 
and we are carrying through a 30 per cent increase in aver­age PhD stipends to m
ake doctoral research still more attractive to high­flyers. 
We will incentivise all universities to raise more charitable and private 
funding for student bursaries and endowments. 
The choice for 2010 
Under their last government the Conservatives spent more on 
unemployment and debt interest than on education. 
Their pri­ority now is to take at least £1 billion from state schools to sub­sid
ise private education for the privileged few. In addition they 
would allow a free­for­all in school admissions – including an 
extension of selection – for five­ and 11­year­olds, 
cap the num­ber of pupils who can succeed at GCSE and A­level, and reduce 
places in higher education. The choice for 2010 is forward with new Labour: 
pupils with quality and opportunity through the system from three to 18; 
parents with the confidence that where 
there is no improvement there will be intervention; teachers knowing that 
quality will be supported and rewarded; and 
employers with a system that gets the basics right and provides 
the skills that industry needs. 
Or back with the Tories to an edu­cation system designed to look after the few b
ut fail the many. 

Chapter 3 
Crime and security: 
Safe communities, secure borders
Forward to neighbourhood policing,
not back to rising crime

1979­1997: Recorded crime had almost doubled 2005: 
Almost 13,000 more police officers 2010: A neighbourhood policing team in 
every community 
Britain forward not back 
Today, there is less chance of being a victim of crime than for 
more than 20 years. But our security is threatened by major organised crime; 
volume crimes such as burglary and car theft, often linked to drug abuse; 
fear of violent crime; and anti­social behaviour. 
Each needs a very different approach. 
We are giving the police and local councils the power to tackle 
anti­social behaviour; 
we will develop neighbourhood polic­ing for every community and crack down on dr
ug dealing and hard drug use to reduce volume crime; we are modernising 
our asylum and immigration system; 
and we will take the nec­essary measures to protect our country from internation
al terrorism. 
¦ The new Labour case 
The modern world offers freedoms and opportunities unheralded a generation ago. 
But with new freedoms come new fears and threats to our security. 
Our progressive case is that to counter these threats we 
need strong communities built on mutual respect and the rule of law. 
We prize the liberty of the individual; but that means protecting the 
law­abiding majority from the minority who abuse the system. We believe 
in being tough on crime and its causes so we will expand drugs 
testing and treatment, and tackle the conditions – from lack of youth 
provision to irresponsible drinking – that foster crime and anti­social 
behaviour. In a third term we will make the contract of rights and 
responsibilities an enduring foundation of community life. 
¦ A neighbourhood policing team for every community 
Overall crime as measured by the authoritative British Crime Survey 
is down 30 per cent – the equivalent of almost five million fewer crimes a year. 
Record numbers of police – almost 13,000 more than in 1997 
– working with 4,600 new Community Support Officers (CSOs), local councils, 
and the Crown Prosecution Service deserve the credit. 
But local people want a more visible police presence and a role in setting local
 police priorities. 
So our pledge is a neighbourhood polic­ing team for every community. 
We will carry on funding the police service to enable it to continue to employ h
istorically high numbers of police officers. 
Hard­working police officers should be supported by professional and 
trained support staff. So a new £340 million a year fund will take CSO 
numbers up to 24,000 –
 to work alongside the equivalent of an addi­tional 12,000 police officers freed
 up for frontline duties. And we will 
work with representatives of police officers and other police staff to 
develop a modern career framework for the whole police team. 
Not all problems need a 999 response, so a single phone number 
staffed by police, 
local councils and other local services will be avail­able across the country to
 deal with anti­social behaviour and other non­emergency problems. 
¦ Empowering communities against anti­social behaviour 
People want communities where the decent law­abiding majority are in charge. 
The experience of almost 4,000 Anti­Social Behaviour Orders, 
nearly 66,000 Penalty Notices for Disorder, and the closure of 
over 150 crack houses shows that communities can fight back against 
crime.We are ready to go further. 
Parish Council wardens, like those working for local authorities, will be 
given the power to issue Penalty Notices for Disorder for noise, 
graffi­ti and throwing fireworks.Victims of anti­social behaviour will be able 
to give evidence anonymously. Local people will be able to take on 'neighbours 
from hell' by triggering action by councils and the police. 
We have reformed housing and planning legislation to ensure that 
councils plan for the needs of genuine Gypsies and travellers. But with 
rights must go responsibilities so we have provided tough new powers 

'We are giving the police
and local councils the power to tackle anti­social behaviour; we will develop 
neighbourhood policing for every community…'

for councils and the police to tackle the problem of unauthorised sites. 
Excessive alcohol consumption fuels anti­social behaviour and vio­lence. 
The new Licensing Act will make it easier for the police and 
councils to deal with pubs and clubs that cause problems. 
Local coun­cils and police will be able to designate Alcohol Disorder Zones to h
elp pay for extra policing around city centre pubs and clubs, with new 
powers to immediately shut down premises selling alcohol to under­age drinkers, 
and bans from town and city centres for persistent offenders. 
Police will be able to exclude yobs from town centres for 24 
hours when they issue a Penalty Notice for Disorder. 
'We believe in being tough on crime and its causes so we will expand drugs 
testing and treatment, and tackle the 
conditions…that foster crime and anti­social behaviour.' 
We will continue to overhaul our youth justice system and improve 
Young Offender Institutions.We will make more use of intensive com­munity progra
mmes, including electronic tagging and tracking to deal 
with the most persistent young offenders, 
and will increase the num­ber of parents of young offenders getting help with th
eir children's behaviour.We will increase, by at least a half, 
programmes targeted at young people most at 
risk of offending and will expand drug­treat­ment services for young people. 
Crime and security: Safe communities, secure borders 
¦ Cutting crime through cutting drug dependency 
Communities know that crime reduction depends on drug reduction. 
There are now 54 per cent more drug users in treatment and new 
powers for the police to close crack houses and get drug dealers off our 
streets. We will introduce compulsory drug testing at arrest for all 
property and drugs offenders, beginning in high­crime areas, with compulsory 
treatment assessment for those who test positive. 
Offenders under probation supervision will be randomly drug tested 
to mirror what already happens to offenders in custody. 
From 2006, the Serious Organised Crime Agency will bring together 
over 4,000 specialist staff to tackle terrorism, drug dealers, 
people traf­fickers and other national and international organized criminals. 
And in consultation with local police authorities and chief constables we 
will re­structure police resources in order to develop strong leadership, 
streamline all police support services, and focus upon national and 
regional organised crime. 
¦ Reducing the use of guns and knives 
Dangerous weapons fuel violence. We have banned all handguns, 
introduced five­year minimum sentences for those caught with an 
unlawful firearm and raised the age limit for owning an air gun. Now 
we will go further.We will introduce a Violent Crime Reduction Bill to 
restrict the sale of replica guns, raise the age limit for buying knives to 
18 and tighten the law on air guns. Head teachers will have legal rights 
to search pupils for knives or guns. At­risk pubs and clubs will be 
required to search for them and we will introduce tougher sentences for carrying
 replica guns, for those involved in serious knife 
crimes and for those convicted of assaulting workers serving the public. 
¦ Punishing criminals, reducing offending 
As court sentences have got tougher, we have built over 16,000 more 
prison places than there were in 1997. 
The most high­risk violent offenders will now be detained in custody indefinitel
y and our 2003 
Criminal Justice Act confirmed that life sentences must mean life for the 
most heinous murders. Where significant new evidence comes to light 
we have abolished the 'double jeopardy' rule so that serious criminals 
who have been unjustly acquitted can be tried again. 
And we will intro­duce much tougher penalties for those who cause death by carel
ess driv­ing or who kill while driving without a licence or while disqualified. 
We will tackle reoffending. By 2007 every offender will be supervised 
after release; we will increase the use of electronic tagging; and we will 
test the use of compulsory lie detector tests to monitor convicted sex 
offenders. Our new National Offender Management Service will ensure 
that every offender is individually case­managed from beginning to end 
of their sentence, both in and out of custody –
 with increased effort tar­geted on drugs treatment, 
education and basic skills training to reduce reoffending. 
Voluntary organisations and the private sector will be 
offered greater opportunities to deliver offender services and we will 
give local people a greater say in shaping community punishment. 
¦ Making sure crime does not pay 
Those who commit crimes should not profit from them. Already we 
have introduced laws that enable the courts to confiscate the assets and 
property of drug dealers and other major criminals.We will enable the 
police and prosecuting authorities to keep at least half of all the crimi­nal as
sets they seize to fund local crime­fighting priorities. And we will 
develop new proposals to ensure that criminals are not able to profit 
from publishing books about their crimes. In addition we will support 
magistrates effectively in fighting crime and improve the enforcement of court 
decisions – including the payment of fines. 
Where a defendant fails to turn up for court without good excuse, 
the pre­sumption should be that the trial and sentencing should go ahead anyway. 
Crime and security: Safe communities, secure borders 
We will overhaul laws on fraud and the way that fraud trials are con­ducted to u
pdate them for the 21st century and make them quicker and more effective. 

'Overall crime…is down 30 per cent – the equivalent of almost five million 
fewer crimes a year.' 
¦ Backing the victim 
The legal system must dispense justice to the victim as well as the 
accused.We have invested to create a modern, 
self­confident prosecu­tion service. 
With new powers and new technology to bring more 
offenders to justice more speedily and effectively.We will improve the 
way the courts work for victims, witnesses and jurors by: 
* 
Building a nationwide network of witness and victim support units that 
provide practical help. 

* 
Expanding specialist courts to deal with domestic violence and specialist 
advocates to support the victims of such crime and of other serious crimes 
like murder and rape. 


We will extend the use of restorative justice schemes and Community 
Justice Centres to address the needs of victims, resolve disputes and 
help offenders to make recompense to victims for their crimes. 
Legal aid will be reformed to better help the vulnerable.We will ensure 
independent regulation of the legal profession, 
and greater competi­tion in the legal services market to ensure people get value
 for money. We will tackle the compensation culture – resisting invalid claims, 
but upholding people's rights. 


'We prize the liberty of 
the individual; but that
means protecting the 
law­abiding majority
from the minority who
abuse the system.'

Crime and security: Safe communities, secure borders 
Following consultation on the draft Bill we have published, 
we will leg­islate for a new offence of corporate manslaughter. 
¦ Migration: The facts 
Over seven million people entered the UK from outside the EU in 2003: 
of whom 180,000 came here to work and over 300,000 to study, 
with the rest coming here as business visitors and tourists. People from 
overseas spent almost £12 billion in the UK, and overseas students 
alone are worth £5 billion a year to our economy. At a time when we 
have over 600,000 vacancies in the UK job market, skilled migrants 
are contributing 10­15 per cent of our economy's overall growth. 
Since 1997, the time taken to process an initial asylum application has 
been reduced from 20 months to two months in over 80 per cent of cases. 
The number of asylum applications has been cut by two­thirds since 2002. 
The backlog of claims has been cut from over 50,000 at 
the end of 1996 to just over 10,000. There are 550 UK Immigration 
Officers posted in France and Belgium to check passports of people 
boarding boats and trains, and Airline Liaison Officers and overseas 
entry clearance staff are helping to stop 1,000 people a day improper­ly enterin
g the UK. 
¦ Building a strong and diverse country 
For centuries Britain has been a home for people from the rest of 
Europe and further afield. Immigration has been good for Britain.We 
want to keep it that way. 
Our philosophy is simple: if you are ready to work hard and there is work 
for you to do, then you are welcome here.We need controls that work 
and a crackdown on abuse to ensure that 
we have a robust and fair immi­gration system fit for the 21st century that 
is in the interests of Britain. 
¦ A points system for immigration 
We need skilled workers. So we will establish a points system for those 
seeking to migrate here. More skills mean more points and more 
chance of being allowed to come here. 
We will ensure that only skilled workers are allowed to settle long­term 
in the UK, with English language tests for everyone who wants to stay 
permanently and an end to chain migration. 
Where there has been evidence of abuse from particular countries, the 
immigration service will be able to ask for financial bonds to guarantee 
that migrants return home. We will continue to improve the quality 
and speed of immigration and asylum decisions. Appeal rights for 
non­family immigration cases will be removed and we will introduce 
civil penalties on employers of up to £2,000 for each illegal immigrant 
they employ. 
¦ Strong and secure borders 
While the Tories would halve investment in our immigration services, 
we would invest in the latest technology to keep our borders strong and secure. 
By 2008, those needing a visa to enter the UK will be fingerprinted.We 
will issue ID cards to all visitors planning to stay for more than three months. 
Over the next five years we will implement a new electronic 
borders system that will track visitors entering or leaving the UK. 
Across the world there is a drive to increase the security of identity 
documents and we cannot be left behind. 
From next year we are intro­ducing biometric 'ePassports'. 
It makes sense to provide citizens with 
an equally secure identity card to protect them at home from identity 
theft and clamp down on illegal working and fraudulent use of public services. 
We will introduce ID cards, including biometric data like 
Crime and security: Safe communities, secure borders 
fingerprints, backed up by a national register and rolling out initially 
on a voluntary basis as people renew their passports. 
¦ Fair rules 
We can and should honour our obligations to victims of persecution 
without allowing abuse of the asylum system.We will: 
* 
Fast­track all unfounded asylum seekers with electronic tagging where 
necessary and more use of detention as we expand the number of deten­tion places
 available. 

* 
Remove more failed applicants.We have more than doubled the number of 
failed asylum seekers we remove from the UK compared to 1996. 
By fin­gerprinting every visa applicant and prosecuting those who deliberately 
destroy their documents we will speed up the time taken to redocument 
and remove people and will take action against those countries that refuse 
to cooperate. By the end of 2005, our aim is for removals of failed asylum 
seekers to exceed new unfounded claims. 


¦ Tough action to combat international terrorism 
We know that there are people already in the country and who seek to 
enter the United Kingdom who want to attack our way of life. 
Our lib­erties are prized but so is our security. 
Police and other law enforcement agencies now have the powers they 
need to ban terrorist organisations, to clampdown on their fundraising 
and to hold suspects for extended questioning while charges are brought. 
Over 700 arrests have been made since 2001.Wherever pos­sible, 
suspects should be prosecuted through the courts in the normal way. 
So we will introduce new laws to help catch and convict those 
involved in helping to plan terrorist activity or who glorify or condone 
acts of terror. But we also need to disrupt and prevent terrorist activi­ty. 
New control orders will enable police and security agencies to keep 
track on those they suspect of planning terrorist outrages including 
bans on who they can contact or meet, electronic tagging and curfew orders, 
and for those who present the highest risk, a requirement to 
stay permanently at home. 
We will continue to improve coordination between enforcement agen­cies and coope
ration with other countries so that every effort is made to defeat 
the terrorists. 
The choice for 2010 
Labour's goals for 2010 are clear. Overall crime down, 
the num­ber of offenders brought to justice up, with a neighbourhood 
policing team in every community to crack down on crime and 
disorder and a modern criminal justice system fit for the 21st century. 
And to reduce threats from overseas: secure borders 
backed up by ID cards and a crackdown on abuse of our immi­gration system.The Co
nservative threat is equally clear. Savage cuts to our border controls, 
'fantasy island' asylum policies and a 
return to the days of broken promises on police numbers and crime investment. 

'We will introduce ID
cards, including biometric
data like fingerprints,
backed up by a national
register and rolling out
initially on a voluntary
basis as people renew 
their passports.'


Chapter 4 Our NHS: Free to all, personal to each 
Forward to personalised healthcare for all of us, not back to two­tier 
healthcare 
1997: 12­hour waits in Accident and Emergency, 
and waiting more than 18 months for operations 
2005: Less than four hours in A&E for 97 per 
cent of patients. Virtually no one waiting 
more than nine months for an operation 
2008: No one waiting more than 18 weeks from 
referral to treatment. No hidden waits. Free choice of hospital 
Britain forward not back 
The NHS is being restored to good health: more doctors, more nurses, 
better facilities. Waiting times are coming down and 
the survival rates for the biggest killers are improving. The 
revolution in quantity of care must be matched by a revolu­tion in quality of ca
re.With equal access for all and no charges for operations. 
That means new types of health provision, more say for patients in how, 
where and when they are treat­ed, and tackling ill­health at source. 
¦ The new Labour case 
Healthcare is too precious to be left to chance, too central to life 
chances to be left to your wealth. Access to treatment should be based 
on your clinical need not on your ability to pay. This means defeating 
those who would dismantle the NHS. 
But it also means fundamental­ly reforming the NHS to meet new challenges –
 a more demanding citizenry with higher expectations, 
major advances in science and medical technology, 
changes in the composition and needs of the population. 
'We promised to revive the NHS; we have. In our third term we will make 
the NHS safe for a generation.' 
So our aim is an NHS free to all of us and personal to each of us.We 
will deliver through high national standards backed by sustained investment, 
by using new providers where they add capacity or pro­mote innovation, 
and most importantly by giving more power to 
patients over their own treatment and over their own health. 
We promised to revive the NHS; we have. In our third term we will 
make the NHS safe for a generation. 
¦ New investment 
NHS spending has doubled since 1997, and will triple by 2008; 
already we have an extra 27,000 doctors in post or in training and 
79,000 extra nurses; over 100 new hospital building projects under way; 
500,000 more operations a year. We are proud of the dedication 
and commitment of NHS staff. We have widened the responsibilities 
of nurses and pharmacists, paramedics and porters, creating health 
services more convenient for patients. 
Together with our organisational reforms, the investment is paying off. 
The maximum time that people waited for operations in 1997 was 
well over 18 months. Now virtually no one waits longer than nine months, 
and this year it will fall further to six months. 
For a heart oper­ation or for cataract removal no one is waiting longer than thr
ee months; 97 per cent of people wait less than four hours in Accident 
and Emergency before treatment, admission or discharge. 
And speed­ier treatment saves lives. Death rates from heart disease are down by 
27 per cent since 1996; from cancer by 12 per cent. 
We will do even better. For too long waiting times have only counted 
the time after diagnosis.We will be the first Government to include all 
waiting times in this calculation, including waiting for outpatient 
appointments and for test results.There will be no hidden waits. So: 
* By the end of 2008, no NHS patient will have to wait longer than a 
maximum of 18 weeks from the time they are referred for a hospital oper­ation by
 their GP until the time they have that operation.This would mean an average 
wait of nine to ten weeks. 
*We will commit to faster test results for cervical smears. 
*We will go further in improving cancer waiting times. 


'The NHS is being
restored to good health:
more doctors, more nurses,
better facilities…
The revolution in 
quantity of care must 
be matched by a revolution
in quality of care.'

All this with equal access for all, free at the point of need with no 
charges for hospital operations. 
We have tightened the rules on NHS operations so that 'health tourists' 
now have to pay for treatment. 
'One principle underpins our reforms – putting patients centre stage. 
And extending patient power and choice is crucial to achieving this.' 
We will deal with the challenge of MRSA. 
Infections acquired in hos­pital are not new.The time to destroy MRSA was in the
 early 1990s – 
when only five per cent of the bacteria were resistant to antibiotics. At 
that time the Tory government did not even keep records about the 
incidence of MRSA and were forcing hospitals to contract out clean­ing services. 
We were the first government to publish statistics on the problem. Now, 
thanks to the tough measures we have already taken, 
including the end to a two­tier workforce for contracted­out cleaning services, 
MRSA rates are on their way down. But there is still some 
way to go.We all want clean hospitals, free of infection.We have already 
reintroduced hospital matrons and given them unprecedented powers 
to deal with cleanliness and infections in their wards; we shall reinforce 
this by consulting on new laws to enforce higher hygiene standards  
And by strengthening accountability and cutting bureaucracy, we shall 
ensure that the new investment is not squandered. We are decreasing 
the numbers of staff in the Department of Health by a third, and are 
Our NHS: Free to all, personal to each 
halving the numbers of quangos – freeing up £500 million for front­line staff. 
Given the pace of change within medical services we will 
ensure that it is possible for the NHS to change the way in which it 
organises its services as quickly as possible. 
Further streamlining meas­ures will allow us to release an additional £250 milli
on a year for front­line services by 2007. 
In the light of the findings of the Shipman Inquiry, we will strengthen 
clinical governance in the NHS to ensure that professional activity is 
fully accountable to patients, their families and the wider public. 
Following the recommendation of the Health Select Committee, we 
will require registration of all clinical trials and publication of their 
findings for all trials of medicinal products with a marketing authorisa­tion in
 the UK. 
¦ Innovation and reform 
To achieve our goals we need to expand and develop different types 
of provision.We will put more money into the frontline, develop prac­tice­based 
commissioning, and so ensure that family doctors have 
more power over their budgets. We will create more services in pri­mary care.We 
will build on our family doctor service with more GPs 
delivering more advanced services more locally; new walk­in centres 
for commuters; specialised diagnostic and testing services; compre­hensive 
out­of­hours services; high­street drop­in centres for chi­ropody, 
physiotherapy and check­ups. And we will continue to expand the role of nurses. 
These changes will result in more quality, convenience and care. 
Expansion in NHS capacity will come both from within the National 
Health Service – where we will develop the NHS Foundation Trust 
model and the new freedom for GPs to expand provision – as well as 
from the independent and voluntary sector, where specialist services 
are available at NHS standards to meet NHS need. 


'Healthcare is too 
precious to be left to
chance, too central to life
chances to be left to your
wealth…This means
defeating those who would
dismantle the NHS.'

Our NHS: Free to all, personal to each 
To help create an even greater range of provision and further improve 
convenience, we will over the next five years develop a new generation 
of modern NHS community hospitals. These state­of­the­art centres 
will provide diagnostics, day surgery and outpatients facilities closer to 
where people live and work. 
We shall continue to encourage innovation and reform through the 
use of the independent sector to add capacity to, 
and drive contestabil­ity within, the NHS. 
We have already commissioned 460,000 opera­tions from the independent sector, 
which will all be delivered free – with equal access for all based on need, 
not the ability to pay. 
Whenever NHS patients need new capacity for their healthcare, we 
will ensure that it is provided from whatever source. 
¦ Empowering patients: choosing not waiting 
One principle underpins our reforms – putting patients centre stage. 
And extending patient power and choice is crucial to achieving this. 
We shall be embedding both throughout the NHS. So: 
* 
By the end of 2008, patients whose GPs refer them for an operation will 
be able to choose from any hospital that can provide that operation to 
NHS medical and financial standards.There will be the choice of a con­venient ti
me and place for a non­urgent operation for example a location 
close to relatives. 

*We will expand capacity and choice in primary care too.Where GPs' lists 
are full we will expand provision by encouraging entrepreneurial GPs 
and other providers to expand into that location. 

* 
By 2009 all women will have choice over where and how they have their 
baby and what pain relief to use.We want every woman to be supported 
by the same midwife throughout her pregnancy. Support will be linked 
closely to other services that will be provided in Children's Centres. 

* 
In order to increase choices for patients with cancer we will double the 


investment going into palliative care services, giving more people the 
choice to be treated at home. 
By October 2005 we will have recruited more than 1,000 new NHS 
dentists and will have increased the number of dental school places by 
25 per cent.We will undertake a fundamental review of the scope and 
resourcing of NHS dentistry. 
We will provide more information and advice. Through NHS Direct, Health Direct, 
interactive TV, print media and the internet we will give 
more convenient access to much better information about health and 
health services, including the performance of doctors and hospitals. 
¦ Empowering patients: 
long­term conditions and social care

We will promote the integration of health and social care at local level, so 
that older people and those with long­term conditions can retain 
their independence. We will continue to provide healthcare free in 
long­term care establishments, and provide the right framework for 
schemes such as equity release which make staying at home an attrac­tive 
option.We will develop our policy of community matrons for those 
with severe conditions, 
helping to keep people out of hospital by pro­viding better care at home. 
*We will develop personalised budgets in social care where people can decide 
for themselves what they need and how it should be provided. 
*We shall extend case­management for the 18 million people with long­term 
conditions.We will treble the investment in the Expert Patients Programme, 
and help many more patients take control of their own care plans. 
* 
Almost a third of people attending GP surgeries have mental health prob­lems and
 mental health occupies approximately one third of a GP's time. 
So we will continue to invest in and improve our services for people with 
mental health problems at primary and secondary levels, including 
Our NHS: Free to all, personal to each 
behavioural as well as drug therapies. 
*We shall provide safeguards for the few people with long­term mental 
health problems who need compulsory treatment coupled with appropri­
ate protection for the public.We shall also strengthen the system for protect­
ing the public from offenders who have served their sentence but may still 
pose a threat because they have a serious psychopathic disorder. 
¦ Living healthier lives 
People want to take responsibility for their own health outside the 
NHS as well as within it.They have the right to expect help from gov­ernment.The
 killer diseases of the heart and the many forms of cancer 
are often the product of poor diet, lack of exercise and above all smok­ing. 
By 2010 we aim to reduce deaths from coronary heart disease and 
strokes by 40 per cent from 1997. 
And we want death rates from can­cer to be cut by 20 per cent. 
¦ Healthy choices for children 
We will start the drive for better health early – at school. We have 
already extended the provision of free fruit to all 4­ to 6­year­olds at 
school.We will invest more in renovating and building new kitchens as 
well as investing an extra £210 million in school meals, guaranteeing 
that at least 50p per meal is spent on ingredients in primary schools, 
and at least 60p in secondary schools. 
We are introducing an inde­pendent School Food Trust, 
better training for dinner ladies and Ofsted inspection of healthy eating. 
We will legislate for tougher stan­dards of nutrition for school meals and will 
encourage schools to teach more about healthy eating. 
We will ban certain products that are high 
in fat/salt content from school meals and ensure that fresh fruit and 
vegetables are part of every school meal.We will encourage secondary 
schools to keep pupils on the premises to ensure that they have a healthy meal. 
We will ensure that all school children have access to a school nurse. 
¦ Healthy choices for all 
We will put in place a simple system of labelling to make it easier for 
busy shoppers to see at a glance how individual foods contribute to a 
healthy balanced diet. We will help parents by restricting further the 
advertising and promotion to children of those foods and drinks that 
are high in fat, salt and sugar. 
We recognise that many people want smoke­free environments and 
need regulation to help them get this. We therefore intend to shift the 
balance significantly in their favour. We will legislate to ensure that all 
enclosed public places and workplaces other than licensed premises 
will be smoke­free. The legislation will ensure that all restaurants will 
be smoke­free; all pubs and bars preparing and serving food will be smoke­free; 
and other pubs and bars will be free to choose whether to 
allow smoking or to be smoke­free. In membership clubs the members 
will be free to choose whether to allow smoking or to be smoke­free. However, 
whatever the general status, to protect employees, smoking 
in the bar area will be prohibited everywhere. 
These restrictions will be accompanied by an expansion of NHS 
smoking cessation services to encourage and support smokers to 
improve their own health by giving up smoking 
Starting with the poorest areas of the country we will introduce health 
trainers to help people maintain their healthy choices. By 2010, 
through this activity we plan to reduce the health inequalities that exist 
between rich and poor. 
All this will be free at the point of need. 
The choice for 2010 
Today's Conservatives want to do what not even Margaret 
Thatcher would countenance – introducing charges for hospital 
Our NHS: Free to all, personal to each 
operations so that those who can afford to pay thousands of 
pounds can push ahead of those who cannot. As well as ending 
the founding principle of the health service, this would take 
more than £1 billion out of the system to subsidise those who can afford to pay. 
For the rest of us, the Tories would abandon 
waiting­list targets and allow a return to the 18­month waits that 
were their NHS legacy. The choice is forward with new 
Labour to a health system with patients in the driving seat, free 
to all and personal to each of us. Or back with the Tories to longer waits, 
and to a health system where treatment depends not on 
your condition but on your bank balance. 

Chapter 5 Older people: Secure today, prepared for the future 
Forward to new opportunities in old age, not back to poverty and insecurity 
1997: 2.8 million pensioners in poverty, the poorest living on £69 per week 
2005: Minimum income for pensioners of £109 per week 2010: A 
long­term settlement for pensions 
Britain forward not back 
Our priority since 1997 has been to tackle pensioner poverty. 
Nearly two million pensioners have been lifted out of absolute 
poverty as a result of Labour's measures, 
which are now get­ting on average an extra £2,000 a year to the poorest third. 
Our priorities now are to build a national consensus for tomor­row's pensioners, 
combining public and private pension schemes to build security in retirement, 
and to extend the quality of life of older people. 
¦ The new Labour case 
By 2020 there will be more people over the age of 80 than under the age of five. 
For a progressive government there can be no compromise 
of our duty to today's pensioners. But while we fulfil that duty we must 
also see old age as a time of independence and opportunity. On pen­sions, 
our aim is a system that provides security and decency for all, 
which encourages and rewards saving, and is financially sustainable. 
And because, more than anything, people need certainty to plan for 
the future we will seek a national consensus – cross­party, cross­gener­ation –
 for long­term reform. 
¦ Tackling pensioner poverty: The success of the Pension Credit 
In 1997, 2.8 million pensioners were living in poverty –
 with the poor­est expected to live on just £69 per week. 
Labour's Pension Credit 
now means that no pensioner need live on less than £109 per week. It 
rewards saving and helps over three million pensioners, with women in 
particular benefiting.We will increase Pension Credit in line with earn­ings up 
to and including 2007­08. 
All pensioners have benefited from improved universal benefits like 
the state pension, the Winter Fuel Payment (now worth £300 per year 
for the over­80s), help with council tax and free TV licences for the over­75s. 
This year, all households expected to pay council tax that 

'On pensions, our aim
is a system that provides
security and decency for
all, which encourages and
rewards saving, and is
financially sustainable.'

Older people: Secure today, prepared for the future 
include anyone over 65 will receive £200 towards the cost of council tax, 
and the following year there will be free, off­peak local bus travel in 
England for the over­60s. 
Millions of pensioners have benefited from our fuel poverty pro­gramme. 
Our goal is to eliminate fuel poverty for vulnerable groups by 2010, 
and for all by 2015. 
¦ Pensions for the generation of tomorrow 
The generation retiring in the future will be different in many ways 
from its predecessors. Their jobs will have been different; 
the expecta­tions of women will be transformed; 
their retirements will be longer and 
healthier.We have begun to lay the foundations for the pensions system 
of tomorrow, for example, by: introducing the State Second Pension to 
ensure carers, low earners and disabled people have a chance to build 
up a decent pension for the first time; 
encouraging automatic enrol­ment into company pension schemes; 
creating the Pension Protection Fund; 
enabling pensioners for the first time to work part time and draw 
down their occupational pension; as well as offering an increased state 
pension or lump sum for those deferring their pension.We will work to 
increase the proportion of pension fund trustees nominated by scheme members, 
along with access to proper training. We will keep this issue under review, 
with consultation in the expectation of further progress 
to 50 per cent member­nominated trustees. 
We need to forge a national consensus about how we move from a 
pension system designed for today's pension problems to one that is 
right for tomorrow's.We appointed the Pensions Commission to look 
into the future of pensions and its second report is due in autumn 2005.We 
are clear about the goals of a reformed system. It must tack­le poverty, 
provide everyone with the opportunity to build an adequate retirement income, 
and be affordable, fair and simple to understand. 
In particular it must address the disadvantages faced by women. 
¦ New rights, new choices 
Many older people want to carry on working in their 50s and 60s.The 
welfare state should be there to help them. Older people with their 
skills and experience are potentially an enormous resource. That is 
why we set up the New Deal for the Over­50s, with over 150,000 older 
people helped back to work. 
We also need to put the force of the law on the side of older people 
who wish to continue working. Companies will no longer be able to 
force people to retire before the age of 65 except where specifically justified. 
All employees over the age of 65 will have the right to request of 
their employer that they be allowed to carry on working. After five 
years we will review whether there should be any fixed retirement ages. 
'…provide everyone with the opportunity to build an adequate retirement income, 
and be affordable, fair and simple to understand.' 
We will give older people greater choice over their care. For every older 
person receiving care or other support, we want to offer transparent, 
individual budgets which bring funding for a range of services, 
includ­ing social care, care homes, and housing support such as adaptations, 
maintenance and cleaners 
together in one place.We will pilot individ­ual budgets for older people by 
the end of this year. 
We will make the most of the opportunities of an older population by 
creating a new programme for older people to be mentors and 
Older people: Secure today, prepared for the future 
coaches to gifted and talented young people. We will also work with 
voluntary organisations to help expand grandparent and toddler 
groups across the country. 
¦ Support across the generations 
The challenge of balancing work and family applies to parents but also 
to people looking after an elderly or sick relative – now one in five adults. 
Since the introduction of the right to request from their 
employer flexible working arrangements, a million parents have 
changed their working hours. We are consulting on a similar right for 
carers of elderly or sick relatives. 
The choice for 2010 
The Tories are the party of pensioner poverty. When they left office in 1997, 
one in four pensioners was living in poverty and the poorest pensioners 
were expected to get by on just £69 a week. 
They would phase out the Pension Credit and abolish the State Second Pension, 
hurting most those most in need. When the one thing we all need is certainty, 
the Tories have admitted 
they have absolutely no plans for how to fund their pensions pol­icy 
beyond four years.The choice is whether we go forward with 
new Labour with today's pensioners provided for and poverty falling, a 
national consensus on fair and sustainable long­term reform 
and the policies to give older people enhanced rights and choices. 
Or back with the Tories to rising levels of pensioner 
poverty and unending insecurity for tomorrow's pensioners. 

Chapter 6 Families: Choice and support at work and at home 
Forward to family prosperity, not back to family poverty 
1997: Childcare places for only one in eight children under eight 
2005: Universal, free, part­time nursery 
education for all three­ and four­year­olds 
2010: Universal, 
affordable childcare for three­ to 14­year­olds and a Sure Start Children's 
Centre in every community 
Britain forward not back 
It is impossible to fulfil the potential of our country – never 
mind promoting social mobility and equality of life chances – 
unless every child gets the best possible start in life. 
Government does not bring up children, but it must support 
parents in their key role. We will help parents balance work and family, 
expand paid leave, 
deliver the biggest ever expan­sion in childcare and end child poverty in a gene
ration. 
¦ The new Labour case 
Strong families are the bedrock of a strong society. Children cannot be 
the forgotten constituency of politics; parents put their children first 
and they deserve support from government.Yet fear of seeming to 'nanny' 
has in the past meant British law and culture have not sup­ported parents and ch
ildren. Government cannot shirk its responsibil­ities. 
Our starting point is that for children to come first parents need 
to be given choices: a tax and benefit system to raise family incomes 
and tackle child poverty; legal changes to promote a healthy balance 
between work and family; and services built around the needs of chil­dren. 
Our third­term commitment – not a nanny state but a family­friendly government. 
¦ Tackling child poverty 
We will end child poverty, starting by halving it –
 both in terms of rel­ative low­income and in terms of material deprivation –
 by 2010­11. 
Work is the best anti­poverty strategy.Tailored help, especially for lone 
parents, is key but we are also committed to making work pay – with a 
guaranteed income of at least £258 per week for those with children 
and in full­time work. 
The benefits system needs to support all children, 
and those in great­est need the most. 
That is the rationale for universal child benefit and targeted tax credits, 
and why we have committed to increasing the 
Child Tax Credit at least in line with earnings up to and including 2007­08. 
By October 2005, families with children will be on average 
£1,400 per year better off, 
and those in the poorest fifth of the popu­lation on average £3,200 a year bette
r off compared to 1997. Labour's 
Child Trust Fund creates a nest egg for newborns that they can access at age 18. 
It is the world's first example of a government ensuring that 
all children grow up with a financial stake.We are determined to see it 
grow and are consulting on making payments at age seven and at sec­ondary school
 age, in addition to those made at birth. 

'Over 350,000 mothers and 80,000 fathers each year are using new rights to 
paid maternity and paternity leave.' 
We are supporting local authorities in the radical reform of children's 
services, above all to ensure there is one professional with lead 
responsibility for each vulnerable child.We will also ensure that 
serv­ices are designed to meet the additional needs of disabled children 
and their families. 
¦ Universal childcare 
Since 1997, 
the Government has funded an additional 520,000 sustainable childcare places and
 now every family with a three­ or 
four­ year­old child has access to a free nursery place. By 2010, we will 
create 3,500 Sure Start Children's Centres for children under five years – five 
in every constituency – a universal local service that brings 
together childcare and services for families. By 2010, all parents of 
three­ and four­year­olds will have increased rights to flexible, free, 
part­time nursery provision for 15 hours a week over the whole school 
Families: Choice and support at work and at home 
year. Over the longer term we will increase free provision to 20 hours. 
For older children up to the age of 14 extended schools, working in 
partnership with the private and voluntary sectors, 
will offer afford­able out­of­school childcare from 8am to 6pm throughout the ye
ar, with a range of arts, music, sport and study support. 
We will help families with incomes of up to £59,000 a year with their 
childcare costs through more generous Working Tax Credit, including 
help for those using a nanny or au pair. 
Parents using childcare sup­ported by their employer will be able to get a tax b
reak worth up to £50 a week each. We are working with the GLA and the Mayor to 
bring down the cost of childcare in London. 
¦ Creating time 
Over 350,000 mothers and 80,000 fathers each year are using new 
rights to paid maternity and paternity leave. Parents consistently say 
their top priority is more choice of whether to stay at home with their 
baby in the first year of its life.We will therefore increase paid materni­ty le
ave to nine months from 2007 – worth an extra £1,400 – with the 
goal of achieving a year's paid leave by the end of the Parliament while 
simplifying the system for employers. We want to give fathers more 
opportunities to spend time with their children, and are consulting on how 
best to do this including the option of sharing paid leave.We have 
already introduced the right to request flexible working to parents of 
children under six and nearly a million parents have benefited. We 
need to balance the needs of parents and carers, with those of employ­ers, 
especially small businesses. We are consulting on extending the 
right to request flexible working to carers of sick and disabled adults as a 
priority, and also on whether we should extend the right to parents of 
older children. 
¦ Supporting family life 
Common sense, as well as research, says that children need to be able 
to depend on the love and support of both parents.The financial sup­port we are 
giving families, along with new rights to flexible working 
and access to childcare, are all designed to support family life. 
Government can and should support those public and voluntary agen­cies that 
support families and parents.We are examining the develop­ment of a new informat
ion service – Parents Direct – to provide advice 
on all aspects of children's services and parental entitlements. 
For those parents who do separate or divorce, 
both have a responsibil­ity for a meaningful relationship with their children wh
ere that is safe. 
We are introducing reforms to minimise conflict and encourage con­ciliation by g
reater and early use of mediation.We stand by the princi­ple that absent parents
 should make a fair contribution to the cost of the upkeep of their children, 
and we are committed to tackling the 
backlog of Child Support Agency claims as efficiently and fairly as possible. 
We also need to ensure court orders on access are enforced 
according to the best interests of the child, which ideally gives both 
parents an important role. 
¦ Increasing home ownership 
A decent home is crucial to family well­being. Homeownership has increased by 
over one million with Labour and by the end of our third 
term we aim for it to have risen by another million to two million. 
Rising house prices in many areas of the country have made it difficult 
for people on lower incomes to get a foot on the housing ladder. So we have 
raised the stamp duty threshold from £60,000 to £120,000 for 
residential properties, exempting an extra 300,000 homebuyers from 
stamp duty every year. 
We will continue to respond to the challenges of local housing markets 
across the UK. In the South we will invest in extra housing in London 


'Children cannot be 
the forgotten constituency 
of politics; parents put 
their children first and 
they deserve support 
from government.'

and the wider South East, with particular emphasis on the Thames 
Gateway and other growth areas. In the Midlands and North we will 
tackle the problems of low demand and abandonment that threaten communities. 
We want to widen the opportunity to own or part­own, especially for 
more young people and those tenants who rent in the private or pub­lic sector. 
Our comprehensive plan includes: 
* 
A new Homebuy scheme offering up to 300,000 council and housing 
association tenants the opportunity to buy part of their home, increasing 
their equity over time if they wish. 

* 
A First Time Buyers Initiative to help over 15,000 first­time buyers who 
could not own or part­own a home without extra help.We will use surplus 
public land for new homes, enabling the buyer to take out a mortgage for 
only the building. 

* 
Strengthening existing home ownership schemes, such as the Key Worker 
Living scheme and Shared Ownership. 


¦ Social housing 
The increased supply and quality of social housing is central to 
Labour's belief in mixed, sustainable communities. 
Since 1997, we have cut the number of substandard social­rented homes by one 
million; installing 300,000 new kitchens, 220,000 new 
bathrooms and 720,000 new boilers and central heating systems into 
council homes. By 2010 we will ensure that all social tenants benefit 
from a decent, warm home with modern facilities. 
For too long, tenants have had little say over where they live. In a third term, 
Labour will offer greater flexibility and choice for those who 
rent.We will increase the annual supply of new social homes by 50 per 
cent by 2008, an extra 10,000 homes a year, and give local authorities 
Families: Choice and support at work and at home 
the ability to start building homes again and bring empty homes back into use. 
And we will end the 'take it or leave it' 
approach to social rent­ing by expanding choice­based lettings nationwide. 
The choice for 2010 
The Tories are all talk and no action on family policy. They 
opposed our increases in maternity and paternity pay and the 
introduction of flexible working rights. Even the measures they 
have proposed wouldn't come in until 2009, by which time the 
Tories are committed to making deep cuts in spending. The choice is 
forward with new Labour to a universal, affordable, good­quality childcare, 
a million more homeowners, more 
choice for all parents and an end to child poverty. Or back to the 
risky economic policies of a Tory government that would let 
families sink or swim whatever the pressures they face. 

Chapter 7 
International policy: A stronger country in a secure, 
sustainable and just world Forward to international leadership, 
not back to isolation and powerlessness 
1997: Marginalised in Europe, aid in decline and Bosnia in ruins 
2005: Aid doubled, elections in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia peaceful 
2010: A strong Britain in a reforming Europe, 300 million out of poverty, 
global action on climate change 
Britain forward not back 
Globalisation means that events elsewhere have a direct impact at home. 
So we will pursue British interests by work­ing with our allies to make the worl
d a safer, fairer place.This means reforming Europe. 
It means fighting terrorism and 
stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. It means 
modernising our armed forces. And it means using our lead­ing role in the G8, 
EU, 
the Commonwealth and UN to pro­mote global action on climate change and poverty. 
¦ The new Labour case 
Domestic interests and international action are entwined more than ever before. 
Action on drugs, terrorism, people trafficking, AIDS, cli­mate change, poverty, 
migration and trade all require us to work with 
other countries and through international organisations. The best 
defence of our security at home is the spread of liberty and justice overseas. 
In a third term we will secure Britain's place in the EU and at 
the heart of international decision­making. We will always uphold the 
rule of international law. 
¦ Making Europe work better for Britain 
We are proud of Britain's EU membership and of the strong position 
Britain has achieved within Europe. British membership of the EU brings jobs, 
trade and prosperity; it boosts environmental standards, 
social protection and international clout. Since 1997 we have gone 
from marginal players, often ignored, to leaders in the European Union. 
Working hard with Labour MEPs, we are determined to remain leaders. 
Outside the EU, or on its margins, 
we would unques­tionably be weaker and more vulnerable. 
The EU now has 25 members and will continue to expand. The new 
Constitutional Treaty ensures the new Europe can work effectively, 
and that Britain keeps control of key national interests like foreign pol­icy, 
taxation, social security and defence.The Treaty sets out what the 
EU can do and what it cannot. 
It strengthens the voice of national par­liaments and governments in EU affairs. 
It is a good treaty for Britain 
and for the new Europe.We will put it to the British people in a refer­endum and
 campaign whole­heartedly for a 'Yes' vote to keep Britain a 
leading nation in Europe. 
We will also work to reform Europe. During Britain's EU presidency this year, 
we will work to promote economic reform, bear down on regulation; 
make progress in the Doha development trade round; bring 
closer EU membership for Turkey, the Balkans and Eastern Europe; 
and improve the focus and quality of EU aid so it better helps the poor­est 
countries. 
We will continue to lead European defence cooperation.We will build 
stronger EU defence capabilities, in harmony with NATO –
 the cor­nerstone of our defence policy – without compromising our national 
ability to act independently. We will ensure the new EU battle groups 
are equipped and organised to act quickly to save lives in humanitari­an crises. 
On the euro, we maintain our common­sense policy.The determining 
factor underpinning any government decision is the national econom­ic interest a
nd whether the case for joining is clear and unambiguous. The five 
economic tests must be met before any decision to join can be made. 
If the Government were to recommend joining, it would be put 
to a vote in Parliament and a referendum of the British people. 
¦ Protecting British interests and British citizens abroad 
We will continue to provide effective support to British businesses and 
trade unions abroad, and we will continue to improve our ability to 
respond quickly to international crises and disasters which affect our 
citizens.The Foreign Office already provides a wide range of services 
for British people in difficulty overseas, and we will consult widely 
International policy 
before drawing up a comprehensive statement spelling out the rights 
and responsibilities of British travellers abroad. This will include the 
help that people can expect from their government in times of need. 
¦ Helping make you more secure 
We have worked closely with the US and other nations to combat the threat 
of terrorism in Afghanistan and in Iraq.The threat of the prolif­eration of chem
ical, biological and nuclear weapons – and their use by 
rogue states or terrorist groups – is a pressing issue for the world today. 
We have worked with the US to ensure that Libya has given up its WMD, 
and we will continue with France and Germany to ensure that 
Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. 
In North Korea we will sup­port the multilateral approach of the Six Parties tal
ks.We will continue 
to strongly support the peace process between India and Pakistan, and 
back moves to resolve the long­running dispute over Kashmir. And we 
will work to put an end to the international network of trade in 
weapons of mass destruction. Labour has already introduced a strict 
regime to control the export of conventional weapons, and we led 
moves for EU­wide measures.We will work actively to secure an inter­national tre
aty on the arms trade. 
¦ Promoting human rights, peace and democracy 
We need to be tough on terrorism and its causes.The threat of terror­ism and the
 danger to British citizens is proven, not just by September 
11th but by repeated attacks in Europe and around the world. So we 
cannot sit back and hope that we will be unaffected. It is right that we 
do everything in our power to disrupt terrorist networks, 
and to chal­lenge the conditions that help terrorism to breed. 
The UN Charter proclaims the universal principles of human rights and democracy. 
In an uncertain world they are not only right in principle, 
they are important guarantees of our national security and prosperity too. 

'Domestic interests and international action are entwined more than ever before. 
Action on drugs, terrorism, people trafficking, AIDS, climate change, poverty, 
migration and trade all require us to work with other countries 
and through international organisations.'

International policy 
There have been major strides forward in recent years: in Indonesia, 
Afghanistan and many parts of Africa and Latin America, democracy 
is being extended. 
We mourn the loss of life of innocent civilians and coalition forces in 
the war in Iraq and the subsequent terrorism. But the butchery of 
Saddam is over and across Iraq, eight million people risked their lives 
to vote earlier this year. Many people disagreed with the action we took 
in Iraq.We respect and understand their views. But we should all now 
unite to support the fledgling democracy in Iraq. British troops should 
remain in Iraq under a United Nations mandate as long as the demo­cratically ele
cted government there wants them.They will continue to 
train Iraqi security forces to take responsibility for their own future. 
We welcome the wider process of democratic reform across the Middle East, 
and we will work with our allies to encourage and pro­mote economic and politica
l change. 
We strongly support the peace process between Israel and Palestine. 
Resolution of the conflict is crucial to peace in the region and the wider 
world.The conference held in London in March 2005 has started the 
process of helping a democratic government in Palestine build securi­ty and pros
perity.We will work tirelessly to bring about a peace settle­ment in which a via
ble and independent state of Palestine lives alongside a safe and secure Israel. 
¦ Supporting our armed forces 
Britain's armed forces are among the best in the world. They are able to play a 
key role in advancing our interests and values. We want to keep it that way. 
We are immensely proud of the bravery, skill and dedication our armed 
forces have demonstrated in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, the 
Balkans and elsewhere across the world.They are a force for good.We 
will never commit forces to battle unless it is essential; but when they 
are committed they will have the investment, strategy, training and 
preparation they need. That is one reason we have given the armed 
forces the biggest sustained increase in funding since the end of the Cold War. 
But we also know that modern demands on our armed 
forces are changing.That is why reform and modernisation are essen­tial. 
A reduction in the number of infantry battalions, made possible 
because of the improved security situation in Northern Ireland, has 
allowed extra resources for the vital support services such as signals, 
engineers, intelligence and logistics units – the parts of the army most 
under pressure. This is essential to allow our infantry soldiers to be 
fully supported when they go into action on our behalf.We will contin­ue with th
e investment and reform that make our fighting forces the 
most flexible and effective in the world. 
We are also committed to retaining the independent nuclear deterrent 
and we will continue to work, both bilaterally and through the UN, to 
urge states not yet party to non­proliferation treaties, notably the 
Nuclear Non­Proliferation Treaty, to join. 
¦ Veterans 
Labour has always recognised the sacrifice and bravery of our service­men and wo
men.That is why we were the first government to appoint a 
Minister for Veterans Affairs. This has enabled us to put veterans' 
affairs at the heart of decision­making at the Ministry of Defence. 
Labour has also put more money than ever before into veterans' issues, 
including £27 million of Lottery funding over the last two years. We 
will continue to give priority to veterans' affairs as we mark 60 years 
since the end of the Second World War. 
¦ Reforming the United Nations 
The UN is crucial to our efforts to build a more secure and more 
International policy 
prosperous world.We support the reform of the Security Council so it 
becomes more representative and has a stronger focus on conflict pre­vention. 
We support the recommendation of the Secretary­General's 
High­level Panel for a Peace­building Commission to assist countries 
emerging from conflict and to develop mechanisms to enhance con­flict prevention
. We will press for more radical reform of the UN humanitarian system, 
so it is better equipped to saves lives.We will also 
press for reform of the World Bank and IMF to improve transparency, 
give more say to developing countries and, with the EU better focus 
their efforts on the poorest countries, particularly in Africa. 
¦ Climate change and Africa 
Britain has the chair of the G8 this year.We will use the summit for two 
particular purposes. 
First, climate change is the one of the most pressing challenges that the 
world faces.We will continue to lead internationally on climate change, 
and to strive for wider acceptance of the science and the steps needed 
to combat the problem. We will look beyond Kyoto and promote an 
international dialogue to reach agreement on the long­term goals and 
action needed to stabilise the level of greenhouse gases in the atmos­phere. 
We will also work for effective international action to adapt to 
the impacts of climate change. 
The UK has already met its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.We 
remain committed to achieving a 20 per cent reduction in carbon diox­ide emissio
ns on 1990 levels by 2010, and our review of progress this summer will show 
us how to get back on track. A 60 per cent reduction by 
2050 remains necessary and achievable. 
We will continue to promote and develop renewable energy sources, to 
seek high standards of energy efficiency in the public and private sec­tors, 
and to support emissions trading in Europe and beyond. 
Secondly we will focus on Africa and the global fight against poverty. 
We have more than doubled aid since 1997. We have cancelled the 
debts of the poorest countries and are now pushing others to follow 
our lead and offer 100 per cent debt relief for the poorest.We are proud 
to have established a Department for International Development, with a 
clear mission to reduce poverty. Now, for the first time ever the UK 
has a clear timetable – 2013 – for achieving the UN target of 0.7 per 
cent of national income devoted to development. Globally we are 
pressing for a doubling of aid backed by getting international agree­ment to an 
International Finance Facility as supported by the Commission for Africa. 
But aid will not be successful without conflict prevention, 
good gover­nance and zero tolerance of corruption.We will work for faster repatr
i­ation of stolen assets from UK financial institutions, ratification of the 
UN Convention on corruption, and more open and accountable 
reporting of revenues from oil and mining – that so often fuel local conflicts. 
Our commitment is to the people of the developing world; 
our contract is with their governments for reform. 
But if poor coun­tries are committed to good governance and poverty reduction we 
then believe they should be in control of their own policies.We will end 
the practice of making aid conditional on sensitive economic policy choices, 
such as trade liberalisation and privatisation. 
With this leadership and extra money, we can now work to ensure all 
children go to school, 
and millions of people in Asia and Africa suffer­ing from AIDS, 
tuberculosis and malaria have access to treatment. In particular, 
we will press for an international agreement on universal 
access to AIDS treatment by 2010 and for all people in poor countries to have 
access to free basic healthcare and education. 
Our long­term aim is to help lift a billion people out of poverty. 
International policy 
¦ Fair trade 
We also know that without fairer trade rules and private investment, 
poor countries will not generate the growth needed to lift themselves 
out of poverty. We will press for the conclusion of an ambitious trade 
deal that will completely open markets to exports from poorer coun­tries; 
for further reform of rich countries' agricultural subsidies, including the EU's 
Common Agricultural Policy and a 2010 timetable 
to end agricultural export subsidies.We do not believe poor countries 
should be forced to liberalise. We will allow them to sequence their 
trade reforms, so they can build their capacity to compete globally. 
The choice for 2010 
In 1997 the Tories had left Britain isolated in Europe, overseas 
aid had declined and we lacked any coherent vision of our place in the world. 
With Labour, 
a strong Britain will force interna­tional terrorism into retreat and help sprea
d democracy and freedom around the world. We will be leaders in a reformed 
Europe, and, with others, make significant progress towards 
raising a billion people out of extreme poverty.We will fight for a 
new global agreement on climate change, an arms trade treaty, 
and a trade deal that makes trade work for the many, not just the few. 
Our armed forces will continue to be the best in the 
world.The alternative is to go back to the Tories with their record 
of cuts in aid and defence and their policies of tearing up the Social Chapter, 
and marginalising Britain in Europe and the world. 

Chapter 8 Quality of life: Excellence for all Forward to Olympic gold, 
not back to cuts in sport and culture 
1992­1997: Arts spending cut by 13 per cent in real terms 2005: 
Free entry to national museums, and visits up 75 per cent 2012: 
An Olympic legacy for Britain 
Britain forward not back 
Arts, culture and sport are thriving around Britain –
 enrich­ing individual lives and transforming communities, towns and 
cities.They are important in their own right – as nourishment 
for our imagination or a source of plain enjoyment and our 
local environment should be a source of pride.We will work to 
improve the quality of life of every community in Britain. 
¦ The new Labour case 
We believe in the inherent value of arts, culture and sport. Our towns 
and cities are being energised by sports and culture and as they are 
regenerated the quality of life for all is transformed. As we build on this 
change, our progressive challenge is to broaden participation as widely 
as possible, making the links between sport and health, and culture and 
well­being. We must combine the broadest base of participation with 
the ability for the most talented to progress to the very top. Our third term 
will embed the expectation that every child and every adult have 
the maximum chance to develop their creative or sporting talents. 
¦ Creative cities 
Art and culture are valuable for their own sake; they are also crucial to 
our national prosperity. Britain's cultural industries now make up over 
eight per cent of our national income; and from computer games to the fine arts, 
British talent is gaining global recognition and generating real wealth. 
This is one of the fastest growing and fastest changing areas of the economy. 
And the transformation of our great cities is, in great part, 
a story of culture­led regeneration. We are proud of the 
record of Labour­led councils in leading this transformation, from 
Gateshead to Greenwich. 
To help young talent get the right start we will work to establish Creative 
Apprenticeships. Through the National Endowment for Science, 
Technology and the Arts (NESTA) we are funding the 
Creative Pioneer Academy which will develop the entrepreneurial 
skills of recent graduates with outstanding talents and original busi­ness ideas
 – and for some there will be the offer of up to £35,000 to 
start their own business. 
From 2006 we will provide £12 million over two years to the Arts 
Council England to promote leadership and management in the cul­tural sector. 
We want to invest in high­flyers developing commercial and business skills, 
encourage the talents of leading ethnic minority 
figures and improve the links between arts and business. 
¦ Arts, culture and museums 
Since 1997 we have increased funding for the arts by 73 per cent in real terms. 
We will continue to support our finest artists and institu­tions to achieve worl
d­class standards. 
Thanks to our policy of free admissions the number of people visiting 
formerly charging national museums and galleries has risen by 75 per 
cent over three years. Many are first­time visitors, with the biggest 
increases among children. 
Victorian City leaders left us a legacy of great local and regional muse­ums, 
and through our investment programme 'Renaissance in the Regions', 
we are re­creating them as centres of excellence. By 2008 we 
will have invested £147 million in partnerships across the country, 
modernising museum collections, broadening access to new audiences 
and providing a comprehensive service to schools.We will explore fur­ther ways t
o encourage philanthropy to boost the quality of our public art collections. 
We will legislate, as soon as time allows, to implement the findings of 
the Heritage Protection Review, which allows the public a greater say 
in listing decisions. 
Quality of life: Excellence for all 
¦ Creative Sparks 
Our aim is that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in 
cultural life, and we want that involvement to start as early as possible. 
Creative Partnerships, our programme of support for art in schools in 
our most disadvantaged areas, 
has already reached over 150,000 chil­dren.We will build on this approach by rol
ling out our new programme 
Creative Sparks to guarantee that all children and young people will be 
given the chance to experience the very best of culture every year. 
¦ Sport for all 
Our aim is to increase participation in sport year on year. Central to 
this is having modern, high­quality facilities close to where people live. 
£1.5 billion is being invested in sports facilities in every community. 
By 2008 our aim is that almost everyone will be within 20 minutes of a 
good multi­sport facility. 
Grassroots clubs are the lifeblood of sports in Britain, and week in, week out, 
they are sustained by an army of volunteers. Reform of Sport 
England will continue, to reduce overheads and ensure that more 
money reaches the grassroots. 
We have put sports clubs at the fore­front of our investment plans with the £100
 million Community Club 
Development Scheme and mandatory rate relief at 80 per cent for reg­istered Comm
unity Amateur Sports Clubs already worth about £5 million. 
As we review the operation of the new licensing regime we will 
ensure that there is not an unfair burden on local community groups, 
including sports clubs. 
Investment in school sports will ensure that by 2010 all children will receive 
two hours high­quality PE or sport per week. Building on that, we pledge that by 
2010 every child who wants it will have access to a further two to three hours 
sport per week. 
Every child should have the chance to compete at school. We have 
clamped down on the sale of playing fields: 96 per cent of schools in 
School Sport Partnerships now hold at least one sports day or sports 
festival each year. All secondary schools will be expected to field teams 
in regular competitive fixtures. We will also establish individual and 
team rankings in all the main sports, 
with clear and transparent suc­cess criteria. 
¦ Sport in the community 
To make it easier to get access to sports in your local area we will estab­lish 
Sport Direct – a single point of access for sports in the UK. One 
website and one phone number will help you find out what's going on 
in your area. Together with £155 million from the Big Lottery Fund, 
the Government will ensure that children who have had little access to 
play facilities and those with a disability have much better access to safe, 
modern playgrounds. 
Building on the lessons of the Football Foundation, we will develop a 
National Sports Foundation to bring resources from the private and 
voluntary sectors together with public money to invest in grassroots 
sporting facilities.We will work with the Premier League and the FA to 
find innovative ways of assisting community sport, including Supporters Direct. 
Having passed the necessary legislation, we remain 
committed to completing the sale of the Tote to a Racing Trust. 
¦ The Olympics 
Britain's medal hauls at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and in Athens in 
2004 were the best for over 80 years, and we maintained our position 
as one of the leading nations in the Paralympics. Now we 
are support­ing the bid to bring the Olympics to London in 2012. Our plans would 
bring regeneration to the East End of London and will leave lasting sporting, 
economic and cultural legacies. As we approach the 
Olympics we will continue to invest in elite athletes through the 
Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme for young athletes. In addition 

'Our towns and cities are being energised by 
sports and culture and as they are regenerated the quality of life for
all is transformed.'

we have launched 2012 Scholarships worth around £10,000 a year 
each for our most talented 12­ to 18­year­olds. 
¦ Libraries in the information age 
Where they offer new services like childcare, after­school education for pupils, 
and IT learning our libraries are successful.We will develop a 
strategy for the modernisation of our libraries which builds on the best, 
strengthens library leadership, 
sharpens customer focus and  har­nesses local popular support.We will encourage 
further cooperation in 
back­office functions and identify the best ways to improve our library 
infrastructure. 
¦ Public service broadcasting and the BBC 
We support a strong, independent and world­class BBC with clearly 
defined public purposes at the heart of a healthy public broadcasting system. 
We will replace the BBC Governors with a BBC Trust to 
ensure that the BBC's governance and regulation is accountable to the 
licence­fee payers to whom it belongs. 
The licence fee will be guaran­teed for the whole of the ten­year Royal Charter 
that will take effect on 1 January 2007. 
Channel 4 will continue to be a publicly owned broad­caster providing distinctiv
e competition to the BBC. ITV and Five will 
also be retained in our public service broadcasting system. 
¦ Digital switchover 
The success of satelite and cable television in driving take­up of digital 
shows how changes in technology bring real benefits – in terms of 
greater choice, and increasingly, in access to services. Our aim is to 
make those benefits available to all. We will achieve digital switchover 
between 2008 and 2012 ensuring universal access to high­quality, 
free­to­view and subscription digital TV. This will happen region by region, 
and we will make sure that the interests of elderly people and 
other vulnerable groups are protected. 
Quality of life: Excellence for all 
¦ Digital challenge 
We will deliver our cross­government strategy for closing the digital 
divide and using ICT to further transform public services: 
* 
By 2006 every school supported to offer all pupils access to computers at home. 

* 
A 
Digital Challenge for a local authority to be a national and interna­tional path
finder in universal digital service provision. 

* 
A new National Internet Safety Unit to make Britain the safest place in 
the world to access the internet. 


¦ Copyright in a digital age 
We will modernise copyright and other forms of protection of intellec­tual prope
rty rights so that they are appropriate for the digital age.We 
will use our presidency of the EU to look at how to ensure content cre­ators can
 protect their innovations in a digital age. Piracy is a growing 
threat and we will work with industry to protect against it. 
¦ Film 
The strength of Britain's film industry is a source of pride, and employment.We 
will continue to make the UK the right place to invest 
in film production.We will legislate to provide new tax reliefs that will 
ensure support is delivered directly and efficiently to those who pro­duce films
. 
We will work with the UK Film Council to achieve a higher priority for 
funding film festivals around the country, in particular for the 
Edinburgh Film Festival, the oldest in Britain. 
¦ The Lottery 
Every single part of British life  has been touched by the £15 billion 
generated for good causes by the Lottery. Labour has made the Lottery 
more inclusive and more in tune with people's priorities. 
We have created the Big Lottery Fund and given it an explicit mandate to involve 
people not just in setting strategy but also in awarding grants. Our 
Lottery Bill will give a duty and a power to every Lottery distributor to 
involve the public more radically in decision­making at every level. 
By the end of 2005 we will put in place a new, national consultation on 
the way that the National Lottery good causes proceeds are spent after 
the new Lottery Licence is awarded in 2009. 
¦ The local environment 
The quality of our local environment is vital to our well­being and our 
natural environment is a key part of our national heritage. 
The environment starts at the front door, and we have made action to 
improve the cleanliness of public spaces and communities a priority. 
The 2005 Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act will give local 
authorities and regulators the powers they have asked for to tackle lit­ter, 
graffiti, abandoned cars, fly­tipping, noise pollution and other 
environmental concerns.We will further crack down on environmental crime, 
minimising litter, cleaning up graffiti and tackling fly­tipping. We 
will extend kerbside collection of at least two types of recyclable 
materials to all households in England by 2010. Polluters will have the 
opportunity to invest in environmental remediation or new local envi­ronmental p
rojects rather than just pay fines. Rather than 'polluter pays' 
this new system would mean the 'polluter improves'. 
Britain's beaches, rivers and drinking water are now of the highest ever 
quality.We have 
added 30,000 hectares to the green belt while exceed­ing our target of building 
60 per cent of new houses on brownfield sites.We 
have established the first National Park in England since the 1950s. To 
enhance our children's understanding of the environment 
we will give every school student the opportunity to experience out­of­classroom
 learning in the natural environment. 
Quality of life: Excellence for all 
All newly developed communities – such as the Thames Gateway Development –
 will be built to high environmental standards on issues 
such as energy efficiency and water use, and we will develop a clear 
plan to minimise the impact of new communities on the environment. 
From April 2006, all new homes receiving government funding will 
meet the new Code for Sustainable Buildings and we will encourage 
local authorities to apply similar standards to private homes. 
Through a Marine Act, we will introduce a new framework for the seas, 
based on marine spatial planning, that balances conservation, 
energy and resource needs.To obtain best value from different uses of 
our valuable marine resources, we must maintain and protect the 
ecosystems on which they depend. 
The choice for 2010 
The Tories have always neglected the arts, seeing them as an 
easy target for cuts.They do not understand the role that culture 
can play in the lives of individuals, in the futures of our towns and cities, 
and in the prosperity of our country.The choice is for­ward with new Labour to m
ore sport in schools, arts for all chil­dren and young people, 
and continued investment in culture. Or 
back to the Tories and cuts of £207 million across culture, arts and sport. 

Chapter 9 
Democracy: Power devolved, citizens empowered Forward to reform and 
decentralisation not back to opportunism and neglect 
1979­1997: Power centralised to Whitehall 1997­2005: Power devolved to Scotland, 
Wales, London 2010: Stronger local government, 
with local communities able to make the key 
decisions about their own neighbourhoods 
Britain forward not back 
In our first two terms we enshrined a new constitutional set­tlement between the
 nations of the United Kingdom. In our 
next term we will complete the reform of the House of Lords 
so that it is a modern and effective revising Chamber. And we 
will devolve more power to local authorities and local com­munities, 
giving people real power over the issues that matter most to them. 
¦ The new Labour case 
Widening access to power is as important as widening access to wealth 
and opportunity. National standards are important to ensure fairness. 
But the best way to tackle exclusion is to give choice and power to 
those left behind. Our political institutions – including our own party – 
must engage a population overloaded with information, diverse in its 
values and lifestyles, and sceptical of power. However, 
people are pas­sionate about politics – when they see it affects them. 
So our challenge is to bridge the chasm between government and governed. 
Our third term will build upon our unprecedented programme of constitutional 
reform embedding a culture of devolved government at the centre and 
self­government in our communities. 
¦ Building from the neighbourhood up 
People want a sense of control over their own neighbourhood. Not a 
new tier of neighbourhood government, but new powers over the 
problems that confront them when they step outside their front door – 
issues like litter, graffiti and anti­social behaviour. That is why we will 
offer neighbourhoods a range of powers from which they can choose, including: 
* 
New powers for parish councils to deal with anti­social behaviour. 

* 
Powers 
for local people to trigger action in response to persistent local problems. 

* 
Community funds for local neighbourhoods to spend on local priorities. 



'Widening access to 
power is as important as
widening access to wealth
and opportunity. National
standards are important
to ensure fairness.'

Democracy: Power devolved, citizens empowered 
* New opportunities for communities to assume greater responsibility or 
even ownership of community assets like village halls, community centres, 
libraries or recreational facilities. 
Good parish councils engage communities and make a real difference, 
so we will extend the right to establish parish councils to communities 
in London. 
¦ A vibrant civil society 
We believe that enterprises in the mutual and cooperative sector have 
an important role to play in the provision of local services, from health 
to education, from leisure to care for the vulnerable. As democratic, 
not­for­profit organisations, they can help to involve local people in 
shaping the services they want, unleash creativity and innovation, 
cre­ate jobs and provide new services – especially in neighbourhoods 
where traditional services have failed local people in the past. 
We have introduced a new legal form – the Community Interest Company (CIC) –
 and want to support new enterprises. As a major stimulus to this sector, 
central government and local authorities will 
work with these 'social enterprises' wherever possible. Where services 
can be provided by mutuals, 
cooperatives or CICs to the required stan­dards of quality and value for money, 
they should be positively encour­aged to develop and be included in procurement 
policies. We will discuss with local authorities the best way to achieve this. 
In a range of services the voluntary and community sector has shown 
itself to be innovative, efficient and effective. Its potential for service 
delivery should be considered on equal terms. We will continue to improve 
the context in which the gifting of time and resources to the voluntary 
sector takes place.We will reintroduce the widely supported 
reforms in the Charities Bill. 
We understand that often the spark for local innovation and change 
comes from one or two dedicated, visionary individuals.These people, 
sometimes dubbed 'social entrepreneurs', deserve our full support. 
We will develop a framework of incentives and rewards, to recognise 
the special people in every community whose voluntary efforts trans­form the liv
es of others. 
¦ A better alternative for young people 
We know that parents and young people think that there should be 
more things to do and places to go for teenagers.We will publish plans 
to reform provision in order to ensure that all young people have access 
to a wider set of activities after the school day such as sport and the 
arts.We are determined that better provision will be allied to a stronger 
voice for the young themselves in designing and managing local provi­sion. 
We will establish the first ever national framework for youth vol­unteering, 
action and engagement – a modern national youth community service, 
led by young people themselves –
 with an invest­ment over the next three years of up to £100 million with matche
d funding from business, the voluntary sector and the Lottery. 
¦ Councils: more freedom, less bureaucracy 
Strong communities ultimately require strong local government. We 
will give councils further freedoms to deliver better local services, 
sub­ject to minimum national standards, with even greater freedoms for 
top­performing councils.We will reduce unnecessary bureaucracy by 
cutting both the cost of inspection and the total number of inspec­torates, 
and we will dramatically simplify the many funding streams 
available to local areas through new Local Area Agreements. We will 
also give councils greater stability by providing three­year funding.We 
will continue to deliver efficiency savings and improvements to local 
services through joint procurement, shared services, streamlining 
administrative structures while promoting decision­making at the level that will
 make a difference. We will continue to strengthen the 
Democracy: Power devolved, citizens empowered 
community leadership role of local authorities working in partnership 
with public, voluntary and private bodies. 
¦ Stronger leadership 
Strong local government requires strong leadership. We will ensure 
that councils are organised in the most effective way to lead and sup­port 
local partnerships and deliver high­quality services. We will 
explore giving people a more direct opportunity to express a view 
about whether they would like to have a directly elected mayor.We will 
also consult with city councils on the powers needed for a new gener­ation of ci
ty mayors. And we will examine the case for simplifying the 
current local government election cycle by moving towards 'whole council' 
elections every four years. 
¦ Council tax under control 
Labour recognises the concerns that have been raised about the level 
of council tax. This year we have delivered the lowest council tax 
increase in over a decade through a combination of extra investment 
and tough action to cap excessive increases. 
We will continue to invest in local services with year­on­year increases 
in grants to local councils, and will not hesitate to use our capping 
powers to protect council taxpayers from excessive rises in council tax. 
We remain concerned that many council taxpayers are not claiming 
reductions in their council tax bills to which they are already entitled. 
We will therefore introduce measures to make it easier for pensioners 
and people on low incomes to claim Council Tax Benefit. 
In the longer term, we are committed to reforming council tax and will 
consider carefully the conclusions of the Lyons Review into local gov­ernment fi
nance. 
¦ The nations and regions of the UK 
In our first term, we devolved power to Scotland and Wales and 
restored city­wide government to London. Britain is stronger as a result. 
In the next Parliament, we will decentralise power further. In 
Wales we will develop democratic devolution by creating a stronger 
Assembly with enhanced legislative powers and a reformed structure 
and electoral system to make the exercise of Assembly responsibilities 
clearer and more accountable to the public. We will also review the 
powers of the London Mayor and the Greater London Authority. And 
we will devolve further responsibility to existing regional bodies in 
relation to planning, housing, economic development and transport. 
¦ Northern Ireland 
The Belfast Agreement on Good Friday 1998, was a remarkable achievement. Life in 
Northern Ireland is immeasurably better as a result. A 
huge programme of reform in policing, justice and rights, 
together with the lowest ever unemployment has helped address the 
inequalities of the past and has created a new confidence. 
It is unacceptable that seven years after the agreement there are still 
paramilitary groups involved in criminality and punishment attacks. 
This has to end. The period of transition is over. Unionist politicians 
have made it clear that they are prepared to share power with national­ists and 
republicans if violence is ended once and for all. It is time for 
all groups in Northern Ireland to make it clear they will only use dem­ocratic a
nd peaceful means to advance their aims. 
We will work tirelessly with the parties in Northern Ireland and with 
the Irish government to re­establish the devolved institutions. But this 
can only happen on an inclusive basis if the IRA ends paramilitarism 
and criminality for good and decommissions its weapons. Bringing 
this about so that normal politics can take over in the Province will be 
our principal aim. 

'The best way to tackle
exclusion is to give 
choice and power to 
those left behind.'

Loyalist paramilitary violence and criminality is equally intolerable.We 
will ensure that it is dealt with severely while providing the assistance 
necessary to Loyalist communities to ensure that prosperity is spread 
throughout Northern Ireland. 
¦ Parliamentary reform 
Labour has already taken steps to make the House of Commons more representative, 
through all­women shortlists. Labour will also continue 
to support reforms that improve parliamentary accountability and 
scrutiny led by the successful Modernisation Committee. 
In our first term, 
we ended the absurdity of a House of Lords domi­nated by hereditary peers. 
Labour believes that a reformed Upper Chamber must be effective, 
legitimate and more representative with­out challenging the primacy of the House
 of Commons. 
Following a review conducted by a committee of both Houses, we will 
seek agreement on codifying the key conventions of the Lords, and 
developing alternative forms of scrutiny that complement rather than 
replicate those of the Commons; the review should also explore how 
the upper chamber might offer a better route for public engagement in 
scrutiny and policy­making.We will legislate to place reasonable limits 
on the time bills spend in the second chamber –
 no longer than 60 sit­ting days for most bills. 
As part of the process of modernisation, we will remove the remaining 
hereditary peers and allow a free vote on the composition of the House. 
Labour remains committed to reviewing the experience of the new 
electoral systems – introduced for the devolved administrations, the 
European Parliament and the London Assembly. A referendum 
remains the right way to agree any change for Westminster. 
Democracy: Power devolved, citizens empowered 
Having been the first government to take action to clean up the fund­ing of poli
tical parties, we will continue to work with the independent 
Electoral Commission to explore how best to support the vital demo­cratic role o
f political parties while recognising that campaigning activ­ity must always be 
funded by parties from their own resources. 
Since 1997 there has been a flowering of innovative forms of public engagement, 
for example, the Citizens Council used by the National 
Institute for Clinical Excellence to advise on ethical dilemmas. With 
the growing importance of new public policy issues and dilemmas – 
particularly those arising from scientific advances – we will continue to 
explore new and innovative forms of public engagement raising their 
profile and status in policy­making. 
¦ A voice for all 
A fully democratic society depends on giving everyone a voice and stake. 
Only Labour governments have ever introduced race relations legislation, 
and laws passed in 2000 are ensuring that all public bodies 
promote diversity and tackle discrimination against black and Asian Britons. 
We will continue to promote civil rights for disabled people, 
ensuring full implementation of the new positive duty on the public 
sector to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people.We will 
also introduce a similar duty to promote equality of opportunity 
between women and men, and will further extend protection against 
discrimination on the grounds of religion and belief. 
We are commit­ted to improving the rights and opportunities of gays and lesbians
, that's why we brought in legislation on civil partnerships, reducing the 
age of consent, repealed Section 28 and reformed the sexual offences 
legislation so that it was no longer discriminatory. 
It remains our firm and clear intention to give people of all faiths the 
same protection against incitement to hatred on the basis of their reli­gion. 
We will legislate to outlaw it and will continue the dialogue we 
have started with faith groups from all backgrounds about how best to 
balance protection, tolerance and free speech. 
We are proud to have brought in the Human Rights Act, enabling 
British citizens to take action in British courts rather than having to 
wait years to seek redress in Strasbourg. But rights must be balanced by 
responsibilities. So we will continue to bear down on abusive or 
frivolous claims. 
In the next Parliament we will establish a Commission on Equality and 
Human Rights to promote equality for all and, tackle discrimination, 
and introduce a Single Equality Act to modernise and simplify equality legislati
on. 
The choice for 2010 
The Tories have only one policy on democratic reform – oppor­tunism. 
Arch centralisers when in office, they now claim to be localists. 
Having refused for decades to accept any reform of the archaic House of Lords, 
some of them now claim to support a 
fully elected House.The choice is forward with new Labour to modern 
institutions and more power than ever devolved to 
communities and successful local authorities. 
Or back with the Tories to a government indifferent to the health of our 
democracy and negligent of our institutions.