by Chris McLaughlin
GORDON BROWN has embarked on a “work in progress” project to rein in City excesses as part of his Labour Party conference call for “a new settlement for new times”.
In talks with world financiers in New York, the Prime Minister followed up his Manchester attack on the “dogma of unbridled free-market forces” in the City and global money markets.
Aides in Manchester said critics who believe Mr Brown missed an opportunity to take tougher action against those engaged in short selling and derivatives should bear in mind that action needs to be taking on a global level and that this was an “ongoing project”.
Mr Brown won wide support for his performance, which was widely seen to have spiked the guns of internal party rebels and potential leadership challengers.
He announced new plans for abolishing prescriptions for five million people with long-term illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, extra funding to get more than a million families on broadband, the widening of private tuition for pupils struggling at school, free nursery places for two-year-olds, health checks for everyone over 40 and a scheme to help elderly people stay longer in their own homes.
Mr Brown buoyed delegates with a sustained attack on the Tories, warning that in government they would destroy much of the progressive achievements of the past 11 years and accusing Mr Cameron of attempting to affect change in the party’s image just to make it look less nasty than it still is.
“The Conservative leader’s team are smart – they’ve got a plan, and they are implementing it ruthlessly. Their strategy is to change their appearance to give the appearance of change, and to conceal what they really think.
“When salesmen won’t tell you what they are selling, it’s because they are selling something no one should buy.”
In a highly personal address, in which he admitted to have made a mistake in abolishing the 10p tax rate, Mr Brown also warned against internal fighting within Labour. He said: “The British people would not forgive us if at this time we looked inwards to the affairs of just our party when our duty is to the interests of our country.”
Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley praised Mr Brown for promising action on the City: “At long last, he took on the speculators and the spivs. In a Britain divided between fat cats who have wrecked the economy and ordinary people who are suffering the consequences, the prime Minister came down firmly on the right side.
“Now, the government needs to build on this urgently to give people the support they need on food and fuel prices this winter.”
Dave Prentis, of Unison, said: “The Prime Minister has shown grit and delivered a speech full of determination and passion. This is exactly the sort of agenda that people wanted to hear from their Labour Government. He made it absolutely clear that the NHS will remain at the heart of a fair society.
“He showed clear red water between Labour and the Conservatives. He did what every party member wanted him to do – turn his guns on the Tories. His speech offered hope to people struggling to make ends meet and hope for the children of the country: hope for the future under Labour.”
UCATT’s Alan Ritchie also praised Mr Brown’s performance. He said: “The sustained attack on the Tories was long overdue. It is imperative that Labour reconnects with the electorate in order to ensure they remember that the Tories have always been opposed to progressive policies and they always will be.”
The National Union of Teachers welcomed the commitment to ending child poverty by 2020 and the widening of provision of personal tuition but criticised the continued Government support for academy schools as “a move in entirely the wrong direction”.
