Leader of the Lib Dems slams Labours legacy

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Sir Menzies Campbell has blasted Tony Blair’s nine year legacy on poverty, following the Prime Minister’s speech yesterday on social exclusion.

“Ming” Campbell noted: “The Prime Minister’s warm words are too little, too late”, in a statement released on the Liberal Democrat website.

Citing various examples of Labour’s strong record on reducing poverty, Mr Blair was quoted as saying: “Between 1998/9 and 2004 we achieved a fall in child poverty of 23 per cent before housing costs. The number of individuals in absolute poverty has fallen since 1996/97 by 4.8 million. There are 2.4 million fewer people who live in relative poverty, after housing costs, now than there were when we came into government”.

And pointing to their focus on unemployment, the Prime Minister continued: “2.5 million more people are now in work than they were in 1997. 1 million fewer people are receiving benefits. We have eradicated long-term youth unemployment. We have invested in regeneration through the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal in the 88 most deprived boroughs”.

“The Sure Start programme; the expansion of early years education, into which £17 billion has been invested during our time in government; free learning and childcare for 3 and 4 year-olds, which will be extended to an entitlement of 15 hours a week, for 38 weeks a year, by 2010; we are piloting extending this provision to 12,000 disadvantaged 2 year-olds at the moment; by 2010 there will be 3,500 Childrens Centres offering education, health and parenting services all on the same site”, Mr Blair continued.

“If policies had been devised expressly to defy the evidence they could hardly have been better. We have responded to the evidence and begun to correct the anomaly”.

However, Ming Campbell was quick to point out the dangers involved: “It is deeply worrying that the chances of a poor child becoming a poor adult are still growing. At the same time bonuses in the City have climbed to record levels”.

“Who would have predicted this after nine years of a Labour government?”

Vijay Pattni.

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