Tuesday, April 11, 2006

[UK] Tories back goal to end child poverty by 2020

from The Guardian

Conservative move puts deprivation centre stage
Campaigners welcome commitment by Letwin

Tania Branigan, political correspondent

The Tory leadership has underscored its determination to create a "compassionate Conservatism" by signing up to Labour's ambitious target of ending child poverty by 2020.

Oliver Letwin, the party's policy chief, makes the unexpected commitment in an article in the Guardian today, ensuring that deprivation is placed at the heart of political debate in coming months. Child poverty campaigners welcomed the decision, which goes well beyond previous Tory statements on social justice and will put pressure on the Liberal Democrats to sign up, or be isolated as the only major party unwilling to do so.

It will also up the ante for Labour, who will find it harder to argue that the Tories do not care about poverty. Instead they have to demonstrate that the opposition does not regard it as a priority and lacks the policies and ability to tackle poverty.

Last month statistics showed that Labour had lifted 700,000 children out of poverty since 1997, but had missed its interim target of cutting the total from 4.2 million to just more than 3 million. Downing Street says it is still committed to halving child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it 10 years after that.

Mr Letwin admits that "eyebrows went up" when David Cameron said the test for Conservative policies was their effect on the least advantaged. But the commitment in today's article goes further, not just because the Tories usually deride Labour's use of targets, but because the goal is so ambitious and because it would allow others to monitor and criticise the progress of a future Tory government.

He warns that a Conservative government will only meet the target if Labour makes the necessary interim progress and argues that current policies will not do the job. At present the government is helping those just below the poverty line, not the very worst off, he argues. He adds: "It is an aspiration, not a pledge, because we do not know how far away from it we will be when we enter government."

Mr Letwin admits that parties must share responsibility for the deprivation passed from one generation to another, saying successive governments have failed to end the cycle.

Child poverty rose under Margaret Thatcher, leaving Britain with the highest level in the EU by 1997. Overall inequality also rose and Labour has since checked, but not closed, the income gap.

Mr Letwin says that since 1997, real incomes of the very poorest have fallen. He argues that the key to change will be supporting voluntary initiatives. A Tory working group headed by the former leader Iain Duncan Smith is examining how best to tackle deprivation with a focus on"social entrepreneurs".

Caroline Abrahams, chairwoman of the End Child Poverty campaign, called the statement "a major step forward in the campaign to end child poverty".

Kate Green, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, also welcomed the Tories' commitment. But she was cautious about endorsing the party's approach, saying the state was a vital part of the equation.

"If the Conservatives really want to end child poverty, they must also commit themselves to further increases in child benefit and child tax credits, alongside greater investment in things like affordable childcare and decent housing," Ms Green said.

There is already a debate within Labour about how best to meet the 2020 target. The work and pensions secretary, John Hutton, has said that despite "huge progress", tax credits and financial support alone will not be enough.

No comments: