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Ed Miliband lays out Labour's vision ahead of conference Ed Miliband lays out Labour's vision before start of conference
(35 minutes later)
Ed Miliband arrived in Manchester on Saturday for Labour's annual party conference calling for the rebuilding of Britain. Ed Miliband has backed plans to give 16-year-olds the vote as he arrived in Manchester for his party's annual conference promising to engage young people in a project to "rebuild Britain" .
The Labour leader addressed a mixed group of voters where he spelled out his three priorities in government as: • tackling youth unemployment, • dealing with a crisis in living standards, and • creating a fairer Britain. The Labour leader addressed a mixed group of voters, spelling out his three priorities in government as tackling youth unemployment, dealing with a crisis in living standards and creating a fairer Britain.
He also called for 16 year olds to be given the vote in response to members of the audience who asked how Labour would re-engage with young people. But he also backed the plan to give younger people the vote in response to members of the audience who asked how Labour would involve young people more in politics.
He said 16-year-olds deserved a voice and suggested that the chancellor, George Osborne, would have thought twice about taking away the educational maintenance allowance for young people if 16-year-olds had had the chance to punish him for doing so at the ballot box.
"If George Osborne had thought before his spending review, I have got one and a half million 16- to 18-year-olds who have got the vote, maybe I will think twice about getting rid of the EMA".
While Miliband stressed that a government led by him would not be able to "wave a magic wand" and that he would be constrained by a lack of money, he claimed that he had the right instincts for power.While Miliband stressed that a government led by him would not be able to "wave a magic wand" and that he would be constrained by a lack of money, he claimed that he had the right instincts for power.
In an attack on the government's income tax cut for the wealthiest, Miliband said: "We can't have people going to foodbanks while millionaires have been given £40,000 tax cuts. What sort of country is that? It's not right." In an attack on the government's income tax cut for the wealthiest, the Labour leader said: "We can't have people going to food banks while millionaires have been given £40,000 tax cuts. What sort of country is that? It's not right."
However Miliband admitted that a Labour government would not "spend another" £3bn reversing the coalition's controversial NHS reforms. He admitted that a Labour government would not "spend another" £3bn reversing the coalition's controversial NHS reforms – despite having opposed their passage through parliament. A Labour spokesman said later that the party would still stick to its position of repealing the bill.
He also said he agreed with the coalition's changes to the welfare system which introduce more scrutiny to people claiming disability benefits, although he said that Labour would show more compassion and offer more support. Miliband arrived in Manchester with his party ahead in the polls but with his own personal ratings reflecting a widespread public perception that he lacks the strength, vision and dynamism of a future prime minister.
Miliband said he wished to create an economy that delivered growth now but which would also be more fair in the future. Seeking to address those concerns, he said there were elements of government policy with which he agreed – but many with which he did not. Many of the coalition's changes to the welfare system were acceptable, although Labour would show "more compassion and offer more support" to those affected, including the disabled.
In an admission of the faults of New Labour, he said: "The biggest challenge is this country did not start with this government: how to make the economy not just for the top. The inequality didn't start with this government, it started before that." He also set out plans to impose a strict cap on pension companies' charges and fees so that working people could save for their retirement with confidence.
And he announced plans to abolish the regulator Ofgem.
In its place Miliband said his government would create a new energy watchdog with tough new powers to force energy companies to pass on price cuts and clamp down on abuses.
He said: "A few years ago, David Cameron was going round the country promising change.
"But after two-and-a-half years of his government, life isn't getting better. There are a million young people looking for work. It's tougher than ever to afford the supermarket run, the petrol, the gas bill. And your wages aren't going up.
"There is a crisis of living standards that is profound, prolonged and painful."
Miliband said he wished to create an economy that delivered growth now but which would also be more fair in the future. In an admission of the faults of New Labour, he said: "The biggest challenge to this country did not start with this government: how to make the economy not just for the top. The inequality didn't start with this government, it started before that".