Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Work and Pensions Secretary, speaking ahead of David Cameron’s Hugo Young lecture, criticised the Conservatives' policies as unworkable:
 
"The idea that things like Sure Start, the NHS or tax credits are killing kindness is a crazy sign of how Thatcherite David Cameron really is. It insults the millions of families, neighbours and community groups across the country engaged in daily acts of kindness, generosity and creativity - often supported by public services and public investment.
 
"David Cameron says he wants people to take more responsibility, yet the Conservatives are still voting against reforms that increase rights and responsibilities in the welfare system and that are vital to helping more people back to work.
 
"The truth is that, behind the rhetoric, this is just a return to Thatcherism or 19th century liberalism, calling on the state to withdraw, leaving people to fend for themselves, and charities and community groups to pick up the pieces. The last time they tried that child poverty doubled."