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<lastBuildDate>Tue, 9 Feb 2010 18:38:30 Europe/London</lastBuildDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Labour Target Cancer campaign at voteNHS.com]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Andy Burnham MP, Labour&rsquo;s Health Secretary and Douglas Alexander MP, Labour's General Election co-ordinator have today launched voteNHS.com to outline Labour&rsquo;s health campaign. The &ldquo;Target Cancer&rdquo; campaign aims to save up to 10,000 lives by backing a pledge to create a new NHS guarantee of cancer diagnosis within one week of GP referral, allowing patients to be tested and told their results in just seven days. Andy Burnham also challenged the Conservatives to reverse their policy of scrapping all NHS targets and patient guarantees, and to match Labour&rsquo;s one-week cancer diagnosis guarantee. Andy Burnham MP, Labour&rsquo;s Health Secretary said: &ldquo;Some things are too important to be left to chance, and cancer is one of them. It's no exaggeration to say that with this disease, every day counts and cancer diagnosis should not be left to a local lottery. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I am proud to say that with Labour, every NHS patient will have guaranteed access to diagnostic tests for cancer and crucially, their results, within just one week of seeing their doctor. If we do this, we know up to 10,000 lives a year could be saved. &ldquo;I am challenging Andrew Lansley and the Tories to drop their dogmatic opposition to our two-week cancer pledge, and admit that the quicker we can diagnose cancer, and ensure the same cancer guarantees for all NHS patients, the quicker we can treat it and the more lives we can save. &ldquo;And today I&rsquo;m calling on everyone who agrees with me on this to...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/target-cancer-campaign-votenhs]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 9 Feb 2010 10:54:48 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Report reveals Tories' threat to families]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[A new report shows that George Osborne's plans are badly flawed and would mean taking child tax credits away from couples earning over &pound;31,000 per year A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has shown that families on modest and middle incomes would have to lose out to make Conservative plans add up. Research by the independent think tank was originally cited by George Osborne as confirmation that his plan to cut child tax credits would only mean ending support for families on incomes over &pound;50,000. However, the IFS&rsquo; Green Budget report released this week spells out that in order to reach the &pound;400 million in savings that George Osborne said his  plan would raise  the Tories would actually  need to cut support to modest and middle income couples earning over &pound;16,000 each.   When announced at last year&rsquo;s Conservative Conference it was claimed that the plan would only hit those earning over &pound;50,000. In January when George Osborne&rsquo;s sums were called into question by Treasury data, the Conservatives reaffirmed their plan in a dossier stating; &ldquo;Our estimates that this policy would save &pound;400m were verified by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies&rdquo;. However those claims have been dealt a blow this week with the IFS claiming the actual saving would be far less. With tax credits making a real difference to thousands of families, the reality that George Osborne&rsquo;s plans would mean parents couples earning over &pound;31,000 would lose out will come...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/report-reveals-tories-threat-to-families]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 8 Feb 2010 11:52:25 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Conservatives risk to the recovery ]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[A new report shows how the Conservatives' plans for immediate  cuts could damage the economic recovery, as well as hitting families hard. Warnings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the National Institute for Social Research (NIESR) call into question Tory plans to cut spending in 2010. Child tax credits and Trust Funds are amongst programmes set to be cut, hitting families hard and threatening the economic recovery. Speaking to The Politics Show in January, David Cameron laid out conservative spending plans saying; &ldquo;I think it is right to make a start in reducing some of those public spending programmes in 2010, this year.&rdquo; However, speaking to Radio 4 today, Ray Barrell, Director of Forecasting, NIESR said &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no need to cut spending now&hellip; what we should do is to have a fiscal expansion now and a fiscal contraction in the future&rdquo;. The warnings on Conservative policy have been raised by today&rsquo;s publication of the IFS Green Budget which argues against spending cuts this year. The report follows repeated warnings from leading economists on the danger of immediate spending cuts. Speaking to the Financial Times in January, John Hawksworth of PricewaterhouseCoopers said; &ldquo;premature monetary or fiscal tightening (i.e. anytime before 2011 on any scale) would be risky&rdquo; Today's report underlines how the Conservatives&rsquo; economic plans would put the recovery at risk  and shows that the Tories&rsquo; approach would hit families and businesses today. Following the disarray in their position over recent weeks, today&rsquo;s fresh concerns from economic...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/conservatives-risk-to-the-recovery]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 3 Feb 2010 15:44:34 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Stars launch poverty campaign: GlobalPovertyPromise.com]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Davina McCall, Mariella Frostrup, Annie Lennox, Richard Wilson and Meera Syal are among the big names launching a new poverty campaign today, the fifth anniversary of Nelson Mandela's Make Poverty History speech in Trafalgar Square. In a campaign video released today, the celebrities invite people to show their support for a new law that would commit the UK to spend 0.7% of national income on development assistance, by signing up to www.GlobalPovertyPromise.com The celebrities use the video to highlight how small 0.7% is - yet how much of a difference it will make to lives in the developing world. Mariella Frostrup said: "40 years ago the UK made a promise to the world's poor - to spend just 0.7% of our national income on helping poor countries develop. We now have a chance to make that promise a reality, not just for today but for future generations.  "GlobalPovertyPromise.com  is our opportunity to show that we keep our promises, even during difficult times. Whether it's helping Haiti through a disaster or participating in the long term development of Africa the British public has a proud tradition of looking out for those less fortunate, let's keep it up." Five years ago Nelson Mandela's speech in London ahead of the Gleneagles summit launched the Make Poverty History campaign. Today the Department for International Development is publishing an update of the progress the UK has made against the targets set.  Douglas Alexander MP, Labour's International Development Secretary, has encouraged...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/stars-launch-poverty-campaign-global-poverty-promise]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 3 Feb 2010 12:09:29 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[George Osborne failed the credibility test - Byrne]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Liam Byrne MP, Labour&rsquo;s Chief Secretary to the Treasury responding to George Osborne's speech today said: &ldquo;Today George Osborne made credibility the test and then failed it. The only thing he succeeded in doing was to talk Britain down. &ldquo;In a press conference riddled with mistakes, he promised clarity but what we got was more confusion. He was asked five times what his cuts would be this year, but repeatedly refused to say. He was asked about his deficit plans but couldn&rsquo;t give any details. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s becoming clear is either he has a secret plan or no plan at all. And he must now be straight with the British public. &ldquo;Confidence is draining fast from the Shadow Chancellor. Their economic policy now lies in tatters as they simply lurch from one soundbite to another.&rdquo;...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/george-osborne-failed-credibility-test-byrne]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 2 Feb 2010 15:04:54 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Instead of bobbing around like a cork in water David Cameron should level with the British people - Mandelson]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Instead of bobbing around like a cork in water David Cameron should level with the British people - Mandelson After the disarray in the Conservatives' position over the last few days, Labour&rsquo;s Business Secretary Peter Mandelson will today challenge David Cameron to level with the British people on how much money the Conservatives plan to take out of the economy this year. He will be joined by Liam Byrne, Labour&rsquo;s Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Yvette Cooper, Labour&rsquo;s Work and Pensions Secretary to outline the threat the Tories' plans could pose to the economy. Peter Mandelson said: &ldquo;The Conservative leadership&rsquo;s plans for the economy are far from clear. &ldquo;In the coming financial year, starting two months from today, planned investment will rise by &pound;31 billion. David Cameron said this time last week we needed to &lsquo;tear up&rsquo; these plans. But now the Tories seem to be on the move. &ldquo;Instead of bobbing around like a cork in water David Cameron should level with the British people. &ldquo;If he refuses to be clear, if he will not be honest, people will conclude that - for electoral reasons - he is hiding the truth and that the Conservatives' proposed cuts will indeed eat into the recovery and throw Britain back into recession and lost jobs. &ldquo;We are just seeing the early signs of recovery, but the road ahead will be bumpy. That is why we cannot take risks. The economy needs continued support until the recovery is fully locked in. That...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/david-cameron-cork-in-water-level-british-people]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 1 Feb 2010 10:32:07 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Labour will continue to support the recovery]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[New figures show Britain has come out of recession &ndash; credit to the families and businesses who have worked hard through the downturn. It was right for Labour to support families and the economy &ndash; sustaining jobs by giving businesses time to pay tax; introducing a scrappage scheme for cars and stepping up help for people to stay in their homes and find new work. We need to continue supporting the economy to strengthen the recovery and promote growth and jobs. Labour has been clear &ndash; we will halve the deficit over four years &ndash; but it would be a huge mistake to cut support while the economy is still recovering. Today's growth estimate underlines how dangerous it would be to throw caution to the wind, as the Tories propose, and make deep cuts now. The Tories' approach would wreck the recovery and shows that the Tories remain a risk to families and businesses. Labour's Chancellor, Alistair Darling, said: "There&rsquo;s a lot of uncertainty around the world, there is still I think more to be done in this country and of course there will be further bumps along the road you know be in no doubt about that. "But I&rsquo;m confident that as long as we stick to the path that we&rsquo;ve set, that we don&rsquo;t prematurely remove support from businesses, from families, pull the rug from their feet just at the time when they can see confidence returning, provided we stick to that course than I think we can...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/labour-will-continue-to-support-recovery]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:36:01 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[David Cameron's promise to married couples is a con - Byrne]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[New figures from the Treasury today reveal that only 6% of married couples would benefit from the Tories' new married couples plan. Far from his commitment to &lsquo;recognise all marriages', 94% of married couples would get nothing. In fact, in order to fund this new tax pledge, David Cameron and George Osborne have admitted they will raise other taxes, hitting married couples as well as the rest of the population. Liam Byrne MP, Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury, today said: "Marriage plays a vital role in our society. But David Cameron's latest marriage tax plan does nothing for 19 out of 20 married couples - except put a tax rise on their cars and holidays. "David Cameron broke his promise to help all married couples when he was forced to admit his plans didn't add up. "Now, he's got himself into the absurd position of having a married couples policy that leaves the majority of married couples worse off. "As the Tories stagger from one promise to another, it's becoming clear their plans are dangerously ill thought through and they remain a risk to families and the economy."...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/david-cameron-married-couples-con]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:27:28 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Bringing down unemployment]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Labour's Work and Pensions Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has welcomed news that unemployment has fallen - with a 7,600 drop in youth unemployment. While the jobs market is still tough, Labour&rsquo;s &pound;5bn investment in expanding education and training, supporting jobs and helping the unemployed back to work means that unemployment is 450,000 lower than predicted at the time of the Budget. While the action Labour is taking is working, Tories' refusal to support Labour's measures makes clear the threat they pose to Britain&rsquo;s economic recovery. Labour's action to support jobs and help the unemployed is making a difference in every region. Click here to see our interactive map &gt;&gt;&gt; Labour's Working and Pensions Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: &ldquo;The jobs market is still tough for a lot of people, but the drop in unemployment and youth unemployment is very welcome. It means 450,000 fewer people are out of work than everyone expected last spring.&rdquo; We&rsquo;ve made the right choices &ndash; helping people into work through our guarantees to young people and expanding support from Jobcentre Plus.  The rate of job losses in this recession has been four times less than if the experience of the 1990s had been repeated....]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/unemployment-figures-down]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:18:02 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Tough new measures to tackle irresponsible drinking]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Labour&rsquo;s Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, has announced new measures to tackle irresponsible drinking. Measures announced today will include banning irresponsible promotions such as &ldquo;all you can drink&rdquo; offers, ensuring free tap water is available for customers and requiring all those who sell alcohol to check the ID of anyone who looks under 18 A nationwide consultation on the measures generated over 7,000 responses to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder, which costs the UK an estimated &pound;8 billion to &pound;13 billion a year. Any premises that breach the new mandatory code could lose their licence. Labour&rsquo;s Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: &ldquo;Alcohol-related crime costs the UK billions of pounds every year and while the vast majority of retailers are responsible, a minority continue to run irresponsible promotions which fuel the excessive drinking that leads to alcohol-related crime and disorder. &ldquo;These practices have a real impact on society not to mention the lives of those who just want to enjoy a good night out. The government and the industry have a duty to act, this mandatory code will allow us to take action against an issue which affects us all. &ldquo;We have consulted extensively with the public and the alcohol industry to ensure that these conditions will only target the most irresponsible practices that most people agree should not happen anywhere.&rdquo;...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/tackle-irresponsible-drinking]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:06:50 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Haiti funding trebled]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, has announced that the Labour Government will treble its funding for humanitarian relief in response to the Haiti earthquake. Based on assessments on the scale of the disaster, aid will rise from 10 to 30 million dollars. The additional 20 million dollars  will be put to work providing further relief and recovery work, including food, shelter, basic sanitation and health services. Labour&rsquo;s International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, said: &ldquo;It is now clear that the international community is dealing with an almost unprecedented level of devastation. &ldquo;Our initial assessments show a level of humanitarian need which would severely test the international response in any circumstances. But the impact of this earthquake is magnified because it has hit a country that was already desperately poor and historically volatile. &ldquo;To address the needs of the immediate humanitarian response the UK Government will pledge a further million, on top of the million initially donated.&rdquo;...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/haiti-funding-treble]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:32:46 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[New measures to increase social mobility]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The Labour Government will implement virtually all of the 88 recommendations of the &lsquo;Unleashing Aspiration&rsquo; report from the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions. The measures will include an online National Internship Service for undergraduates, a guarantee for around 130,000 of the brightest young people from low-income backgrounds to benefit from assistance at secondary school and a new Social Mobility Commission to provide expert evidence on trends and policy on social mobility, and produce an annual report on progress made towards a fairer, more socially mobile society. While Labour continues to make progress &ndash; through raising the education and training leaving age, expanding apprenticeships, introducing diplomas and other measures &ndash; the Conservatives&rsquo; opposition to those measures and planned cuts to tax credits poses a threat to the aspirations of people on modest and middle incomes. Labour's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said: &ldquo;My mission is to ensure that all of Britain&rsquo;s people, from every background, are given the opportunity to develop their talents and learn the skills which will transform their lives. And this social mobility must be rooted in our core value of fairness. &ldquo;In many ways society is already fairer. Six hundred thousand children have been lifted out of poverty, record numbers of our young people are going to university, one in three people of working age is a member of a profession, and the gender pay gap has narrowed. &ldquo;But we can't be a truly aspirational society if some people are still denied the chance to get...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/increase-social-mobility-report]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:29:57 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Gordon Brown speaks to Fabian New Year Conference]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Speech to the Fabian New Year Conference 2010 by The Rt. Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Let me say first, that today the concerns of the people of Haiti are now a cause for the whole earth, their tragedy a summons to action for every continent. And I want to thank the British people; the generosity of their spirit, our willingness to give even when some people have so little to give, humbles me . And we the British government have tried in our own way to match the generosity of the British people with an initial 10 million. But it must now be said of Haiti, the poorest country in the western world, the country that in a short span has suffered three devastating hurricanes and now been shattered by one of the world&rsquo;s worst earthquakes, that its wounded people need not just charity for a day, or sympathy for a week, but all that compassion can offer. In response to the plight of poorest in every part of the globe, Douglas Alexander is putting into law the requirement that 0.7 percent of GDP be spent on development aid, a target we are already ahead of schedule to meet. In the last 12 years we have cancelled the debts of the poorest, and tripled aid to combat poverty. That&rsquo;s compassion in action &ndash; the life-saving difference a Labour government makes. And so let it be said of us, that...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/gordon-brown-speaks-to-fabian-new-year-conference]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:14:55 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Haiti Earthquake]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Earlier this week, it was struck by an earthquake about 10 miles south-west of the capital Port-Au-Prince and is facing a major humanitarian crisis.  Initial estimates are that some six million people live in the affected area, and one million people in the worst affected area. The Labour Government has already sent vital equipment and trained UK experts to help in Haiti, where they are desperately needed. Today the Labour Government announced 10 million dollars in funding to support humanitarian relief work in Haiti. Labour&rsquo;s International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said: &ldquo;It is already clear that we are facing a major humanitarian crisis. Haiti needs help and it needs it now. &ldquo;The most pressing need is for international search and rescue teams &ndash; including firefighters from all over Britain - to get on with their work of saving lives. &ldquo;But at the same time there is an overwhelming requirement for food, water, sanitation, shelter and medicine among the people who have been made homeless. &ldquo;That is why the Department for International Development is providing money to help kickstart humanitarian relief in Haiti.&rdquo; You can find out how you can help the relief efforts in Haiti by visiting the Disasters Emergency Committee website at http://www.dec.org.uk/ or call 0370 60 60 900...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/haiti-earthquake]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:38:18 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Parents need policies not platitudes from David Cameron]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Dawn Primarolo MP, Labour&rsquo;s Children and Families Minister said: "Parents need policies not platitudes from David Cameron. Families in Britain don't just want warm words, they deserve to know exactly what David Cameron would do to support them. "David Cameron has refused to protect funding for schools or Sure Start over the next three years. Instead he would cut &pound;200m each year from Sure Start - a fifth of its budget - and take support away for families on modest and middle incomes. By contrast, Labour are determined to help all families and have already opened over 3,000 Sure Start Children Centres across the country. "David Cameron still can't explain how he would pay for a marriage tax allowance and even though research today shows tax credits play a vital role in cutting child poverty, David Cameron is set on cutting back this essential support."...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/parents-policies-not-platitudes-david-cameron]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:47:24 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Free computers and broadband access]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Labour&rsquo;s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has announced that 270,000 low income families will receive a free computer and free broadband access. The announcement, backed by a &pound;300m investment, come on the same day as further measures are discussed in Parliament, including a promise that all parents will be able to benefit from online reporting and increased one-to-one tuition for children falling behind, While Labour is continuing to provide more opportunities for children and young people, the Conservatives continue to refuse to protect frontline services like schools. By refusing to back Labour&rsquo;s school leaver&rsquo;s guarantee of a place in education or training for every 16 and 17 year old who wants one, they risk consigning a generation to the scrap heap. Gordon Brown said: &ldquo;As every family becomes a broadband family, every home will be linked to a school. For those finding it difficult to afford this, today I can announce the nationwide roll out of our home access programme to get laptops and broadband at home for almost 300,000 families. That promise is backed up by a &pound;300 million investment that will see, by March next year, free laptops and broadband for 270,000 low income families across the country. &ldquo;We realise that for parents to influence and engage in the education of their children they need rich, varied and easily accessible information on the progress, behaviour and attendance of their children. That is why we have said that from 2010 all secondary schools &ndash; and from 2012 all primary schools...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/free-computers-broadband-access]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:33:11 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Biggest expansion of wind energy ever seen]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The Labour Government has announced plans for the biggest expansion of wind energy ever seen. Britain is already the world leader in offshore wind energy.  And today, the Crown Estate, owner of the UK&rsquo;s coastal seabeds, has granted rights to energy companies to bring about the biggest expansion of wind energy ever seen in the world. This opens up the potential for up to 6,400 offshore wind farms,  generating 32GW &ndash; far exceeding previous plans. Investment in UK offshore wind overall could be worth &pound;75 billion and support up to 70,000 jobs by 2020. While the Labour government is committed to taking an active role in creating green jobs and long-term sustainable growth, across the country Conservatives oppose new wind power proposals. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: &ldquo;Our island has one of the best wind energy resources in Europe and today&rsquo;s news shows that there&rsquo;s a huge appetite for capacity to be built here. We now need to make sure we&rsquo;re poised to harness the potential that appetite brings for business for UK companies and new green jobs. We did it before with oil and gas in the North Sea and we&rsquo;ll do it again for offshore wind.&rdquo;...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/biggest-expansion-wind-energy]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 8 Jan 2010 16:32:35 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Labour's Growth Strategy]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Labour&rsquo;s Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Business Secretary Peter Mandelson have launched the government&rsquo;s growth strategy. Building on the action taken over the last year in supporting the economy through the global downturn, the strategy sets out how Britain will take advantage of the opportunities open to the country. Globalisation, technological change, climate change, natural resource pressure and demographics that are radically changing the world in which our businesses and people compete mean that government has to play an active role. Labour is committed to playing this active role and driving, not just the recovery, but long-term sustainable growth - in contrast to the Conservatives' plans for choking off the recovery and delivering a decade of low growth and austerity. Labour's Business Secretary, Peter Mandelson, said: &ldquo;This plan is about a renewed politics of production.  The genius of science and research. The dynamism of personal enterprise. The drive of a skilled and confident workforce. Access to finance on the right terms for long term growth. A world class infrastructure. And strategic action from government to invest in all these things. &ldquo;These simple, powerful capabilities are the building blocks of our future growth. They stress the importance of recognizing that industrial competitiveness is not something that emerges out of the free market ether. &ldquo;The &pound;70M funding we&rsquo;re announcing today for state of the art manufacturing research centres shows what we can do to realise our potential.&rdquo; The strategy includes: * New Innovative Manufacturing Research Centres as part of a new...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/labour-economy-growth-strategy]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 7 Jan 2010 15:35:27 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Labour launches Boiler Scrappage Scheme]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband have launched the Labour Government&rsquo;s Boiler Scrappage Scheme. The national scheme will upgrade household boilers &ndash; helping people save money on fuel bills, cutting carbon emissions and sustaining work in the heating industry. Up to 125,000 households in England with working low efficiency, &ldquo;G-rated&rdquo; boilers will be entitled to &pound;400 off the price of a new, modern &ldquo;A-rated&rdquo; boiler or a renewable heating system. Labour&rsquo;s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown said: &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s announcement will slash household energy bills and carbon emissions while providing an important boost for the British heating industry.  The Government&rsquo;s new scrappage scheme will help to secure 250,000 jobs across the tens of thousands of small and medium businesses involved in boiler manufacture, sales and installation that form a vital component of Britain&rsquo;s low carbon economy.  The scheme shows how this Government continues to invest in the British industries and jobs of the future.&rdquo;   Labour&rsquo;s Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband, said: &ldquo;The Boiler Scrappage Scheme will save around &pound;200 off heating bills per year for families that are replacing their old boilers, and in total will save the same amount of carbon equivalent to taking around 45,000 cars off the road. &ldquo;The Scheme will add to the existing package of Government measures to help householders be smarter about the energy they use, leading to permanently reduced fuel bills and cutting emissions.&rdquo;...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/boiler-scrappage-scheme]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:19:47 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[George Osborne’s £34 billion credibility gap – Darling]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Over the last few years, hardly a week has gone by without the Tories making a promise on tax or spending. No one has been keeping track of their promises, certainly not George Osborne. Until now. The Labour Party has today published a factual account of the cost of the Conservatives&rsquo; promises. It exposes the credibility gap in the Tories pledges - &pound;34bn of promises they cannot explain how they fund. TO READ THE DOCUMENT IN FULL CLICK HERE NOW&gt;&gt;&gt; Until they explain how they will plug this &pound;34bn gap in their list of promises, they cannot credibly say anything about what they&rsquo;ll do on the deficit. It is now time the Tories were straight with people - are these more promises they don&rsquo;t intend to keep, like their &lsquo;cast iron&rsquo; guarantees on Europe? Or what extra taxes or unannounced cuts to services are they planning? Alistair Darling MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: &ldquo;The Tories have made over &pound;45bn of promises, but can barely explain how they can pay for a quarter of this. This leaves them with a credibility gap of &pound;34bn. &ldquo;These are not long forgotten promises from another time. All have been confirmed in the last two years. Most have been repeated in the last few months. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t fight an election on a nod and a wink; sometimes claiming you are committed to these promises, and when challenged claiming you are not. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s now for them to say when and how they&rsquo;ll be paid for....]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/george-osborne34-billion-credibility-gap-darling]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 4 Jan 2010 18:56:08 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Communities to benefit from energy fund]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Communities across the country will benefit from money to spend on cutting carbon emissions and saving on energy bills. The first communities to receive money from Labour&rsquo;s &ldquo;Low Carbon Communities Challenge&rdquo; have been announced. Communities in Norfolk, Isle of Wight, London, Nottinghamshire, Pembrokeshire, Cheshire, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Oxfordshire and Devon will share part of the &pound;10m fund. The areas will spend their portion on projects such as solar panels and wind turbines, insulating homes, low carbon heating systems and electric car charging points. The fund will not only cut carbon emissions and save money on energy bills, but also create income for the communities through Labour&rsquo;s clean energy cashback scheme. Another ten communities will benefit in the next phase of the challenge. Labour's Energy Minister Joan Ruddock said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had more than 300 communities register their interest with the Low Carbon Communities Challenge, so there&rsquo;s a real appetite out there to save energy to help tackle global warming and save money on fuel bills. The ten winning projects will now spend the money on things like community wind turbines, solar panels, heat pumps, insulation or green transport projects to cut emissions.&rdquo;...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/communities-benefit-energy-fund]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:51:24 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Gordon Brown in Copenhagen]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Labour's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has spoken about his initial talks with world leaders in Copenhagen and his intention to bring people together to get a deal. Attending the climate change summit in Copenhagen, Gordon Brown said that he hoped there would be an agreement by the end of the week - with a legally binding treaty following in subsequent months. On the financial aspects of the deal, the Prime minister outlined the need to help developing countries. Britain has pledged &pound;1.5 billion over the next three years to fund anti-global warming initiatives. Gordon Brown said: "This deal matters for Britain. I think if we could get a carbon change, then it is worth about half a million jobs to Britain in the longer run, so it is worth it for jobs. "But I also think our children, growing up, going to school every day, I don&rsquo;t want them to live in a world of floods, of droughts, of extreme weather. "It is really important, therefore, for Britain that we get this deal and it is important that I do everything I can in the next few days to make that possible."...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/gordon-brown-in-copenhagen]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:20:48 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Pre Budget Report 2009]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[In the Pre Budget Report Alistair Darling has set out his balanced package to protect the frontline services &ndash; schools, police and the NHS - to invest in growth and to halve the deficit fairly in 4 years The plan sets out how Labour will protect frontline public services, tax fairly, invest in growth and fulfil our commitment to halve the deficit within 4 years. Investment in the NHS, Sure Start, frontline schools and the police will all be protected over the next three years, ensuring that, during tough times, the frontline services that people rely on are secure. Alistair Darling underlined Labour&rsquo;s commitment to fair taxation. A one off payroll tax on bank bonuses to deter bumper bonuses, a freeze on inheritance tax at &pound;325,000 and a half percent employer and employee rise in national insurance contributions,  with higher earners paying more too. The PBR also set out Labour's plan to invest in securing the economic recovery and growth -outlining continued support to keep people in work and to support business. This includes bring forward the young person's guarantee, so that 18-24s claiming Jobseeker&rsquo;s Allowance for six months will now be guaranteed a job, work placement or work-related skills training; continuing the Business Payment Support Service that has already enabled over 160,000 businesses to spread over &pound;4 billion of tax; and ensuring that business has access to the capital it needs To halve the deficit over four years, Alistair Darling also announced further action including &pound;11 billion of...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/pbr-2009]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 9 Dec 2009 15:12:34 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Gordon Brown outlines efficiency savings]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has made a speech outlining plans for more efficient and smarter government. Gordon Brown said that power must shift to users of public services and set out measures including cutting the senior civil service pay bill by 20 per cent, halving government spending on consultants, merging or abolishing 123 government arms length bodies &ndash; with greater oversight for the remainder &ndash; and relocation of more staff outside London and the South East. At a time when budgets are tighter, we must be relentless in finding new ways to save money to protect front line services. Today&rsquo;s announcements show that Labour are willing to take the tough decisions needed. Labour Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said: "As the country emerges from recession, taxpayers want more than ever to see their contributions used in the same way they manage their own finances: by getting maximum value for money. When money is tight, families look at what they need, tighten their belts and put off those things they can do without. And government will do the same. "Before 1997 successive governments skimped on the investment that our public services depend on, and became complacent about the quality of the services they provided to the public.  Since then, this historic under-investment has been corrected and what were once seen as ambitious goals are increasingly seen as the norm&hellip;For example, today if you need to see a consultant as an out-patient your wait for treatment is on average just over...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/gordon-brown-efficiency-savings]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 7 Dec 2009 13:36:20 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Osborne plans would hit millions of families on modest incomes - Byrne]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Parliamentary Answers laid in the House of Commons today have revealed George Osborne's tax credit plans would hit millions of families on modest incomes. The Conservatives have claimed they would save &pound;400 million a year by scrapping means-tested tax credits for families with incomes over &pound;50,000. These new figures show that to recoup &pound;400 million a couple earning as little as &pound;16,000 each would lose out under Osborne's tax plans. Liam Byrne MP, Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: "For the Tories to recoup &pound;400 million from tax credits as they've pledged, Osborne had claimed he would only remove tax credits from those earning over &pound;50,000. But figures released to Parliament today show that to raise the &pound;400 million Osborne's credibility depends on, a couple earning as little as &pound;16,000 each would be hit by his tax plans. "These new Treasury figures expose how George Osborne has misled millions of people over the scale of cuts he would make to their tax credits. "Today we learn that he would hit millions of families on low incomes, while still promising to give &pound;200,000 to the richest estates. "Yesterday it was prisons, today it's tax credits. Every day, another of George Osborne's unfair policies unravels. "It's not clear whether it's down to his bad judgement, his inexperience or something more sinister."...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/osborne-plans-families-incomes-byrne]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Thu, 3 Dec 2009 17:18:36 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Tories should come clean on plans to cut school buildings - Ed Balls]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Ed Balls MP, Labour's Schools Secretary, will today challenge the Conservatives to come clean on which new schools face the axe under their planned cuts to Labour's school building programme.   Ed Balls said:   "Today's announcement is good news for parents, teachers and pupils in local authorities across the country.   "All this would be put at risk by Conservative plans to slash the school building programme by &pound;4.5 billion. It's time for David Cameron to come clean to teachers, parents and pupils across the country on which new school buildings they would axe. Where are the 360 schools which will no longer be rebuilt and get the investment they've been waiting for?   "While the Labour government is ensuring that children have places to learn which are fit for the 21st century with state of the art classrooms, sport and music facilities, the Tories want to change planning laws so that new schools can be opened up in old office blocks or pre-fabricated buildings.   "Parents rightly want value for money from public funds, but they will be shocked to hear about these Tory plans for schools. They do not want to go back to the bad old days when school buildings were left to rot under the last Tory government - a legacy which our sustained investment in school buildings is finally consigning to the history books."...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/conservative-cut-school-buildings-ed-balls]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:21:03 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Labour tackling domestic violence]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The Labour government has published a cross-government strategy on tackling violence against women and girls. The 'Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls' strategy sets out a range of measures to tackle the unacceptable fact that a million women suffer from domestic violence each year. More than &pound;13 million of funding will help support victims of sexual and domestic violence. Measure include a four-fold increase in Family Intervention Projects to support 10,000 families a year, the development of a dedicated stalking and harassment helpline, an online directory of the help available and the piloting of Domestic Violence Protection Orders - or 'Go' orders - to exclude perpetrators from their homes and give victims space to apply for longer-term protection. From 2011, preventing violence in relationships will be included in personal, social, health and economic education. Additionally, in the new year, an awareness-raising campaign aimed at tackling violence in teenagers&rsquo; relationships. Harriet Harman, Labour&rsquo;s Minister for Women and Equality said: "Tackling violence against women and girls is one of the Government's top priorities. Since 1997 we've introduced specialist domestic violence courts; given more money for rape crisis centres; and toughened the law. This has contributed to a 64 per cent decrease in incidents of domestic violence, and a 50 per cent increase in rape convictions over the last ten years. "But there is more to do, and it's vital that we have a co-ordinated cross-government approach to combating all forms of violence against women and girls. The 'Together We...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/tackling-domestic-violence]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:22:35 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Cameron's policies would choke off growth - Mandelson]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Lord Mandelson, Labour&rsquo;s Business Secretary, responding to David Cameron&rsquo;s speech to the CBI today, said:   "David Cameron is not &lsquo;going for growth&rsquo;. His policies would choke off growth.   "You cannot say you want to go for growth while in the same breath committing to pull support from the economy prematurely and deep cuts to the very investment in future growth that business needs.   "Business needs to beware. Mr Cameron&rsquo;s two faces have again been on show at the CBI today.  While he talks a business-friendly language he is hiding policies that would set back the economic recovery and leave business weaker in the longer-term.   "Dominique Strauss-Kahn&rsquo;s comments today on the dangers of prematurely withdrawing the stimulus, and his stress on the need for continued international co-operation, illustrates the economic risk the Tories pose.   "The fact is that the Tories continue to oppose the real help to small businesses we have given through the recession and would choke off the recovery by withdrawing the economic stimulus prematurely.     "Even the headline corporation tax pledge David Cameron repeats today disguises a &pound;4 billion tax hike on business investment by withdrawing tax reliefs and allowances that incentivise business investment in future growth.   "And the doubts voiced by leading business organisations today over Tory plans to gut the Regional Development Agencies can be added to the doubts they have expressed over the Tories&rsquo; isolation in Europe...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/cameron-policies-growth-mandelson]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:29:58 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Cameron’s "pernicious and misleading" campaign on the NHS]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[Labour&rsquo;s Health Secretary Andy Burnham and Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper have written to David Cameron attacking his misleading comments yesterday suggesting Labour planned to cut disability benefits. It followed an email to Conservative Party member where he said "unbelievably, they're cutting disability benefits for the oldest and most vulnerable members of our society." In the strongly worded letter they asked David Cameron to withdraw his &ldquo;pernicious and misleading campaign, designed to prey on the fears of the most vulnerable in society&rdquo;. And they also asked him to clarify his party's position on NHS guarantees, after he appeared to support them despite calling for all NHS targets to be scrapped. Andy Burnham and Yvetter Cooper wrote: &ldquo;Last night you wrote an email to Conservative supporters to say: &ldquo;unbelievably, they're [the Government] cutting disability benefits for the oldest and most vulnerable members of our society". &ldquo;You well know that this is deeply misleading. It is 'unbelievable' because it is not true. &ldquo;It is completely wrong to claim that we are funding our care reform proposals by cutting people's benefits. &ldquo;I ask you to withdraw your pernicious and misleading campaign, designed to prey on the fears of the most vulnerable in society. &ldquo;Instead, you need to address the substance at the heart of our Queen&rsquo;s Speech: a proposal to introduce a National Care Service.   &ldquo;Will you now say whether you would support a new National Care Service? &ldquo;And will you also confirm whether it is still your intention to...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/camerons-pernicious-and-misleading-campaign-on-the-nhs]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:40:24 Europe/London</pubDate>
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                           <title><![CDATA[Tackling anti-social behaviour]]></title>
                           <description><![CDATA[The Labour government has announced extra help to tackle anti-social behaviour. Training and support to use tough anti-social behaviour powers will be made available to up to ten thousand front-line public service staff and community champions across the country. The &pound;10m package &ndash; targeted at 130 local councils &ndash; also aims to make sure that local residents know their rights and how to report anti-social behaviour and offers extra funding for local work to tackle the problem, such as environmental clean up campaigns, supporting community led projects to engage young people and creating more attractive public spaces. Labour is determined that everyone across the country should be working together to drive down anti-social behaviour. Labour's Communities Secretary, John Denham, said: "We're making sure millions of people know how to report anti-social behaviour and when they do, front-line staff are better equipped to deal with any problems. We want to spur more action, faster action and more effective results so people can be confident that problems are being tackled and stopped. We want people to know they are not alone - government, their council and police are on their side, whether it's tackling nightmare neighbours, aggressive gangs or mindless vandals. "It might be a minority causing harm and misery for the majority but we are clear - this won't be tolerated. We're backing our communities and our neighbourhoods. To help this we're giving the opportunity to thousands of community champions for support and training so they can ensure councils and police...]]></description>
                           <link><![CDATA[http://www.labour.org.uk/anti-social-behaviour-proposals]]></link>
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                           <pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:18:38 Europe/London</pubDate>
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