Literacy news
Labour manifesto launched
12 Apr 2010
The Labour Party today (12 April) launched their election manifesto at a new hospital in Birmingham. At the launch Gordon Brown said the manifesto focused on three key challenges: rebuilding the economy; protecting public services and strengthening society; and rebuilding trust between the public and public servants.
The headline education announcements included:
- Spending increased for frontline Sure Start services and free childcare, schools and 16 to 19 learning.
- All pupils leaving primary school in the basics, with a 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmatic) guarantee of one-to-one and small group tuition for every child falling behind.
Many of the school reforms that were removed from the Children, Schools and Families Bill during last week’s Parliamentary ‘wash up’ are also included in the manifesto.
The manifesto also reveals that these reforms would be made against the backdrop of efficiency savings away from the frontline. £950m would be saved through collaboration and efficiency in back office functions and procurements and £500m from quangos and central budgets.
Gordon Brown said the manifesto had “the great and common purpose of national renewal”, however, the Conservatives said it suffered from "a distinct lack of ambition and imagination" while the Liberal Democrats accused Labour of breaking promises to make Britain fair in previous manifestos and asked why this time would be any different.
Read the full manifesto at the Labour Party website
Read the responses from the other main parties at e-politix.com
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