Bridget Phillipson guarantees to lower child poverty – Usdaw welcomes the ambition

As part of her address in Liverpool, Bridget Phillipson said: “For too long, poverty has cascaded down the generations. A stain that scars and shames our brilliant country. It is not inevitable and tackling it is a choice. Labour chooses to drive it down, to end it. I choose to drive it down, to end it. It is a scourge I grew up with, it is a scourge I want to end, and that is why we launched the Child Poverty Taskforce, which I am proud to chair.

“I am determined that child poverty will be lower at the end of this parliament than at the start and more than that, I guarantee it, by giving every child the best start in life — my focus in government, my lodestar and the driving moral purpose of our party. 
Their dream, their better tomorrow. That is Labour’s dream, and their future ours to win.”

Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “Bridget’s record of delivery is exceptional and one of many reasons why Usdaw is backing her for deputy leader of the Labour Party. Free breakfast clubs rolling out across the country, hundreds of new school-based nurseries opening from this autumn, Best Start Family Hubs — reviving Sure Start for a new generation — and 30 hours’ free childcare for working parents are just some of the promises made and promises kept.

“Gender Pay Gap action plans coming soon, new rules to control the cost of school uniform — so they make children smart, not poor, and free school meals for another half a million children. Capped with a guarantee to lower child poverty, which can only happen by making work more secure and better paid, with the plan to make work pay delivered in full, along with fundamental reform of Universal Credit and the support working parents receive. These are the changes that our members and all working parents need, which we voted for in last year’s general election.”