Matthew Patrick

I regret the results of the Conservatives’ failure; I sincerely do. I will come on to talk about how some of the benefits of the system we are introducing now will bear fruit. The Conservatives say they have a plan, and as Members can imagine, it is pretty thin on detail. There is something that they are clear on, however, and there is something that they have a plan for: they can save money in the here and now. I do not think it is a long-term plan, but it saves some money now and that requires us to accept putting half a million children into poverty. That is not what I got into politics for. Let us say that a Member sits on the Conservative Benches and they can stomach that. Let me ask them: what is the long-term cost to society of plunging half a million children into poverty? That, for me, is not the route to reducing welfare. There is a better way—a sustainable way—and we have already started. It starts with sorting out the very foundations that people rely on: mental health support in our schools, waiting lists falling in our NHS and quality homes that give people security. We are building on that by creating a new jobs and careers service that brings employment skills and career support together. There is a jobs guarantee that will help support over 90,000 young people into work over the next three years. We are personalising job support for disabled people to tackle the unacceptable disability employment gap of 28%. We are taking action with £3.5 billion of support for people who are too sick or disabled to work, but who want to work. We are rewarding employers who take a chance on a young person. If they hire a young person who has been out of the jobs market for too long, they will be backed with £3,000. I do not pretend that this will solve everything overnight, but I think it makes a big difference. It helps now, and it is a down payment on the future of our young people. When the Milburn review comes out, we will have a plan to go further still. That is how we will do this for the long term. It is about finding solutions, not scoring points. A country that is hopeful and optimistic cannot go back to the failure that leaves young people on the scrapheap. The country has seen the Tory way, and it hears what the Tories are saying now. I do not think the country likes their politics of, “Do as I say, not as I do.” It wants a new approach grounded in problem solving. That is the Labour way that we are charting, whereby we will bring down the bill by helping people get back into work. It is the long-term solution: believing in the potential of our young people, and knowing that a good job gives them so much more than simply money at the end of the month. Our constituents deserve that, our country deserves that, and I am proud to support that.