Well, I haven’t always - and there’s a lot more about that in My Journey.
I have, though, always believed in the spirit of free enterprise and aspiration - where the bright and talented can flourish, creating wealth for themselves and for society, by paying taxes and creating jobs.
I also believe that some of the wealth generated by a strong, economically efficient private sector should be channelled into delivering high quality public services, so that everyone can benefit from a good education system capable of delivering the doctors, scientists and engineers of tomorrow; be looked after by a world class health service, live in a society where crime is dealt with by an effective justice system, and be cared for in their old age.
In other words, I believe in the Labour Vision of a fair society.
When someone asked me, “what have the Labour Party ever done for the UK?”, I made this short video below which explores some of the ways the Labour Party has changed peoples' lives for the better.
As you would expect from a political party named after the workforce, the Labour Party is, and always has been, about people.
It was formed to give ordinary people a voice in the British Parliament - until then, entirely the preserve of the wealthy elite - in order to improve the lives of ordinary people.
In every general election in the last hundred years, Labour has either been the governing party, or the official opposition.
Labour Achievements
The first Labour Government, in the 1920s, passed legislation to improve housing, education and social insurance; the second was dominated by the global economic crisis, and focused on tackling the resulting mass unemployment.
For generation after generation, Labour men and women have led the way in modernising and reforming Britain to improve the lives of millions of people.
Their achievements have made and continue to make a lasting difference to the lives of people across our country, and include:
- creating the National Health Service, removing the anxiety of illness from millions of families who couldn't afford a doctor
- introducing Social Security
- major programmes of house building, providing safe and secure homes
- bringing key industries back into public ownership
- the permanent ending of the death penalty
- the decriminalisation of homosexuality
- legislation to outlaw racial discrimination
- the establishment of the Open University
- the Equal Pay Act
- the introduction of the National Minimum Wage
- the New Deal
- devolution for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland put power in people’s hands
- peace in Northern Ireland through the landmark Good Friday Agreement
- introducing Civil Partnerships
- the Equality Act legislating for equality of opportunity for all
- the Human Rights Act
- cancelling up to 100 per cent of debt for the world’s poorest countries
- bringing about the world’s first Climate Change Act