Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall says the government is “grasping the nettle of reform”, to ensure the “Welfare State lasts for generations to come”. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00Now, the truth is, welfare reform is never easy, and it is rarely popular, perhaps especially for Labour governments.
00:10But no responsible Labour government can resile from taking decisions because they are too difficult,
00:18because this is not good enough for the people we came into politics to serve.
00:23So we will reform the welfare state, just as great reforming Labour governments have done in the past,
00:30changing it to meet the social and demographic challenges of today and tomorrow,
00:35and delivering the fairness, equality and opportunity people need and deserve.
00:41So unless we reform the system to help those who can work to do so,
00:46unless we get Social Security spending on a more sustainable footing,
00:50and unless we ensure public money is focused on those with the greatest need
00:55and is spent in ways that have the best chance of improving people's lives,
01:00the risk is the welfare state won't be there for people who really need it in future.
01:06That is why we are grasping the nettle of reform, not for the sake of it,
01:11but to ensure the welfare state lasts for generations to come.
01:15Thank you very much.