4. Labour’s Next Steps

Fabian Society, pamphlet, 1997

The Labour government created a scheme to help children from poor backgrounds do better at school; launched initiatives to help the long term unemployed into work; and introduced a minimum wage. It is however leading New Labour figure Peter Mandelson’s offhand remark in 1998 that, “We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich as long as they pay their taxes” that many remember!