HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Government will work for British families – Prime Minister Gordon Brown [September 2008]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 September 2008.

Gordon Brown has promised to work with “courage and vision” on behalf of “hard-pressed, hard-working British families” battling with rising costs and the effects of the credit crunch.

Speaking at a dinner event at the annual Trades Union Congress, Mr Brown pointed to a number of Government initiatives such as the housing package, the cut in income tax for basic rate tax payers, additional payments to over-60s on top of the WInter Fuel Payment, and measures aimed at improving the energy efficiency of British households to be announced later this week.

The PM said:

“So we need to respond with courage and vision to the new insecurities facing hard-pressed, hard-working British families. Because while the global changes happening all around us are complex, the instincts they summon up in people are not. In tough times, people are understandably anxious. They want to know how they can have a fair chance to cope…

“We will work to share the risks and riches of the new global economy in a fair way, and to equip people with the skills they need to manage the risks and seize the opportunities this new world presents.”

Mr Brown spoke on a number of other priorities that the Government has tackled, including working towards a pensions settlement, improving employment rights and expanding training and apprenticeship opportunities.