Following Mayday the most tempting reactions are gloomy introspection and frantic activity.  Both should be resisted.  Instead, government and party should pause, develop coherent policies around core principles, and take the fight to the Tories.  

First, sorting out the 10% tax band mess.  Old and New Labour members and supporters are equally committed to tackling poverty, and this could yet be turned to unite the party.  The prime minister’s promise to Frank Field to compensate millions of young, low-paid childless workers and pensioners must be met in full and backdated. Not because cutting their pay on 30th April and asking for their vote on 1st May was always crazy, but because it is the right thing to do.

The national policy forum documents are now available on the party website, and constituencies have until 20 June to propose amendments.  Prosperity and Work shows signs of recent hasty rewriting, but needs further changes.  I would start from lines 19-20 on page 13:  “Labour’s tax and benefit package is designed so that the biggest gains go to the poorest 30 per cent”, and replace the costly and ill-targeted mishmash of winter fuel allowance, tax credit changes and minimum wage reviews which follows.  Please send coherent alternatives to annblack50@btinternet.com  so I can take them forward.

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