How Ed can lay out a positive vision tomorrow

This weekend Ed Miliband will give a keynote speech to the Fabian Society. With the election just four months away time it’s time for Labour to develop a clear story around its vision, values and policy which can enthuse the electorate. For all the important promises over the NHS, Labour will only win if it can articulate a positive vision for Britain’s future.

With this in mind, here’s what Miliband needs to say:

On the Economy:

“I want to make it clear that, unlike the Tories, Labour will put fiscal responsibility at the heart of everything we do in government. The Tories have failed to meet their deficit targets and borrowing has gone up. They’ve borrowed more money in four years than Labour did in 13. They celebrate achieving growth in the economy, but we had growth under Labour in 2010.

They’ve only raised the living standards of a small minority and they’ve failed to meet their deficit targets. All this means is we’ll have little to spend come May 2015 – and that every single pound we do spend must be accounted for.

Despite this, Labour has a credible plan both to tackle the deficit and to make Britain fairer. How? Well, through freezing energy prices, raising the minimum wage, targeting rip-off landlords and tackling tax avoidance we can raise living standards without any cost to the tax payer.”

On “One Nation” values:

“I’ve consistently said that One Nation Labour is a party for the many, not the few. So what does this mean?

Firstly, it means tackling the abuses of power we’ve seen all too often by those with responsibility – including bankers, politicians and the press.

Secondly, it means everyone having a stake in society – so that you can feel in control of your own destiny. This is why we’ve committed to devolving more power to Scotland and Wales – and to England’s cities and regions. In short, we’ll bring more of the decision-making closer to your front door – away from the detached chambers of Westminster.

But One Nation means something else; it means everyone playing their part – every individual both contributing and taking something back. It means rights and responsibilities from top to bottom.

This means that the millionaire businessperson creating jobs and bringing commerce to Britain has the right to spend their wealth how they please. But they must pay their taxes and contribute back to society. Labour will clamp down hard on tax avoidance.

Equally, if you are young and unemployed then you do have the right to training – but you also have a responsibility to take on that work. Labour will introduce a compulsory job guarantee scheme for 18-25 year olds who have been unemployed for more than a year – reducing our welfare bill and getting talented young people into work.”

On supporting workers and families:

“So what about everyone else? Hard-working people are struggling with the cost-of-living under this Tory-led government. By working to support themselves and their families they are fulfilling so many of their responsibilities; but what about their rights? Fair pay and fair living standards must surely count for something?

This is where Labour can help. We’ll raise the minimum wage to over £8 an hour by 2020 and incentivise firms to offer a living wage. We’ll freeze energy bills for two years and take action to stop the spiralling cost of rent, which will in turn reduce the housing benefit bill. These policies won’t cost a penny – they’ll actually save the tax payer money.

And here’s another commitment. We know that immigration has been overwhelmingly positive for Britain, but for some the pressure on job and wages is a big concern. That’s another reason Labour is raising the minimum wage – to stop the undercutting of wages by employers who recruit from overseas.

We’ll also make sure jobs are advertised at home before abroad and introduce a new offence to prevent exploitation of migrants. These measures will ensure everybody achieves a fair day’s work for a fair days pay.

Further still, we will increase the number of apprenticeships to ensure the 50% who don’t go to university are well prepared for the jobs of the future.

On housing:

First time buyers are struggling to get on the property ladder and a lack of house building has led to rising social housing waiting lists. So we’ll build 200,000 more houses per year by 2020 – selling half and creating 230,000 construction jobs.

Meanwhile, on childcare, we’ll offer 25 days free for three and four year-olds – easing pressure on family budgets and supporting more parents back to work – funded by a £800m bank levy.”

On the NHS:

“The NHS is on life support. Under this Tory-led government waiting times have increased and we’re witnessing a crisis in A&E departments all over the country.

The NHS needs a Labour government. We’ll introduce a mansion tax for houses worth more than £2m and a clampdown on tax avoidance in order to fund a £2.5bn investment. We’ll join up physical health, mental health and social care to meet the needs of an ageing population we won’t borrow a penny to do it.

We’ll save the NHS from incompetent Tory governance and get our health service off the life support machine, fit for the 21st century.

With the policies I’ve laid out today, One Nation Labour can help ease the pressure on millions of families and individuals. Together we can build a better Britain.”