"Ed Miliband: I'm bringing socialism back to Britain"

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Ed Miliband has said he is "bringing back socialism" to Britain as he unveiled new plans to strengthen the minimum wage ahead of the Labour Party conference.



Mr Miliband said that David Cameron's government will stand only for the "privileged few" as he promised to deliver an economy that "works for the working people".

He also confirmed his pledge to scrap the spare room subsidy, which he described as a "bedroom tax", and tackle the cost-of-living "crisis".

Unusually for Mr Miliband, he chose not to wear a suit, opting instead for a grey v-neck jumper and jeans. Earlier in the day he took a stroll along Brighton seafront with his wife Justine and his children, Daniel and Samuel.

Mr Miliband said: "We are going to scrap the bedroom tax, that's what I mean by a government that fights for you.

"And we are fighting for all of the low-paid people around our country. One of the proudest achievements of the last Labour government was the national minimum wage, making work pay for people.

"But under David Cameron's Government people are falling behind, the national minimum wage now paying people £20 less after inflation than it did when David Cameron came to office. That's just wrong.

"When we see that happening and when we think about one of the big banks, do we really think they can't afford to pay heir cleaners a bit more?"

It was "wrong" that millions of people "are going out to work unable to afford to bring up their families".

He added: "The Labour government will put it right, we will strengthen the national minimum wage, we will make work pay for the workers of Britain.

"That's what I mean by a government that fights for you: abolishing the bedroom tax, strengthening the national minimum wage, childcare there for parents who need it.

"That's what I mean by tackling the cost of living crisis at this conference, that's what I mean by a government that fights for you."

Asked when he would "bring back socialism", he replied: "That's what we are doing, sir.

He said: "It is about fighting the battle for economic equality, for social equality and for gender equality too.

"That is a battle that is not yet won in our country."

Mr Miliband has appointed Alan Buckle, deputy chairman at accountants KPMG, to investigate how the role and powers of the Low Pay Commission could be extended to strengthen the minimum wage.

Mr Buckle will consult widely with employers and employee groups on ways to restore the value of the minimum wage so that it catches up with where it was in 2010. He will also look at which particular sectors can afford to pay more.

Addressing the street rally from a small stage, Mr Miliband attacked the Government for failing to take steps to help people struggling to cope with rising prices.

Mr Miliband said: "Right across the country, from all walks of life, people are facing this cost of living crisis. There will be some people who say the interests of the low paid and the squeezed middle are just different.

"Well they are wrong. Under David Cameron's Government, he has been Prime Minister for 39 months and in 38 of those months prices have risen faster than wages. That is a record, by the way.

"Living standards falling month after month after month. Gas and electric bills, train fares, petrol prices, the weekly food shop and a Prime Minister who refuses to act.

"Why does he refuse to act? He refuses to act because of who he stands for, he stands for just a privileged few at the top."

He dismissed the argument that nothing could be done, saying "that's the powerful saying to the powerless 'you're going to have to suffer"'.

Mr Miliband said there was always something that could be done "if you have the political will" but "you won't get it from this Government".

He said Mr Cameron's record was one of "tax cuts for millionaires, tax cuts for hedge funds, tobacco lobbyists in Downing Street".

The Labour leader said: "The way a country succeeds is not just with a few at the top it's with what I call the forgotten wealth creators. The people who put in the hours, who do the work, who do two jobs, who do the shifts.

"They are the people we should be supporting in this country. That's how we tackle the cost of living crisis, that's how we have an economy that works for working people again in our country.

"That's how we change Britain, that's what a Labour government is going to do, that's how we build One Nation."