Check against delivery

I am delighted to be here in Aviemore and in this breath-taking scenery - and at an important time for the Labour Party and for Scotland.

This is not my first visit to Scotland since becoming deputy leader but I’m here for my first Scottish conference since becoming Deputy Leader.

And I want to tell you I am proud of what Labour has achieved for Scotland.  More doctors and nurses and health workers, more teachers and police today in Scotland, than ever before.

More people in work than ever before.

And not because of chance – and certainly not because of other parties.

Labour MPs, MEP and MSPs, Labour councillors and Labour trade unionists have all worked together to eradicate the devastation done by Margaret Thatcher and to build Scotland’s future.

WE WORKED TOGETHER

We have worked together – Labour in Scotland, England and Wales

And that has been our strength.

And that strength has delivered historic change
•    the welfare state
•    the state pension;
•    the national health service

These were all landmark gains for working people delivered by a strong Labour party working together.

We worked together in difficult times too.
We worked together as we fought against the misery of the Tories - when England was engulfed in what seemed an endless winter of Tory domination and of course you were battling the injustices of their disastrous experiments like the poll tax. 

We worked together as trade unionists on protecting pension funds.

We worked together as women - how proud we were of the Edinburgh women who led the way with zero tolerance against domestic violence.

We worked together to improve pubic services - what a beacon for all councils in the UK it was when Strathclyde regional council pioneered work on childcare - with the aim of nursery care for all not just stigmatised provision for a few.

And we have worked together with Labour in Government to take forward our progressive purpose - a strong economy and social justice.
TIME OF CHANGE

10 years after devolution – the Calman Commission is looking at the constitutional settlement.

10 years after devolution, we have a new Labour party leader and a new leader of the party in the Scottish Parliament

We have a new general secretary in London and a new general secretary here in Scotland.

It's a time of change and time for us to seize the chance to frame a new settlement between the Labour party in Scotland, in England and in Wales.

It’s time to strengthen the relationship between Labour in Scotland, in England and in Wales in the cause of our values - a progressive union in which a prosperous and fair Scotland has pride of place in a prosperous and fair UK.

Devolution and the constitution are not just government issues – they are political issues – at the heart of what Labour stands for.

Whether you’re a local councillor in Kent, whether you are an MP in Wales or a party member in Scotland – we are all part of team Labour.
 
STRENGTHENING THE BONDS

Before Labour devolved power to Scotland, the truth is that then we worked more closely together than we do now. 
 
As a Labour MP, I learnt a great deal from my visits to work with colleagues in Scotland. 

Devolution is one of the great achievements of Labour in government. But it means we have to work harder to make sure that we continue to work together. 
 
I pledged,  when I became deputy leader, that I would work to strengthen the links between labour in Scotland, in England and in Wales. And that is what I am determined to do. We have to look for new ways to work together on a cross UK basis - like the Women's summit I called in November in which Wendy played such an important part in sharing ideas for the way forward on equality. 

Over the coming months you’ll see more UK ministers in Scotland listening to and working with the Scottish people – like Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell's important work on pensions, like Business Secretary John Hutton’s work on new laws for flexible working for families, like Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s work on tackling the terrorist threat.
And on policy making for Labour for the future – irrespective of the fact that the SNP are in power in the Scottish Parliament – we want your voice, your Scottish voice to be there to shape policy UK wide every bit as much as we ever did before.

We worked together to put Labour in government in Westminster - so that we could devolve power to Scotland.
 
But many of the challenges we face in the 21st century can only be tackled by Scotland, England and Wales working together.

Like climate change.
Like keeping the economy stable.
Like fighting international crime such human trafficking.
 

LABOUR’S ACHIEVMENTS

Our opponents want us to ignore what Labour has done – to brush it under the carpet.  They want us to – but we must never take for granted what we - what Labour - has done
 
Because was it the SNP who put tackling global poverty at the top of the international agenda?   No, it was Labour. Without Labour in government we would never have had a department of international development – let alone a doubling of international aid

Was it the Tories who tackled pensioner poverty? Never – it was Labour. Without a Labour government we would never have had the pension credit and the winter fuel payment

Was it the Liberals who brought forward new legal rights for people at work? No, it was Labour. Without a Labour government we would never have had
•    the right to union recognition,
•    to paternity leave,
•    a minimum wage.
 

PRIDE IN SCOTLAND’S LABOUR MPS
 
And I want to pay my tribute to the historic role of Scottish Labour MPs in Westminster.

I was proud to work with - Donald Dewar, Robin Cook and John Smith.

And I am proud of Scotland’s Labour MPs in our Cabinet – Des Browne, Douglas Alexander, our Chancellor Alistair Darling and of course our Prime Minister.

Gordon Brown - not just the member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, not just the prime minister of the UK, but respected world wide for his vision on tackling poverty and injustice. So no surprise then, that one of the first people to call Gordon when his son was born was Nelson Mandela  
 
Scotland’s Labour MPs lead the battle day in day out fighting for social justice and for fairness.

Without Jim Sheridan we would not have had the progress on pleural plaque which Gordon announced yesterday or the Gangmasters’ licensing Act on which we are now building new rights for agency workers.

Without John Robertson poor communities would still find that those who have least, pay most to get cash from cash machines.

Without Tom Clark and Anne Begg and Anne McGuire we would not have such strong laws and strong voices speaking up for the rights of disabled people.

Without Anne Moffat, the Women’s Land Army would have never won the recognition they so richly deserve.
 
 
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

And as Team Labour we look determinedly to the future.

To work together as trade unionists through the Scottish Parliament and through Westminster to build a UK wide system of apprenticeships.
 
As team Labour we  work together to tackle poverty and inequality– so later this year we will bring in a strong new Equality bill.

We will work together to step up the fight against climate change. 

And we will work together to have a strong and fair immigration system.  In a global economy we need to be outward looking.  At the same time we need clear rules that people trust to be properly enforced.

FAMILIES

And we will continue to work together so that we can do more to back up and support families.

People want to make their own choices. They don’t want to be told what to do by government.

But it’s still a struggle for many parents to balance work and family.

So we will give families more backing by;
making sure that fathers know that they too – as well as mothers - have the right to request flexible work,  helping more families with the costs of childcare and giving parents of older children new rights to request flexible working.  

But it is not just parents and children. For most families out there its granny as well as mum who’s looking after the kids.

And for many families out there, mum is looking after granny as well as looking after the kids.

So just as we are backing up families with children, we will do more to back up families who are caring for elderly relatives.

When our Carers Commission reports this summer - we will offer new entitlements to Britain’s 6 million family carers.
 
We have listened and we will act. We weren’t afraid of being called the nanny state.

And we certainly won’t be afraid of being called the granny state. Because whether you’re in Scotland, England or Wales, Labour is the party for families.

GOING FORWARD FROM TODAY

Going forward from today, we must renew our belief that we share our Labour values and our belief in standing shoulder to shoulder to do together what we could never do apart.

Going forward from today, we must renew our bonds and our friendships within the Labour party to learn from one another, to grow strong from one another and to overcome problems together which we could never do alone.

And as we renew these bonds, so too do we recognise without hesitation that the destiny of Labour in Scotland will be determined by Labour in Scotland, not by Labour in London.

It was a Labour Govt that legislated to turn the dream of devolution into reality. It is the Labour party that recognises that the new politics of devolution means having a strong, confident Labour party in Scotland which is proud to be part of a strong, confident Labour party in the United Kingdom.

In Labour, we listen as well as lead. We’re in touch with people’s concerns; working together as a team; united by shared values.

To quote that late great Scot Mick McGahey – the past we inherit, the future we build.

As team Labour - we will build that future together.