The poorest families in Britain have seen real improvements, thanks to our eradication of mass unemployment, our national minimum wage, and our tax credit system
Jon Cruddas
The positive actions that the Labour government has taken on issues such as the lifting 600,000 children out of poverty and reductions in pensioner poverty should not be forgotten, but we do need a discussion on how to reduce social inequality. As part of that discussion I believe we should look at options such as closing the tax loopholes that exist for private equity firms, and also discuss the level at which the super-rich are taxed
at.
Peter Hain
Inequality has not got worse under Labour – through policies like tax credits, we have halted the spiralling inequality that was a hallmark of the Tory years. But we still need urgently to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and as Deputy Leader, I would make that a priority.
Harriet Harman
Tackling the divide between rich and poor must be a priority. We have done a lot to help the worst off, but we must now look at what kind of society we want. I want to see a more equal society – equality of opportunity is not possible in a divided society where some people struggle and others are rich. I want to see a Royal Commission on the Distribution of Income and Wealth to consider how we address this.
Alan Johnson
I don't think that inequality has got worse under Labour, but that we've taken many people out of poverty- especially pensioners and children. We've reformed the tax system to make sure that we target money for working families. We introduced the Minimum Wage, which tackled a gross injustice and we have also passed a whole range of social legislation to make this a fairer and more equal society- repealing Section 28, civil partnerships and more rights for disabled people, for example.