Shocking inequality report shows that Labour has failed to deliver

10.28.52pm GMT Wed 27th Jan 2010

Many Sheffielders who are struggling to make ends meet have been let down by Labour

Sheffield Central's prospective Lib Dem MP Paul Scriven has spoken out about the damning report released today, showing that the wealth gap in Britain is now worse than it was 40 years ago.

The report's authors have found that in Britain today, the richest 10% of society are more than 100 times better off than the poorest 10% of society.

The analysis, which has taken over four years to complete, was ordered by Gordon Brown's number two, Labour Deputy Leader Harriet Harman, also the minister for Women and Equalities.

Paul Scriven said:

"This report proves once and for all that Labour have failed on their key manifesto promise to make Britain a fairer society. After 13 years of Labour's so called leadership, this paper reveals that society is less, not more equal than it was in the post-war years.

"Coming just four months before the anticipated general election, I imagine that this report has made many Labour MPs and candidates extremely worried.

"If over a decade of Labour's well-spun policies and think-tank initiatives have failed to improve the life chances of children born into poorer families, then people will rightly be asking: what have Labour got to offer? This may well be the final nail in the coffin for Labour's election hopes."

The National Equality Panel's report finds that there are 'deep seated' and 'systemic' differences between the earning potential of men and women, between people of white and BME heritage and between different areas of the country.

However, the largest inequality is between those born into wealthier and those born into less wealthy families. At the top end of the scale, those on the highest incomes are likely to have property, savings and possessions amounting to almost £900,000 by the time they reach retirement age. In comparison the lowest 10% of earners were likely to have just £8,000 of total wealth at the same point in their lives.

Paul Scriven added:

"The report highlights exactly what we have found to be the case in Sheffield; that a person's chances in life are determined by their family background.

"To me that is unacceptable. It is the legacy of Labour's control of this city. When Liberal Democrats came to power in 2008 we promised that we would raise the educational achievements of every young person, no matter where they lived in the city. And last year Sheffield's GCSE results showed the largest increase the city has ever seen.

"As the son of a dustbin man and a hospital cleaner, I am a strong believer in people's ability to be socially mobile and achieve their potential. My own experiences have lead me to believe that education is the key to social mobility. That's why the Liberal Democrat commitment to fund every pupil across the country to the level of those in private schools is so important.

"Labour has shown that their fuel tank is empty and that their vehicle for delivering a fairer Britain is on the scrapheap."