“The Labour Party is a moral crusade, or it is nothing.” So said Harold Wilson.
That’s why I was so pleased that on becoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham promised that the cost of living would run through the veins of the government, with every decision tested against it.
The concept that unites Harold Wilson’s government with Andy Burnham’s is very simple: fairness. A call to action that we can all unite behind. How do we create an economy and a society that works for everyone?
Andy has quite rightly placed a new emphasis on the importance of devolution. Empowering communities up and down the country is so important.
But this is only one piece of the jigsaw.
The Cheshire homes of Premier League footballers are not far from the poorest parts of Bolton. Similarly, the media portrayal of affluent inner London hides another reality of deep poverty, deprivation and overcrowded homes.
So how do we tackle inequality within regions? It all comes back to fairness.
As a Council Leader, I established the first local authority Fairness Commission, chaired by Professor Richard Wilkinson. It was all about addressing inequality in wealth, health, housing and education. This was followed by other local authority fairness commissions around the country including in Conservative-led Blackpool, and a London-wide Fairness Commission in 2016.
So many of the challenges that we face in 2026 come back to this most basic of ideas.
I know that many young people are feeling squeezed by student loan repayments. It is an issue that I have closely scrutinised as a member of the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee. Last month, the committee launched the Student Loans: Broken and Unfair? Report. Students today could be paying as much as 95% of the cost of their higher education. The report recommends that the Government should return the balance between the individual and the state to a 50:50 split. This is about fairness.
Introduced by the Council’s Labour administration in 2013, Haringey’s Council Tax Reduction Scheme is a vital lifeline for low-income families in the borough, reducing council tax bills by up to 100%. A recent Haringey Labour motion to protect the scheme was ultimately passed in the council chamber with cross-party support. This is about fairness.
A National Fairness Commission would involve local councils, schools, trade unions, the voluntary sector and beyond. It would be about how to make a real positive difference to people’s everyday lives. It would be about improving opportunities and improving outcomes. And it would be informed by ordinary people and communities up and down the country.
A National Fairness Commission would require four key ingredients: scope, participation, analysis and implementation.
The first task is to agree what the Commission’s focus will be. What are the toughest choices facing the country? How can we ensure that every family has access to secure and affordable housing, first-rate education and training, and quality career opportunities? How can we ensure that every family can thrive?
Next, how does the Commission ensure maximum participation from the public? Choice is key – online surveys, drop-ins, town hall meetings and school projects can all play a part.
Analysis is about translating the evidence gathered around the country into a set of concrete recommendations.
The final challenge is how to implement these recommendations: how do we ensure that fairness forms a golden thread that runs through every future budget and every King’s Speech?
It’s time to be bold. But invariably the boldest of ideas are always the simplest. Beyond devolution, let’s bring every community into a comprehensive conversation about how we can create a fairer country. This is how we truly devolve power.