Brown made his speech, entitled ‘Politics as a Moral Duty’, at Labour’s annual conference in Brighton this week. He focused on economic, social and international policy, and reiterated the importance of strong decision-making and resolution in current and future UK policy.
Brown said since 1997, Britain’s economy was unique in that it continued to grow but more work remains to be done. He said: “Parents are struggling amid an even faster pace of change to balance work and family life.
“We have to find modern answers, meeting rising individual aspirations while also showing how a supportive community can empower and enable so people can realise their potential as individuals and make a contribution to community life.”
He added: “And we will respond in the pre-Budget report to the dream of young couples to own their own homes with our plan for one million new affordable properties.”
Commenting on the speech, Nationwide’s executive director Stuart Bernau, said: “At a time when interest rates are historically low and there are plenty of really competitive deals in the marketplace, this is a great time for first-time buyers to consider their first step onto the property ladder.
“Nationwide uses an affordability index to determine how much to lend which is much fairer than using mere income multiples. No higher lending charge is levied by the Society which reduces the cost of the mortgage and we can also offer a variety of competitive and flexible deals that are available to both new and existing borrowers.
“We understand the importance of owning your own home and through our mutual status can offer a better deal than the vast majority of our high-street competitors.”
