Jeremy Corbyn is putting Future Generations at the Labour manifesto’s heart

Jeremy Corbyn has insisted that “Future Generations are at the heart of our manifesto” as he gave The Big Issue’s Future Generations Pledge his backing.

The Labour Leader joins 99 of his party’s candidates – and 350 from across all parties – in taking the pledge and promising to consider the generations to come when assessing the impact of decisions made today.

The party’s manifesto does include plans for Future Generations Well-being Act, enshrining health aims in all policies and a new duty for NHS agencies to collaborate with directors of public health.

This is not dissimilar to Big Issue founder Lord John Bird’s own legislative bid with the Future Generations Bill that he will be re-introducing to Parliament once it resumes after the election. It, too, will look to introduce well-being targets but Lord Bird’s draft legislation aims to introduce a UK Future Generations Commissioner much in the vein of the example seen in Wales.

But well-being seems to be high on the Labour Party’s agenda – alongside pledges to scrap Universal Credit, introduce a Green Industrial Revolution and reform the tax system.

However, before Britain heads to the polls, Corbyn has also given our Future Generations Pledge his seal of approval.

“I’m proud to back The Big Issue’s Pledge to Future Generations,” he told The Big Issue. “We have a climate and environmental emergency on our hands and it is young people who have led the way, calling on politicians to wake up and act.

“This general election is our last chance to radically change course. Our manifesto is the most ambitious and comprehensive plan for tackling the climate crisis that has ever been put forward by a political party in the UK.

105 Labour and Labour/Co-op candidates, including @jeremycorbyn, have signed @BigIssue's future generations pledge – have your local candidates done the same? https://t.co/qIGU6PG5I8#todayfortomorrowhttps://t.co/9gpo9nOgrU

— John Bird (@johnbirdswords) December 9, 2019

“Labour will immediately set out in law robust, binding new standards for decarbonisation, nature recovery, and habitats and species protection.

“Future generations are at the heart of our manifesto. We will build a properly funded National Youth Service, massively expand free childcare and open 1,000 new Sure Start centres, giving every child a secure start in life.

“Labour will guarantee parity for mental health, and back this promise with an extra £1.6 billion NHS spending per year to fund counselling services for schools, community mental health hubs for young people and ensure 24/7 crisis care.

“We’ll tackle the crisis of low pay by introducing a Real Living Wage of £10 an hour and abolish in-work poverty within a Parliament. Workers will have full rights from day one and we’ll ban zero-hours contracts. And we’ll build a million homes so that future generations never have to worry about having a roof over their head. Labour will transform the country so that it works for the many, not the few.”