The theme of Ed Miliband’s speech to community leaders in London will be “responsibility” Labour leader Ed Miliband is to signal a change in his party’s approach to high executive pay and to people who abuse the benefits system.
In a speech to community leaders in central London later, Mr Miliband’s theme will be responsibility.
He will say Labour is seen by some as representing those ripping off society.
Mr Miliband will argue the party has been too tolerant of those at the top and bottom of society who fail to take responsibility for their actions.
The speech comes the day after his brother David called for the Labour Party to unite behind its leader, following press stories of a feud between the two.
Ed Miliband will say a future Labour government would require companies to publish the pay gap between their boardrooms and the average earnings of their workers.
He will say that welfare must reward people who make a contribution to society, by arguing that, for instance, people who work or volunteer should get priority on council house waiting lists.
Mr Miliband is expected to say: “For too many people at the last election, we were seen as the party that represented these two types of people – those at the top and the bottom who were not showing responsibility and were shirking their duty to each other.
“From bankers who caused the global financial crisis to some of those on benefits who were abusing the system because they could work – but didn’t.
“Labour – a party founded by hard-working people for hard-working people – was seen by some, however unfairly, as the party of those ripping off our society.”
BBC political correspondent Ben Wright says after a weekend of sniping in newspapers from unnamed critics, Mr Miliband will try to convince sceptics he has the right strategy to return his party to power.
A book serialised by the Mail on Sunday claims David Miliband is unhappy about Labour’s direction under Ed’s leadership and is barely on speaking terms with him.
Senior figures are said to fear a return to the infighting of the Blair/Brown years.
However David Miliband responded with a statement on Sunday that read: “I have moved on from the leadership election and so should everyone else.
“Ed won, I stand fully behind him and so should everyone else. I called for unity last October and I repeat that now.”
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