Much has been done but there's more to do, Brown tells conference

Much has been done but there is much more to do, a "more idealistic than ever" Gordon Brown has told the Labour Party conference in Brighton today.

Today's conference speech contained much on Britain's economic achievements since Labour came to power, but the chancellor wedded his hallmark fiscal prudence with a pledge to use the UK's competitive edge to push forward social justice reforms.

Mr Brown talked of his "patriotic vision" where the UK could take the best working parts of the US enterprise economy and underpin it with the examples of greater social cohesion found across Europe.

With 45 million US citizens without health insurance great economic success is not matched by great social justice, he said.

"Our mission for Britain is both prosperity and justice for all," he said.

Beginning his speech by paying tribute to "Ken Bigley and all his brave family", Mr Brown ran through his roll call of economic highpoints – lowest inflation for 30 years; lowest interest rates for 40 years; the longest period of sustained economic growth for 200 years; fastest surge towards full employment in a lifetime.

Investment had also doubled in schools, in policing, in transport, in housing, and by 2008 investment in the NHS will almost triple to £110 billion, he said.

In a powerful speech, the Chancellor said that the reward for achievement was not inactivity – but the opportunity to do more.

"We will not rest until millions denied opportunity can achieve their aspirations and until the three million children living in poverty are growing up in a Britain where child poverty has been eradicated for good," he said.

"We will not rest until Britain’s public services – starved for two decades, now being rebuilt – are reformed and renewed, an example to the world and the collective pride of our nation.

"We will not rest until enterprise is open to all, creating hundreds more businesses in every community, and where the millions of men and women – some lone parents, some on incapacity benefit – who want to work will have the right to work, in a Britain where there is full employment in every region and every nation of our country."

He concluded by calling on activists to have "confidence united in our values" and "build the progressive consensus of prosperity and justice for all".

We have much more to do, he told delegates.

(gmcg)