Speaking to policitics.co.uk just before his election as the new Labour Leader Ed Miliband admitted harbouring regrets over his role writing the 2010 Labour general election manifesto.

During an interview with politics.co.uk, Ed Miliband was asked why civil liberties did not play a more substantial role in the document, given the focus he has placed on the issue in his leadership campaign.

“I accept that as a criticism. And I take my responsibility for that,” he said.

“It hasn’t been a particularly strong strain in Labour and I accept my share of criticism for that. But I want to make it a much stronger strain going forward.”

Asked if he had any regrets over the manifesto, he answered: “Oh yeah, I mean, of course there are things you regret.

“I think it was a good manifesto. I don’t think we lost the election because of our manifesto, to be honest. I think we lost it for much deeper reasons.

“But I take my share of responsibility for everything that happened in the last government, including the manifesto, but again, it’s a question about the future really. Where does this party go in the future and what scale of change do we need?”

Interestingly, throughout the interview he did not mention anything about he had written on “A Modern Welfare System”; so why his he now attacking the Coalition over their plans on benefit reform?

Labour Party’s Manifesto 2010: “A future fair for all” – it really is an interesting read. 

With regards to the section on “A Modern Welfare System” (pages 19-20), Ed Miliband and the Labour Party wrote, with regards to Housing Benefit: 

“Our goal is to make responsibility the cornerstone of our welfare state. Housing Benefit will be reformed to ensure that we do not subsidise people to live in the private sector on rents that other ordinary working families could not afford. And we will continue to crack down on those who try to cheat the benefit system.” 

(Page 20, second column). 

With regards to people with disabilities and health conditions on benefits, Ed Miliband and the Labour Party wrote: 

More people with disabilities and health conditions will be helped to move into work from Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance, as we extend the use of our tough-but-fair work capability test. This will help to reduce the benefit bill by £1.5 billion over the next four years. We will reassess the Incapacity Benefit claims of 1.5 million people by 2014, as we move those able to work back into jobs.  

(Page 20, first column). 

Perhaps now, we can have a sensible debate on how to create “A Modern Welfare System”.