Editorial: Labour rally a reminder of the big challenges facing the UK - like benefits culture

The Labour Party conference has been a stark reminder of the major challenges facing not just this government, but the United Kingdom in the time ahead.

It has been reassuring that in recent days Andy Burnham’s new administration is at least talking about some of those issues – whether they plan to go about it the right way is a whole other discussion.

At the weekend, the Prime Minister said he would set out radical reforms for the social care system – reforms that have eluded successive governments. The principle, he said, is that of the NHS – free at the point of service.

That will be a great reassurance to many across the country, and Stormont must do what it can to ensure that Northern Ireland benefits on the same terms as everyone else, if and when the time comes.

It won’t come cheap – and Mr Burnham knows that to deliver it would likely involve breaching Labour’s current promises on retaining the triple lock on the state pension, or not raising income taxes. Therefore, he has left it to after the next election – and says a detailed plan will be set out before then.

Yesterday, the chancellor announced he wants to take on one of the main issues facing many young people – a life on benefits. The reason so many are caught in this misery are complex, but it needs to be treated with the utmost importance.

John Healey told the Labour faithful in Liverpool: "The best thing we can offer a young person is not a benefit payment - it's a first job with training and a wage”. We hope he succeeds.

But where Labour are failing is to take on their own MPs over the unsustainable welfare bill facing this country. There are far too many people of all ages, trapped in a hopeless life on welfare. It is not kind and not helping the vulnerable. The government need to get a grip on it.