THE Labour government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity at every level is one of the most important of our missions to me.

That’s why I am absolutely delighted that the government is introducing the Better Futures Fund to support up to 200,000 children and young people. This Fund will be the largest of its kind anywhere in the world and will consist of £500-million of government funding towards ensuring the highest level of support to enable opportunities for young people – particularly those from disadvantaged and vulnerable backgrounds. This £500-million will then be supplemented by a further £500-million raised from local government, social investors and philanthropists over the next 10 years ensuring that as many children as possible can make the most of these opportunities.

I recently read a very personal article by Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Bristol MP, Darren Jones, about how talent should never be curbed by financial situation or social background. Darren wrote:

“The council estate I grew up on was one of the neighbourhoods that was picked by the New Labour government because it was so deprived in terms of income and educational outcomes. I’ve now had a great career, and I get to do this job. And a lot of that stems from what the New Labour government did. So essentially, this type of funding mechanism, this investment into tackling the root causes of poverty, is something that’s very personal to me.”

It is for me, too. Nowhere does this resonate more than in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, where the shameful lack of funding allocated to our proud remote coastal communities by the previous Conservative government over the last decade was a significant blocker to opportunity for our bright young talent. A staggering 33% of children in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle are persistently absent from secondary school and, nationally, there are now over 900,000 young people ‘not in education, employment or training’ – so called NEETS.

Backed by groups including Save the Children UK, The King’s Trust and Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government, the Fund will create new Social Outcomes Partnerships across the country, combining private funding from social investors with funding from local and national government to deliver services to directly address social issues. They will bring together national government, local government, charities, social enterprises and philanthropists to create a powerful new alliance, aimed at transforming the lives of vulnerable children and young people, helping to smash through the achievement ceiling. By investing in early support to tackle challenges like school absence, addiction, and reoffending, the Fund will help give children the stability and opportunity they need to thrive.

This Labour government, like the last Labour government, is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity. That means: expanding free school meals to an extra half million children in low-income households; rolling out government-funded childcare to support new nurseries; and fixing crumbling schools. After a lost decade, we owe our children the best possible start in life.