Rachel Reeves will deliver a library in every primary school in England as part of Labour’s plans to give all children the best start in life regardless of their background.
The scheme, which will create libraries in the 1,700 primaries currently without them, will be funded from £132.5m of dormant assets that will be unlocked to give young people access to cultural opportunities.
Thousands of children will get access to literacy during their early years as a result. One in seven primary schools in the UK do not have a library, according to the National Literacy Trust, rising to one in four for disadvantaged areas.
Children’s authors including Cressida Cowell and the Gruffalo illustrator, Axel Scheffler, welcomed the scheme. “A school library is more than just a room full of books,” Scheffler said. “It’s a place where imaginations grow, confidence builds, and a lifelong love of reading takes root.”
Reeves, for whom educational opportunity is a personal priority, will make the announcement in her speech to the Labour party conference, where she will also unveil plans to get thousands of young people back into work.
Young people on universal credit who have been out of work or education for 18 months will be guaranteed an offer of paid work. “I can commit this government to nothing less than the abolition of long-term youth unemployment,” she will say.
Claimants will face sanctions such as losing their benefits, however, if they refuse to take up jobs under the scheme without a reasonable excuse. It has echoes of George Osborne’s “workfare” scheme in 2013, which brought in tighter benefits sanctions.
The chancellor will make the case in her speech for a society founded on “contribution”.
She will say: “I believe in a Britain founded on contribution, where we do our duty for each other, and where hard work is matched by fair reward. I believe in a Britain based on opportunity, where ordinary kids can flourish, unhindered by their background.”
The focus on “contribution” comes amid concerns among some in Labour that the government needs to offer voters a clearer vision of its agenda.
Keir Starmer told the BBC on Sunday that he hoped that by the end of the conference, people “can’t say they don’t know what we stand for, what this government is trying to achieve”.
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The welfare secretary, Pat McFadden, who will be responsible for implementing the policy, will say: “Almost a million young people are not in education, employment or training. We will not stand by while a generation is consigned to benefits almost before they’ve begun.
“We will not accept that school pupils full of promise become adults full of frustration. We cannot, we will not, allow wasted talent to become Britain’s story. The youth guarantee is how we will offer every young person a chance to get up and get on.”
Reeves is expected to place strong emphasis on economic responsibility in her speech, despite pressure from some in the party to rethink her fiscal rules. Labour sources suggested, however, that she was unlikely to start rolling the pitch for inevitable tax rises at the budget.
The chancellor faces the prospect of having to find up to £30bn in tax rises or spending cuts on 26 November if, as expected, the Office for Budget Responsibility cuts its forecast for future productivity growth to match the consensus of other experts.
