Abstract
Sure Start is one of the Labour government’s most ambitious attempts at tackling extreme
deprivation and the cycle of social exclusion in the UK. During the previous era of Conservative
Party rule, tacking poverty was not a political priority. For example, the Conservative government
never defined an official poverty line between 1979 and 1997 (Townsend and Kennedy, 2004).
Moreover, as some sections of the Conservative Government believed in an absolute view of
poverty, one Conservative Minister went as far as to argue that poverty no longer existed in the
UK.2
deprivation and the cycle of social exclusion in the UK. During the previous era of Conservative
Party rule, tacking poverty was not a political priority. For example, the Conservative government
never defined an official poverty line between 1979 and 1997 (Townsend and Kennedy, 2004).
Moreover, as some sections of the Conservative Government believed in an absolute view of
poverty, one Conservative Minister went as far as to argue that poverty no longer existed in the
UK.2
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Madrid |
| Publisher | International and Ibero-American Foundation of Public Administration and Policies |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |