It's the leadership I promised you when I asked to be your leader, and I will do it.
But I'll be honest as well. We promised in our manifesto to keep the triple lock unchanged throughout this parliament. I will honor that promise. I will honor that promise. And I'll do more. [applause] I'll do more.
That promise will take the state pension to a record high. From there, in April 2030, we will adjust it.
The state pension will continue to rise every year at least by prices or 2.5%. And it will hold its value relative to earnings over time so that pensioners will always share in the rising prosperity of the nation. [applause]
But this change will generate significant savings which we will use to build up our national care service.
Some may not realize it, but older people with nothing more than the state pension or only a little more can find themselves paying care charges today from that small income. Under my plan, this will no longer happen. I can also confirm today our commitment to ensure that the low-income pensioners won't be dragged into paying income tax in this parliament. [applause]
So this is the deal: a state pension that rises every year, no care charges, and a high-quality national care service to give peace of mind in later life. Conference, I am going to go out and argue for that — a good deal for our pensioners and for older people in the 21st century. [applause]
And I will do it. I will do it in memory of my dad and out of complete respect for everyone who cared for him. [applause]
Conference, we will need to show the same boldness for our young people too. Just when growing up got harder in the social media age, [applause] their support was stripped away. Youth services practically abolished in the early 2010s. Children's mental health services cut. Families left to battle to support kids with special educational needs and disabilities. So many young people cast adrift by a school system built for some, not all, overly focused on the university route and not enough on technical education.
Should we be really surprised that the numbers of late teens and early 20s on benefits has grown, conference? It's not their fault. It's ours. Politicians fail to give people, young people, the support they need as they grow up in a tougher world and then threaten them in their 20s that they will strip away what they're left with. How is that fair? How does that build a strong society? We have a choice, conference. Either we invest in our young people or we pay for failure through the benefit system. Truthfully, we can't afford to do both. My choice is to invest in them. We can't take control of the country's future if we leave so many of our young people drifting towards it.
We await the final report from Alan Milburn's review. But I can say now we will change the education system and the welfare system. We will rebuild a system of comprehensive education in this country. [applause]
With parity between academic and technical, with Lucy Powell leading the way. [applause]
Good quality pathways for all from 14 and the right support for our young people when they need it. A 45-day work placement between 16 and 18, an apprenticeship at 18, and no long waits anymore for mental health support growing up. [applause]
We will need a fundamental rethink of the welfare system to find the money for these opportunities up front. And we will require young people to take up the help presented to them, guaranteeing in-work support and not leaving those out of work losing confidence and connection. This is a different approach to welfare. It is based on a philosophy of social security.
A country which invests in people's success rather than abandoning them and paying for failure. A country like that will be much more resilient to the shocks we will undoubtedly face in the rest of this century, and more able to meet its NATO obligations on defense.
This leadership we are showing at home will be matched on the international stage. I will be steadfast in my support for Ukraine and stand up to threats wherever they come from, whether Russia, Iran, or anywhere. [applause]
And conference, we will be principled in our leadership in securing a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, as Ed Miliband has shown.
This is the Labour Way, a plan for Britain that will enhance our social security and our national security. You don't make Britain safer by leaving a younger generation without hope, stuck at home looking at screens. You do it by giving young people hope again. And you do it by getting our economy growing strongly again. I know Britain is full of brilliant businesses who want our young people to succeed and want to employ them, and we will help them do that and grow together. I have a theory of growth.
It starts by retaking control of the essentials that make a place work or not. You've got to have that control over the fundamental things that everybody needs. And from there you devolve more power to places to put them in charge and decide their own destiny. And then in doing those things,
